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 A new blog to contain answers to prompts |
Since my old blog "Everyday Canvas "  became overfilled, here's a new one. This new blog item will continue answering prompts, the same as the old one. Cool water cascading to low ground
To spread good will and hope all around.  |
| Prompt: Bored? “I’m never bored anywhere; being bored is an insult to oneself.” Jules Renard Do you feel bored sometimes? What bores you? ------------ I am not really bored in my everyday life because I'm always so busy. There are things, people, and instances that bore me though. I guess I don't appreciate being "talked at" be it in my personal life or online. Case in point, some of the YouTube stuff. They get you with a hook in the beginning, a "click bait", and if you think or you are made believe that the person talking is a professional and you can get something out of the information he's about to give, you listen. Then, they go on and on and beat around the bush with irrelevant words and info, and at the end, they may spit out the information they promised in the beginning or not. Such an information should take less than a minute; however, YouTube or the person talking wants to keep you and me 20 minutes to half an hour listening to them, that's someone extremely self-important. Is this worth our time? Knowing this, if I am really curious, I first check the comments section and see if someone has given the answers in a nutshell. So, in general, my reasoning is, mind-numbing anything is boring, especially if there's no learning or problem solving. Then, if any activity asks for little or no mental effort, learning, creativity, or problem-solving, it is a boring one. Even if that activity has promised something in the beginning, then it become pointless and offers nothing, it is a boring activity. Chances are boredom happens when our brains warn us about the mismatch between what we are after and what we are getting. Surely, there are differences among people when it comes to boredom. Some of us are okay with occasional passivity, while others need to stay active both mentally and emotionally. Then, what one person finds fascinating, another might find utterly dull. So what is boring, at least to me, means unnecessary repetition, predictability, and saying or offering nothing new. |
| Prompt: On this day in 1969, American actress Sharon Tate and four others were murdered by followers of Charles Manson, leader of a communal religious cult known as the “Family.” What do you recall about this heinous crime? Thinking about the media coverage of that time compared to today's media coverage of violent crimes, which do you prefer? ======== 1969 was a rowdy year when my first son was a year-old. So what's etched into my memory is his antics, more so than Woodstock, moon-landing, and the sensational crimes. Talk about minding my own business! If I am remembering correctly, Sharon Tate /Manson-family murders shook up everyone, that year. I think I even heard people talk about it in Key Food, our local supermarket, then. News traveled more slowly in those earlier years. That is, before the TV had so many channels and most of us had print newspapers delivered. This meant that the limited number of news sources led to a more unified public understanding of events. Then, as the sign of the times, those in authority of offering the news, such as editors, producers and journalists, might have acted more responsibly, and we the public, mostly, did trust them. This is because our focus was more on the "what" than "how." In comparison, today's media is wild and fast with too many entities such as the social sites, cable news, streaming services, and blogs of everyday people who are news enthusiasts. Although one may rejoice for the variety, this means a lot of confusion and fake news. Worse yet, I don't like not believing what I hear even if that news is correct. Misinformation and conspiracy theories do spread like wildfire, these days, and trust in traditional media is dead and gone. Yet, who benefits from all this confusion? If you ask me, it is the political parties and sensationalist people who are after an iffy fame. This is because we've become much more vulnerable to misinformation, emotional manipulation, and an uncomfortable feeling of dread. Speaking for myself, I don't like to see, read, and hear about every detail, no matter how important, shocking, or minor. I don't like any news information to be taken apart, speculated upon with false information added to it, and repeated endlessly. In other words, the constant, unfiltered, and often graphic crime stories as well as other untrue or sensational news have turned me away from any news in its entirety. On the positive side, no matter how insignificant this may be, anyone with smart phone, these days, can record, take pictures, and help solve crimes. Is this too good to be true? I don't know really, but I guess time will tell. As for the real news of today, the two news sources that claim they have no bias, I get their daily info in my email. One of them is AI based. Still, I can't help but read their news with reservation and a lack of confidence. |
Prompt: How about a little trivia fun-- What song was number one the year you were born or what book was number one on the New York bestsellers list the year you were born? Are you familiar with the song or the book? Would you recommend either to us? --------- I am not even sure they had number-one books or songs for any year, in the middle of the World War II. Since I had no idea whatsoever, I Google searched. Just as I had guessed, they had no such things. So I picked the most popular new(!) ones that came out and were in fashion closer to my birth month. For the song, it was, "I've Heard That Song Before" by Harry James and His Orchestra with Helen Forrest. I am not sure I ever heard of this one before, except probably when I was a baby. Another one I knew and liked (much later) is "That Old Black Magic" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Skip Nelson and the Modernaires. I guess those years were the times for the orchestras rather than the songbirds we acted so crazy over, during the later years. The top seller during my birthday month and after was The Robe by Lloyd Douglas. Although I might have missed it, I don't ever remember this book being mentioned even by my lit teachers. Another book, however, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith was a favorite of mine during my growing years. Answering the question in the prompt, I recommend nothing because tastes are different and they can change, as mine certainly did. About trivia, Wikipedia says, "Trivia is information and data that are considered to be of little value." I am not sure I agree with that statement. Give it to us, writers, we can take the tiniest of things and ideas and turn them into huge things. For example, Dan Brown's Novels, like The Da Vinci Code, that weave intricate plots around historical mysteries, religious symbolism, and other trivia. Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose is another novel built partly on trivia, about a monastery, monks, and black death. Since I can't emulate in any shape or form Dan Brown or Umberto Eco, and I don't think I have the nerve to build anything over the trivia of my birth date, this blog entry will have to do for the moment.   |
| Prompt: Yearbook Themes. What was your yearbook theme in high school? Write about this in your Blog entry today. ------- In my school, we didn't care much for yearbooks. Although there was a student committee for each year's yearbook, their decisions were dominated by the teachers. I've heard that in some other schools, this was totally in the hands of students. Lucky people! I graduated from a private high school in 1961 called, American Academy for Girls. It is a miracle that I remember anything about it, today. So, here's a part of that miracle which I could recall: School motto, "Alma Mater, Siempre" meaning, "Dear Mother, Always." "Mother" was the school. The year I graduated they added "going ahead" to "always" and made it the year's theme for the yearbook. What happened to the yearbooks of other schools, who knows! Yearbooks never interested me. Only because what is said in them are others' opinions, mostly incomplete, faulty or wrong. Most yearbooks might have evolved to more than simple collections of photographs and names and what the administration wanted to keep for its students' achievements. Since I have seen a few of the much earlier yearbooks of my family members, I don't remember any yearbook themes in them. So, my guess is, possibly, yearbook themes were born during the late 1950s or so. If yearbooks are around to create a sense of unity and identity within the school community, I hope they may succeed. So far that I know, most of my classmates have scattered all over the country and the world, and only a few have stayed in touch. My closest high-school friends and I met several times in the following years to stay in touch, but life has a way of separating and alienating people, and so far, I know of only one friend who is still alive. Yet, with my friends in college, we're still in touch and that's a true blessing. |
| Prompt: Yearbook Themes. What was your yearbook theme in high school? Write about this in your Blog entry today. ------- In my school, we didn't care much for yearbooks. Although there was a student committee for each year's yearbook, their decisions were dominated by the teachers. I've heard that in some other schools, this was totally in the hands of students. Lucky people! I graduated from a private high school in 1961 called, American Academy for Girls. It is a miracle that I remember anything about it, today. So, here's a part of that miracle which I could recall: School motto, "Alma Mater, Siempre" meaning, "Dear Mother, Always." "Mother" was the school. The year I graduated they added "going ahead" to "always" and made it the year's theme for the yearbook. What happened to the yearbooks of other schools, who knows! Yearbooks never interested me. Only because what is said in them are others' opinions, mostly incomplete, faulty or wrong. Most yearbooks might have evolved to more than simple collections of photographs and names and what the administration wanted to keep for its students' achievements. Since I have seen a few of the much earlier yearbooks of my family members, I don't remember any yearbook themes in them. So, my guess is, possibly, yearbook themes were born during the late 1950s or so. If yearbooks are around to create a sense of unity and identity within the school community, I hope they may succeed. So far that I know, most of my classmates have scattered all over the country and the world, and only a few have stayed in touch. My closest high-school friends and I met several times in the following years to stay in touch, but life has a way of separating and alienating people, and so far, I know of only one friend who is still alive. Yet, with my friends in college, we're still in touch and that's a true blessing. |
| Prompt: "For the love of literature." Write about this in your Blog entry today. ----------- Since this prompt is a phrase alone, it suggests to me doing something purely out of passion, appreciation, or love for books, reading, and the written word. It means dedication to literature for its own sake. Literature for literature's sake...which brings to mind the attempt of some who like to see themselves in print, not for literature's sake but only for money, fame, or obligation. I have to say, here, "to each his or her own" since what anyone does is their own business. As for me, my love of literature began very early with my mother's story-telling abilities. That's probably why I learned to read before I had turned four. Then, over the years, my love grew, and I ended up studying it very seriously throughout my years in higher education. They say literature is for the rebellious, non-conforming spirit. Certainly, I am non-conforming, but rebellious, I don't think so. I never liked to make waves. Not that I couldn't, but I usually chose not to. Yet, I love literature even the kind that makes waves, and sometimes, I like especially the kind that makes waves. This is because I can make deep connections to people and ideas that I'm not too familiar with. Then, call me, one-sided, but my closest friends have always been those who could write and/or those who loved reading. Also, every person has a different view about a particular topic...and the differences in opinion may collide. Then, even that can be an eye-opener. I think, the importance of literature is best brought to print by the Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa. He says, in his essay, “Why Literature?” about those who do not read much: "They earn my pity not only because they are unaware of the pleasure that they are missing, but because I am convinced that a society without literature or a society in which literature has been hated--like some hidden vice--to the margins of social and personal life, and transformed into something like a secterian cult, is a society condemned to become spiritually barbaric, and even to jeopardize its freedom." He also goes on to say: "It (literature} has enabled individuals, in all the particularities of their lives, to transcend history: as readers of Cervantes, Shakespeare, Dante, and Tolstoy, we understand each other across space and time, and we feel ourselves to be members of the same species because, in the works that these writers created, we learn what we share as human beings, what remains common in all of us under the broad range of differences that separate us. Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably appears in great literature: that men and women of all nations and places are essentially equal, and that only injustice sows among them discrimination, fear, and exploitation." And I so agree! |
| Prompt: Superpowers "Having a superpower has nothing to do with the ability to fly or jump, or superhuman strength. The truest superpowers are the ones we all possess: willpower, integrity, and most importantly, courage." Jason Reynolds How would the world be different if everyone knew they had superpowers? Which superpower do you think you possess? ---------- "I'm here to fight for truth and justice," said Superman. So he did personify superpowers. Yet, are all superpowers alike? As to the superpowers in the prompts' quote, somehow, I think the world is aware of them already. What Jason Reynolds calls superpowers are willpower, integrity, and courage. Except, it is difficult to use them because, sometimes, our own self-interests butt into our style of being. Then, it is not only the self-interests but the way we have conditioned ourselves to act can be to blame, as well. Surely, I am not inside every single person in the world, but I assume that, in some magical way, we all know about these superpowers. We all know that real strength doesn't lie in fantasy or fiction but in our everyday choices and actions. Of these superpowers, willpower has to be the strongest one because it is such a quiet force that works under our every action and will. It's the ability to keep going when things get hard, to say yes to progress, and to say no to what might hold us back. We can see it in the person who fights to win against all odds and in any situation, be it a student who has to work for a living during daytime but studies hard late into the night or a nurse, despite all the work she has to do, stays by a patient to give him a easy passage into death, or parents who continually keep after their wayward child to keep that child from harming himself. Integrity means staying true to ourselves and our values, be it in a crowd or when alone. It shows in honesty, accountability, and standing by what is right. In our mixed-up world, which often rewards fake masks and shortcuts, integrity has to count as a deeply courageous act. Also, there is that superpower, courage. So, I ask myself, what is courage, then? The answer comes up as, courage is not the absence of fear, but it is the determination and choice to move forward, to act, to fix things, despite the fear. Courage turns ordinary people into heroes, people such as the firefighters, caregivers, friends, policemen, parents, you, and hopefully I, too. About me and superpowers question, if I mentioned any of them in relation to me, they would cease to be superpowers, wouldn't they! I certainly hope they do show up when I need them, though. As such, superpowers are not out of reach. They are already within each person. Our challenge is to recognize, believe, and keep them pure inside us, so we can use them, daily, when needed. This is each person's choice and in that choice lies each person's greatness. As another quote says, "There is a superhero in all of us. We just need the courage to put on the cape." |
“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” Meister Eckhart What resistance or skepticism does this quote bring up in your mind? And why? ------------- I really shouldn't feel any skepticism or resistance to this prompt. Truth, however, dictates that I admit there have been some mornings when I woke up dreading the day. Luckily for me, they are not that often. Thinking about the idea behind the quote, Meister Eckhart's words bring one thing to my mind: self-love. First, I think, we have to have self-love to face anything because only our "selves" and how we feel about them can make us do things that are better for us and for everyone we care about. Also, life always tries to test us. It tests our determination and willingness to love ourselves enough to face each day with enthusiasm. Yet, at the same time, it gives us an opportunity to connect with our deepest parts. So, each morning, even when something dreadful is in the works, say, like attending a funeral, we can still find something to look forward to. This is us handling life, I think. Life is a tester, not necessarily cruel, but it is like the strict interrogator in a graduation exam. To win or to pass the test, we need to look at and find the positives inside each new day, every morning. Wanting to learn new things, getting better at what is important to us, or even small, seemingly insignificant ideas like planting a flower, getting a new pair of shoes, and many other tiny things that encourage our enthusiasm will make us face the day with positivity. This is because life is a reality that makes us experience, feel, re-evaluate, and as the result, make a choice. This is how life teaches us self-love. When we become good at this self-love, then, each morning, we'll be eager to begin living again, once more. |
| Prompt: Certainty vs. Confusion It is often assumed that certainty is preferred over uncertainty and confusion. Can you, however, think of instances where good things may result out of uncertainty and/or confusion? --------------- My question is, is there such a thing as certainty? Maybe in a far away place, like heaven, but not here on earth, can there be certainty, methinks. Let's look at it this way. You wake up happy in the morning. The world is quiet. Your cup of coffee and breakfast are perfect. If so, why do you need a new hairstyle, a new book, a vacation, or even conversing with your friends? In fact, why do you ever need any change especially if you are in a certain perfect place in your life? My guess is, there is no certain perfect place or way of being. Even in the best of conditions, those conditions can always change. And they do. Therefore, good-bye, certainty! And welcome uncertainty and confusion! So I can only hope this uncertainty is not too harsh and painful, and confusion does not disrupt my so-called "sane" thinking. Still, some people claim that the best ideas often emerge from the fog. This maybe because confusion disrupts our everyday, routine way of thinking. So we begin to explore unconventional paths. And kudos! Welcome more fulfilling ways, creativity, and artistic and scientific breakthroughs! This means personal growth, adaptability, humility, better emotional maturity, and new opportunities. Another positive could be, uncertainty and confusion makes us let go of any rigid, established expectations. This makes our lives more spontaneous and richer. We also begin to lean on each other more and with honesty. This, in turn, does deepen relationships by building empathy and trust. So, this all means uncertainty and confusion are also catalysts to new ways. Although, deep down inside, I keep wishing they wouldn't be so painful at times and so difficult to handle. |
| Prompt: If someone asked you caption August, what would you say? (provide (an illustration) with a title or explanation.) --------- The Warning by the Last Hurrah  In most places they baptize August as the summer's swan song. Far be it from me to say that in view of where I live, since where I live autumn's approach is not felt at all. So, instead, it leaves me to worry about the hurricanes that may arrive and raise havoc. I would, therefore, call August, "The Warning!" Although, rarely, there were also hurricanes in August, too. Then, I have to honor my good friends living in the northern parts of the country, so I think, I'll also caption August as "The Last Hurrah!" Putting these two captions together, "The Warning by the Last Hurrah" comes to mind. Also, for many regions, August is a time of peak harvest. Gardens overflow with ripe tomatoes, corn, berries, apples, and other good stuff. Luckily, where I am, we get a trickle of that bounty through the workings of interstate commerce. Does August suggest a touch of bittersweet nostalgia, as well? At my age anything and everything suggests nostalgia, as well. So why not August? Yes, I do recall my family's seaside excursions, as the illustration suggests, and beach fun. I also like watermelon a lot, for watermelon has great taste, provides water for the body, and a slice of it is good to look at. In reflection, then, I do appreciate the cycle of nature, too,--of growth, peak, gentle-decline, decline, and renewal. So, maybe August is a powerful reminder for us, to flow with the rhythm of the year, embracing both the fullness of the present and the gentle certainty of what's yet to come. |
| Prompt: Have fun with these words: departure, discrimination, stall, dine, earthquake, look, dynamic and shoulder. ------------ "Package in the Wind" I blinked at the photo of an alien door, with my package, and instead, "*Departure made, then delivered," the screen said No box, no note, no beep, no sign No chance tonight that I can *dine Not here but a phantom clear and Amazon's chatbox offered a *dynamic cheer, not a real kiss, and not why the delivery had to *stall and miss No box, no note, no beep, no sign No chance tonight that I can *dine I took a quick *look for its place while neighbors gave a "shoulder to my case, a *discrimination cruel, as if an *earthquake shook the place No box, no note, no beep, no sign No chance tonight that I can *dine. I pace the floor, thoughts turn black for I feel the lack, but still cope and hope, in rain or sleet, my package and I shall soon meet. No box, no note, no beep, no sign No chance tonight that I can *dine. ------------ Here's What Happened: True Story. I ordered a package from Amazon, as I always do. and I'll be fair and say that Amazon has never disappointed me before. The email I received as "delivered" has the photo of an alien doorway, not mine. And as much as I tried, I couldn't get through to Amazon. I'm still waiting and hoping that the people who live in the house with that door the package was delivered to will either bring it to me or send it back to Amazon. |
| Prompt: "The best protection any woman can have is courage." Princess Diana Write about this quote in your Blog entry today. ------- Yes, Princess Diana, you hit the nail on the head. If it weren't for women's courage under terrible circumstances and domination, none of us would be here today. Women's courage is often quiet, tough, and durable, and it is deeply rooted in the history of the humankind. This courage does not have a single shape or sound. It is varied, and it shows up in many diverse acts, public or private. It is the women's refusal to stay diminished, and it is in walking away from a bad situation, in raising voice for just causes, and in caring for others without losing oneself. When I look at the history, I always see this courage, which one must not mix with the absence of fear. In fact, it has nothing to do with fear. It has to do with choices, as in choosing to love an unkind world, to lead when leadership is most needed, to speak even when a woman's tongue is cut. This courage always shows up in the mother who keeps going, after many long nights and hard days, the grandmother who holds a family together, the daughter who speaks up when silence would be safer, the girl who defies expectations to attend school, the leader who stands firm even as her voice shakes, and the writer and the artist who share their truths. Yes, Princess, courage is the best protection, but we women rarely think of our personal protection. We do it because we have chosen to love a world that can be unkind, to lead when our leadership is questioned, and to speak even when we know our words will be dismissed. You, however, knew this much better than any male of your time. Your actions, often calm and quiet, were your words, but they always had great impact. |
| Prompt: "I want to live my life, not record it." Jackie Kennedy Write about this quote in your Blog entry today. ----------- Me thinks: What is wrong with recording one's life? Isn't that why some of us keep diaries, journals, and such? On the other hand, having lived through the Kennedy era, I can appreciate Jackie Kennedy's concerns. I think she was drawing a line between being and being observed. I think she resented to have been made into a spectacle. Yet, this was her fate for having been born into a prominent family and then marrying the most famous man in the world. Sometimes, none of us can overcome what life throws our way. Looking into her words in the quote, I think this is what she really meant: * As she was tortured by the constant media attention, she had grown sick and tired of being observed non-stop, documented, and analyzed in public. She really wanted to live like the rest of us, like a human being, and not like a specimen. * As much as I favor "recording," living in the moment and "not recording" implies experiencing life directly. "Not recording" is Jackie's words of rebellion against those who are obsessed with self-image, image control, and legacy. *Also, it just occurred to me that she didn't like being a symbol, for she was made to look like a symbol of grace, beauty, strength, and tragedy. I can understand her in that I and most other people I know would also become uncomfortable if being made into something like a mythological character. *For all the reasons above that I could think of and possibly some others also, her "not recording" was an attempt of taking control over her life. Then, like most of us, who resent our very own situation, she also lived as if in rebellion, but did just the things that still put her in the public eye. I guess stardom is an addiction in itself. It is an addiction that makes people do everything they can do, just to stay in the limelight. With that, Jackie was very successful regardless of what she said in the quote. Or else, we wouldn't have this prompt today and we wouldn't be writing about her after so many decades. |
| Prompt: Movies Do you like movies, writing for movies, and movie-making? If one of your stories could become a movie, which one would it be? And/or if re-telling a movie from a different perspective became popular, what movie would you like to be retold? ---------------- I haven't been to the movies in at least a couple of decades. I used to love, no cross that, adore movies. I guess our watching movies, over time, turned to watching movies on TV and that to me became like taking a cold shower on a freezing day, as all the magic was gone. I mean, the magic of the movie-houses, running into friends there, and enjoying the show with a huge room of people, and then, at the end, on our way out, conversing with those total strangers and exchanging remarks on what we felt about what we just watched. Maybe, it was the old movie-going thing that hooked and entertained me the most. As to the movies itself, no I never even thought about writing for movies or movie-making. But if any of my fiction could be made into a movie, I'd probably pick a short story because novels lose a lot when made into a movie. I just checked my port, since I haven't been writing serious fiction for some time, and came up with "Fox Hunt" . Why? Because that story has holes that an adventurous movie maker can fill up, to his liking. Surely, a screenplay will have to be written first. A screenplay does what a story does but with more dialogue, structure, rhythm, and visuals, where every scene, every line of dialogue must serve a purpose. Then would come the collaboration with a team of artists, including directors, actors, cinematographers, and editors, who will bring the story to life. As to re-telling an existing movie, I can think of so many. But for the sake of brevity, I'm choosing "The Day the Earth Stood Still" a 1951 movie, only because we need that alien right now here on earth. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043456 In this movie, an alien shows up in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed because the way things are, they are a danger to other planets. How to improve that? Well, I'll have to say, although I know so very little about movie-making, a more impressive visual spaceship would help. Also, I wouldn't make the alien "from Mars" but from some far outer-space place, especially in tandem with Nasa's newest discoveries and other space telescopes and Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes. Plus, a better, more relatable robot would be a good start. Then, the action and the scenery could be made livelier and more interesting with the new techniques, but without letting the characters and the ideas behind the story lose their life-like elements. More importantly, the film's message about humanity's self-destructive tendencies could be explored with greater urgency and depth, given the current environmental and political climate. In fact, writing and making movies takes an immense effort, patience, and imagination. When this is done well, such movies can become a kind of magic to which we can all relate. |
| Prompt: Social Media In what ways do you think social media is helpful or hurtful? Also, should politicians be on the social media? ---------- I think, like anything else, social media depends on the way it is used. You use it wisely, it is a good thing. You use it with bad intent, it turns into a monster. This is because social Media is one of the most powerful tools of our time. Like any power-tool, however, it can also cut and maim people. On the positive side, especially talking for myself, I can stay in touch with family and friends, even across continents, through the social media. About 40-50 years ago, when there was only the telephone calls available and when I used to call a family member across the ocean, it meant telling the operator I wanted to make a phone call to such-an such-a country and giving her the phone numbers. Then, came the wait by the phone, which sometimes took several hours. When the connection happened, sometimes there was no clarity in the conversation which was garbled up at times, because, in those days, phone connections were made through undersea cables. Such a call was also very expensive. A phone call to Greece or Turkey, for example would be about $50 for five minutes or so. which was quite a sum to pay at the time. But we at least got to hear the voices of our loved ones. Now, compare this to today's free video calls through the social media! Also, more friendships are formed on the social media today. Plus, support groups for mental health, chronic illness, grief, or shared interests offer comfort and belonging to millions. We also discover new ways of thinking through the social media's educational content, music, books, art, and business opportunities. More artisans and writers can have global followers and buyers, Also, through the social media, awareness on important issues, like social justice, human rights, or climate change is encouraged. So far, I focused on the positive side of the social media, but there is also its monstrous side that can be quite hurtful. On the negative side: First, there's such a thing as cyberbullying and harassment, which has led the vulnerable and the weak among us all the way to suicide. If not that extreme, the pressure to appear acceptable-to-perfect can lead to anxiety, depression and low self-esteem in some people. Because of this, I can't honestly believe everything I see and hear on social media, especially when someone puts up a far-out something as if news, such as telling that the latest James Webb telescope has found God and coming up with the fake picture of a golden city or something! No, I'm not kidding. This misinformation was on YouTube, like many gazillions of others. The trouble with this is that false news spreads fast, especially when it provokes emotion. Also, there is such a thing as the algorithms, that help false news spread even more than anything. Plus, some of us get addicted to scrolling and lose precious time with loved ones and our other real-world businesses. Not to mention that, our addiction to social media can also interrupt our sleep and bring up serious health issues. As to Politicians on the Social Media: This, too, has a good side and a bad side to it. On the positive side, politicians on social media can speak directly to the citizens without the news media butting in. This makes them more accessible and transparent. In addition, they can share instant updates on policies and other developments, such as disasters, pandemics, and urgent legislation. They can also deal with voters on a one-on-one basis, listening to their concerns and questions. This can encourage more political participation by the public. On the other hand, plus or minus, what politicians state could be permanent and it would hold them accountable for their ideas and words. On the negative side, a bad politician can spread misinformation on purpose and, because he's someone in power, that misinformation spreads fast, doing damage. Especially if that misinformation is against the other party and is used to create "us vs. them" dynamics. As such, they can indirectly, and sometimes directly, encourage harassment of their critics and opponents. The way they use language, mostly vaguely but suggestively, can lead to some serious consequences. When all is said and done, as much as my little mind could muster, social media like anything else can be a friend or a foe. Such as the politicians who dare to use it. It is, therefore, up to us, the public, to monitor its proper use. |
| Prompt: Secrets What do you think about secrets and keeping secrets? If a secret would be against your morals or beliefs or if it was about hurting someone or a group of people, would you still keep it? ---------- I can keep secrets just fine but if a secret has to do with hurting someone else or going against my country or something too harmful to the person who tells me of his secret (i.e. something like he's planning a suicide), I won't keep that secret and I'll tell that to the person who wants me to keep such a secret or to the authorities. Yet, at times, secrets connect people. Those are gentle things, such as a surprise party, a close friend's whispered crush, a private dream or a not-fully-thought out endeavor. Not all secrets, however, are harmless. Some have weight and they carry a burden. Plus, the longer they are kept, the heavier they become. Such secrets can create walls among people, since they may be born from fear, guilt, or pain. These grow more shadowy, the longer they are hidden. This had me thinking about friends who told me secrets, then cut me off because they felt uneasy about my knowing their secrets. So, I believe there's a fine line between what's private and what's secret. A secret is a lock on a door whereas privacy is personal space, a boundary. We all have the right to keep parts of ourselves private. Consequently, secrets that fester can turn into a silence that harms any relationship. Still, keeping a secret for someone shows trust. It is my form of loyalty and love. On the other hand, what if keeping a certain secret causes harm or what if it goes against my values? This means not everything has to be shared to be real, which points to the fact that some secrets are about power. The power of what a person chooses to reveal and what that person decides to guard and their power over the person they told their secret to. As to the secrets themselves, some are worth keeping, but some need the light. I believe, knowing the difference between the two has to do with wisdom. |
| Prompt: Write a short story using this quote as inspiration: “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever.” Alfred Tennyson ----------- In a Garden Forever Grace pushed the gate open, which greeted her with a welcoming creak. Here lay the garden, warming under the morning sun, its rows and rows of flowers stretching endlessly. It was as if the place itself bloomed with feeling. She walked among the flowers inhaling their scents...roses, lilacs, lilies, carnations, and many others. She had planted each flower with care, one for every thought of him and for every moment she still missed him. They had dreamt this together, this garden, as their dreams curled softly in their shared joy. He had said, often, “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you... I could walk through my garden forever.” Then, he was taken away from her--suddenly without warning. So Grace started the planting on her own... one flower for each of his sweet words, one bush for each memory. And the garden grew like her grief. And now, years later, she walked along the winding paths of the garden as the wind rustled through the tall flowers and a beautiful butterfly danced ahead of her. Now, old and tired, she sat on the stone bench under the wisteria and closed her eyes, feeling her garden pulse with life, a place that would always be alive. "You did plant our garden, Grace, and it is stunning." It was his voice, no doubt about that! She smiled, as his voice caressed her, but she was unable to talk or to open her eyes. "I came for you," he said. "To take you to the garden I planted for you...to a place where gardens never end." Later that day, the next-door neighbor found Grace on the stone bench, under the arch of the wisteria, smiling, happier than ever, but lifeless. |
| Prompt: “One day you discover you are alive. Explosion! Concussion! Illumination! Delight! You laugh, you dance around, you shout. But, not long after, the sun goes out. Snow falls, but no one sees it, on an August noon.” ~ Ray Bradbury Let this quote inspire your entry today. ---------- Oh, oh! Now I feel like re-reading Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine once more. And yes, youngsters better know that we oldies did have a past, even if childhood was denied to some of us. The quote in the prompt begins on a happy note: The vibrant realization of existence. How lovely it is to suddenly see the joy of being alive! Energy, optimism, celebration are all there. Well, especially if you are young and life looks promising with many possibilities. Not long after, however, the sun goes down, snow falls, "but no one sees it, on an August noon." Such a writerly way of expressing the idea as a contrast of the earlier jubilation and the arrival of harsh reality! August is a month of warmth and sunshine, representing the peak of summer and vitality. Snow, on the other hand, symbolizes coldness, death, and the end of things. "Yet no one sees it" points to the transition between the two contrasting ideas. This way of positioning the two ideas is exquisite, if you ask me. It shows that loss can arrive suddenly and unexpectedly, even when we expect only happiness. Be it subtle and barely noticed, we feel the impact of change deeply. We also mourn, deep down inside, the inevitable presence of sorrow and loss in life, often arriving unexpectedly, together with Ray Bradbury and Douglas Spaulding, the young boy of twelve, who is the main character in the story. Frankly speaking, when I first read the book, I was quite young, but still I was impressed. Then, I read it again couple of decades later. Thinking back, I saw more in it than what I got out of it the first time. Maybe, I'll read it again and see how I react to it in my old age. Funny how this entry ended up becoming something like a book review. So, here is something I conjured up just on the quote. Bittersweet Bittersweet life, so brief, so long, Yet, on the days when wonder emerged through the trees, with a wisp of laughter in my child's voice How fast they passed, and gone how soon like petals falling from my open hands as if dreams slipping away How Joy bloomed bright but bowed to the night, flickering away out of sight like an old used-up candle But to leave a soft refrain, a memory's kiss, or a whispered song in the dust for what's lost to be found again Bittersweet life, so brief, so long. |
| Prompt: How can you find relief when you're feeling overwhelmed? Write about this in your Blog entry today. --------- My first reaction to this prompt was: "Don't get overwhelmed!" Easier to say than do, right? Well, yours truly was overwhelmed last week over the most trivial thing, which its solution took four days. Granted, it was the last drop that caused the flood. So who am I to tell anyone what to do! I can tell you my immediate action, though. I put my mind into something totally different than the thing in question, even though its worry kept popping up. This happens to me, even when I am doing several different things at the same time. Come to think of it, maybe I should go the opposite way. Instead of forcing myself not to think about the main event that overwhelmed me, I could handle the problems differently by taking a deep breath and meeting the main problem head on. Trying different and unusual ways to solve some of the problems could have been another solution, too. Then, it might just have helped to write down all that overwhelmed me and to meet the main problem--I mean that last drop that caused the spill--head on. Also, maybe I could do something I really like, just to veer my mind to another direction. In my case, it's a word puzzle or anything to do with words, which I do often, anyway. Then, just suppose those things that overwhelmed me went on and on. It happens, and believe me, I can get overwhelmed over and over again. So, even if rarely, I ask for help with either the problems or my feelings about them. Then, if the problems and situations aren't something I can do anything about, I reevaluate the situation and let stuff be. Sometimes, things have a way of solving themselves; at other instances, with the passage of time, they are forgotten or minimized, and then at the end, that they even existed doesn't matter anymore. Still, I have to tell me and everyone else the same thing I wrote at the beginning of this entry: Just Don't Get Overwhelmed! |
| Prompt: "Cats are distant, discreet, impeccably clean and able to stay silent. What more could be needed to be good company?" Write about this quote in your Blog entry today. ------------- Well, okay, I have to take the opposite view for the word "distant" when describing cats. I have never ever owned a distant cat. If anything, all my cats were very friendly and loving, to the degree of overbearing at times. The last one, however, used to run and hide under a chair when the doorbell rang or someone came to visit. Yet, she was always very warm to me. But then, each cat has his and her own personality; some are needy, others are more independent, but all my cats were very affectionate and we formed a unique cat-human bond as long as they were with me. A case in point: When I was a teenager, my mother suddenly took very ill and I was crying in the kitchen while preparing her food. My then cat--a feral gray I had picked up from the street and somehow made her into a nice house cat that adapted to me and to our house--jumped on the table and began licking my tears. This show of affection and comfort has stayed with me all my life. My last cat, Noche, who passed away about a year ago, was not a lap-cat but she loved to sit next to me, so I made sure wherever I sat in the house, there would be another seat or an empty space close to me where she could comfortably sit. Noche didn't mind, however, when I picked her up and petted her. In fact, she loved it. I knew it from her purring and licking my hand and putting her head on my chest. But she wasn't comfortable on my lap, otherwise. She wanted her very own seat, next to me. On the bed, she would still sleep next to me also, by putting her paw on some part of me, but she never climbed inside the covers or over me. Noche became my cat when she was already twelve and she was quite agile, playful, and loved sitting with me inside the closed porch and watching the yard--the squirrels, rabbits, and many birds--from a distant. Once a large frog found its way into the bedroom and I was worried that Noche would bite the frog, maim it, or get herself hurt. No such thing happened. She sat across the frog and imitated the frog's motions. If the frog moved to one side, Noche moved toward that side. This went on for about two hours or so. Then, the frog suddenly jumped. So did Noche, but the two never even touched. Finally, I got the frog to move toward the front door and let it out. I think some angel must have helped me in the process because imagine trying to capture or lead a jumping frog through the house to the front door! Another weird thing with all my cats was, while most of them slept comfortably and quietly, Noche would talk in her sleep, literally talk, making sounds more humanlike. I don't know why. I think, maybe because in her previous home, there was a dog she didn't like and a larger cat she fought with. Could she have been dreaming of her earlier years! Just maybe. I so miss having a cat, and I miss Noche especially, but I won't get another cat or any other animal. This is because I am old and what will happen to the animal if I died! Even a most adaptable cat can have some emotional trauma in the least, when the owner changes. Plus, everyone I know wouldn't take a cat since they all have dogs. I wouldn't want a tamed house cat living in a shelter and heaven-forbid be subject to euthanasia or medical lab research. So I live with my cat memories, now, And they are among the most beautiful memories I have. I believe I have been blessed with those memories and the knowledge that I once was friends with such animals as cats that are beautiful inside out. |
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You had to know you were going to get a visit from the smarta$$ brigade. We love you, Joy.
