First Blog

  Field of Dreams We know it well. Picture this field as a vast plane, stretching to infinity. In it is contained all your hopes, ideas, wishes, aspirations, yearnings, and desires. Even faith has a presence. Many visit often. Some live there. Only a few have forgotten where it is. This field is special, part fantasy, part spiritual, part a plan, and part the solution. It is the place where dreams meet reality. Each of us sees this field stretching before our present and future. For each, there are hopes, even prayers for those dreams to come true.   Your field of dreams is a fertile plain, lush with flowers and grasses, but also with spines and thorns. because not everything growing there is what you want.   To be avoided are those most tempting, the dreams of excess. We should thus call this short essay Your Field of Dreams Parents often say, “Sweet dreams” to their children on tucking them in. Before that, you dreamt of having children, healthy and able, good and happy. Befo

Some of us live by maxims of the famous luminaries, past and present. Yet, it is upon us to understand just what is correct, actionable, and sensible. Let’s consider the lie from the inside and out. For us grown-ups Let’s begin with the maxim from Fyodor Dostoevsky , “Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” This lofty admonition sounds almost Utopian, with dire consequences for violation. The self-lie is wrong.   For the kids. We have “The Little Engine that Could,” a story used to teach children the value of optimism and hard work. This means to try hard regardless of doubt, also to be viewed as a possible self-lie. Dostoevsky instructs us not to, but most of us do try. Does this mean we lie to ourselves?   Yet, from another past luminary Thoma

  What is Hypertruth?    You may never have heard of hypertruth, but it is part of your life. It is how you are swayed. Often, it how you believe. Opportunist see it as a tool; clergy see it as a sermon; politicians see it as more votes. Hypertruth is an excessive or exaggerated truth that can take an ordinary truth beyond its natural domain, even becoming false. As well, it may involve elevating or expanding a minor point into a major concept.   An example would be a cleric taking truths from the bible and reinterpreting and exaggerating them from statements of peace to those suggesting destruction and war. Centuries ago, the Inquisition followed the hypertruth of severe punishment to correct heresy.  The current notion of “Cancel Culture” mimic such notions for political heresy, the shunning practice of some religions. Also, the politician may take accepted truths of equality amongst people into an outright theft or reappropriation of resources from one party in favor of another. In

It is sometimes better to think in terms of the shape of knowledge and thought in terms of geometry. This renders many geometric metaphors. They help us to categorize and understand how we understand, in a visual way. A few examples come to mind.   ·         You often think in terms of some knowledge encompassing a topic – you’ve got it covered from all perspectives. ·         You may think of some topics as disjoint from or orthogonal to other knowledge. ·         You may see your knowledge triangulates a topic allowing you to narrow it down to some essential facts. ·         Your point of reference is distant from hers. ·         You square up the situation, understanding all questions and a proper and complete perspective. ·         You may see someone's train of thought is parallel to yours, proceeding along similar lines, but noting no intersection is possible. ·         You may think of the best possible thinking is the best or fastest way to move from one pos

  How to recognize intuition in others – even ourselves. People with great intuition seem to see a solution without an apparent train of thought. It may appear effortless, but usually, the understanding has much previous preparation. Intuition is one of about eight problem-solving techniques we use in all phases of life. Great advances depend on them. Great parents have intuition, often without knowing it. That excellent mechanic or craftsman we wished we hired has it. They know because they see deep patterns beyond treatises on procedure. The intuitive teacher knows from the slightest facial expression or words if the student is having trouble. Your intuition is best about subjects you know best. In geometry, they may see how the parts fit together; in literature, they may write just the right expression or turn of phrase. In personal relations, they may know just what to do without excitement or apparent revelation. In diplomacy, they may have an instinctive understanding of w

What do Mozart and I have in common? At first blush, you might suggest, “Both of you like Mozart’s music,” not adding that, “and it ends there.” Yet, there is common ground. The Answer is that ... Mozart and I are both “techies.” It all began in 1698. After hundreds of attempts by dozens of craftsmen, the Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori* finally solved all the problems inherent in making a harpsichord with hammers , the Piano Forte. While it is unimportant just what the problems were, the result was the creation of a new instrument with a dynamic range that completely eclipsed the harpsichord. The new sound excited the public; the powerful and rich Medici listed one of Christofori’s instruments in a 1700 inventory of instruments. Here was a powerful new tool, hardly touched by new composition. Techniques and rules of composition for it did not exist. The first explorers with the new technology, which included Mozart, would have a great impact.  In the beginning, th

  Giving Up Giving up on life is a form of suicide. You’re still living but dead inside. Call it suicide-lite. It’s an easy way not to care, not to try, not to struggle, and not to succeed.  Ok. It’s sometimes necessary to give up on a project, lest plunge further down an indeterminate hole. But giving up altogether is an act of decommissioning your humanity, to carry on only biologically. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Knowing   One does not come to know a subject while sitting upon a high chair with knowledge being spoon-fed. Knowing a subject is more akin to farming, wherein you plant seeds, nourish the soil, watch the seedlings sprout, cull the weeds, tend patiently; finally, you reap the harvest.

 Are you buzzword or acronym compliant? Well, get with the program. Here are the latest.  TINA - There Is No Alternative FOMO - Fear of Missing Out FOJI - Fear of Joining In FODA - Fear of Dating Again JOMO - Joy of Missing Out

Not aliens. Not animals. Only us humans.   We do operate at all levels from the primitive to the high intellectual.   All of us, with the same brains, do similar things and in similar ways. But the organization changes are the requirements change.   The early tribes needed some rules to follow, plus many taboos about danger. The great modern civilizations also need rules to be sure but more than that, they need theories and beyond.   We assemble the bunch of them into a hierarchy of organizational traits or operational containers. This outline is not about epistemology or even ontology, topics having precise but different meanings.   This is about doing, assembling, understanding, and realizing. It is about multiple categories that mix up, contradict, conflict, and reject. You can have a taboo but reject and confirm it on the same day. These categories can be individual, yet commonplace, tribal, and societal.   ·         Skills – how to hunt, farm, marry, fish, protect, vigilance,

  For your travels today, whether directed, meandering, random-stepping, please consider… Judgments  are easy. No responsibility. No depth of examination. No reflection. Errors are rarely noticed. Truth of judgment becomes a crown to wear, a conceit, a self-justification. Thinking  is difficult. Self-reflection is essential. Self-delusion is ever-present. Self-examination is difficult. The assumption of error is correct. Solid, fully discoursed conclusions are sometimes impossible. Both together are not incompatible. Rodin - Thinker

Ships sink. ·         Because of small leaks not repaired. ·         Because huge waves swamp them. ·         Because icebergs rip them apart. ·         Because it takes on too much cargo. ·         Because the captain is incompetent. ·         Because the accumulated rust weakens them beyond help. ·         Because it runs upon a reef. The USA is a mighty ship.   It seems to be sinking, but why?  

Pictured below is some random person maybe like you or me.   His mind is whirling about considering problems and decisions yet to make. He is reflecting on years past and years to come. He is wondering about whether to take action on reports just in. He may even be wondering on his children’s health and how they are doing in their classes. He may have a slight muscle pull in his right thigh, but you’ll never know. It’s humid today and his arthritis is troublesome – the price of rail-splitting years ago. He didn’t sleep well last night but must perform today, and he struggles on. He has meetings in the afternoon with a dozen of people he doesn’t like, and later must write letters of condolence to families. He yearns for the peace of mind that may never come and is ever worried about those depending on him. All the while he hopes for good news from Grant. He does have issues similar to you and me, with only their magnitude and consequence in the balance. He is gone and you are here. Al