Daily writing prompt
Emperor Palpatine has announced open elections for a new Emperor — and he’s nominated Darth Vader. You get to nominate one challenger.
Pete Buttigieg. He’s smart, and likely capable of keeping us grounded in reality.
Author: tallthinman72
Back Then
Daily writing prompt
What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?
Ooh. There’s a lot to choose from, but I used to believe that trees generated wind.
In my defense, that was a long time ago.
Thought-Provoking
Daily writing prompt
What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?
The one movie that has left the greatest long-term impression is Selma, because it drove home the idea that life isn’t a take it or leave it thing. Yes, we do have a say in whether or not we engage or disengage, whether we dive in or just dismiss any sense of obligation. But this movie made it much more difficult to treat life with a certain cavalier disinterest.
A book that changed the way I view the world is Sapiens, by Juval Noah Harari. Among other things, it has clouded my understanding of religious faith, which is no insignificant development.
Barriers Fall
Daily writing prompt
Which languages do you speak and how did that impact your life?
Just English. I took Spanish and French in high school, learned a bit of Swedish in college, and did what I could with Greek in seminary, but I became proficient in none of those.
Knowing English has been enough to carry me through life, but being able to converse in something other than one’s native tongue has always seemed like a great achievement to me. Anyone who is multilingual has my respect, especially those who come to this country and have to learn English on the fly.
Eyes Open
Daily writing prompt
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
Look around you, listen and learn. Take a break from the electronics— on a regular basis. Step away from that noise. The world isn’t necessarily as you view it in a TikTok video, or whatever the current worldwide delivery system has to offer.
Don’t listen to the naysayers, and take with a grain of salt whatever a bully might be able to summon in the way of insults and caustic remarks. Seek out a trusted friend or two— there’s nothing wrong with a small circle of friends. You don’t have to be everybody’s buddy.
Learn patience, be kind. If you’re looking for a religious community, seek out one that isn’t afraid of questions and doubts, one that’s intentional about being engaged and relieving suffering, one that indeed welcomes all and doesn’t claim inerrancy as a selling point.
Know that this earthly life can take a toll on us all, that no one is close to being perfect, and most of us are looking for love, maybe even redemption.
Setting Standards
Don’t know as I’m the one to ask about that. It seems that it might begin with one’s own dreams and aspirations, with one’s sitz im leben, or setting in life.
Does a person possess a certain indomitable spirit that allows them to rise above what could be viewed as a lack of opportunity? Do they set their sights high and refuse failure as an option? Do they catch a break every now and then? Do they have people who support them along the way?
And how do they themselves define success?
I guess my only tip is to avoid defining it too narrowly, as if the only success that matters is of a financial nature, or status-oriented. It seems it’s easy to linger in that shallow water.
First Encounter
Daily writing prompt
What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?
In some ways, this dynamic already presents itself as a function of my age and all the water under the bridge. I might pick up To Kill a Mockingbird, or watch Dances with Wolves or Castaway or M*A*S*H and experience them differently because my perceptions and understandings have been influenced and shaped along the way.
For the sake of this prompt, I think I’d like to experience The Wizard of Oz, the 1939 movie, for the first time.
Beware the Vanity Project
I suppose the classic assumption that money or power bring happiness, when maybe it’s more about having enough to provide food, clothing, and shelter, along with enjoying a certain level of respect and appreciation.
It seems to me that happiness of a basic sort means having needs met, feeling loved and supported.
I find it hard to believe that the lifestyles of the rich and famous can automatically be equated with being happy. Yes, I’d rather have money than not have it, but at some point working for a living can turn into an endless pursuit, where people lose sight of what it means to simply have enough.
Easy Choice
Daily writing prompt
If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be and why?
Sight reading any piano piece.
Takes Me Back
I received a newsletter today from the chairperson of the alumni group from my class in college. It was our 50th anniversary of graduation, and the letter was an update on how things went at the reunion weekend back in May.
The pictures of classmates included in the letter put me in a contemplative mood. The group photos had to be of people from ancient classes from the ’40s and ’50s I used to see in editions of past quarterly magazines honoring the 50+-year classes. Except these were classmates of mine, many of whom I never did get to know, but who I would recognize if their names happened to be included in the captions, which they weren’t.
Anyway, this encounter with the great old days of college has me wistfully reminiscing about a period in my life that now seems like it could have unfolded in a dream. It elicits a certain melancholy, but also sincere gratitude for the experience. And it has me both marveling at and somewhat stunned by this inexorable passage of time that occasionally catches us off guard and has us evaluating what we’ve done with all the years.
