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 |   A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
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Ten years ago I was writing several blogs on various subjects - F1 motor racing, Music, Classic Cars, Great Romances and, most crushingly, a personal journal that included my thoughts on America, memories of England and Africa, opinion, humour, writing and anything else that occurred. It all became too much (I was attempting to update the journal every day) and I collapsed, exhausted and thoroughly disillusioned in the end. So this blog is indeed a Toe in the Water, a place to document my thoughts in and on WdC but with a determination not to get sucked into the blog whirlpool ever again. Here's hoping.     |
| Failing to Win Feeling lousy today but wanted desperately to update the blog. Had a look through the archives and found this. Who knows? It might even encourage someone. Why is the insult "loser" so common today? I seem to hear it everywhere - "Oh don't worry about him, he's just a loser" or "You're such a loser". What is it about losing that is so terrible? Think about it with me for a few moments. The first analogy that comes to mind is a race. Someone wins and the rest become losers. But, just a minute - in any race there are lots of runners, thousands in the case of marathons. So that must mean that there are very few winners and the vast majority of us are losers. Are we to be scorned because we are not amongst the tiny fraternity of winners? You tell me that I've got it wrong; the term, as used, is much more about life than any competition. A loser is someone who just isn't making a decent job of his life. He's losing in the game of life. But who's winning then? Am I supposed to assume that the winners are the millionaires and the magnates, the stars of the entertainment industry, the grossly overpaid sportsmen, the rich and famous indeed? And are you one of them? If you are, then welcome to my page, have a look around and make me an offer of publication (don't forget the film rights). If you're not, it seems that I must welcome you to the club for the masses - the losers. Oh wait, maybe I've got it wrong. Perhaps the term is supposed to mean "one who fails consistently". But fails at what? It can't be money and success, we've already looked at that one. So does it mean achieving a certain happiness or contentment? And I'm expected to condemn that person because he hasn't achieved that state of nirvana as yet? Pardon me for thinking it, but on that score we're all losers. Although I do admit to being pretty happy and I'm fairly content with my life. Whichever way we look at it, it seems that almost all of us are losers. But there's nothing wrong with that. Losing is an important part of life. What was that famous quote - the man who never failed at something never achieved anything? You see, it's all about trying and if you try, sometimes you're going to fail. We all experience failure sometimes, even the mythical winners. And it's not something to be ashamed of; it's what makes us human. So don't call others losers. It's meaningless - you're just saying that they're human. We are, in fact, all failing to win. The double meaning is quite intentional, I assure you. Word count: 460 |
| Collidoscope A collidoscope is similar to a kaleidoscope but, when you use it, you bump into things. |
| Greatness I was pondering on my complete insignificance today, and it suddenly occurred to me that Shakespeare never knew how great he was. Dickens scraped a living writing serials for newspapers, and Salinger caught a glimpse of himself one day, then went off to Vermont to live as a recluse. Old Mark Twain was too busy thinking up aphorisms to have any idea of how celebrated he was going to be, and Dylan Thomas drank himself to death, so unhappy with his lot was he. Just think of it, the Bard scribbling away backstage in a frantic quest to save his acting company, with no understanding of how his words would one day be regarded as the greatest ever written. And the others living their lives quietly as though they were nothing but ordinary men (I’m sure the women were just the same). Amongst writers, greatness never knows itself. Oh sure, there are plenty who are convinced that they have sliced bread beaten and disgraced. But these are the little ones, the celebrities whose light will fade and their works be forgotten within a century. Only time awards the title “Great.” So be of good cheer, brothers and sisters. For all we know, future ages might marvel at our work and wonder how such magnificent minds managed to live in so ordinary a world. Word count: 223 |
| Coffee Since we're all addicted to coffee, here's a potential theme tune. But only for those who remember percolators. |
| Hello? In this house, crazy things happen sometimes. I just overheard a phone conversation between two people, both convinced that the other had phoned them. It made me think immediately of the video below: |
| Compromise Being a Brit but living in the States has its difficulties. Which language should I write in, for instance, English or American? The main difference between them is spelling and a choice has to be made or the result will be a terrible mixture with both sides yelling at me that I can’t spell. I solved this initially by writing in American as a gesture of gratitude to my new country. But, when I joined WdC, I decided to return to the spelling of my homeland. I figured (in itself an American expression) that I’d paid my dues and really needed the ease and relaxation that the spelling hammered into me in my youth offered. Surely, I thought, being now amongst my fellow educated and sophisticated writers, they would understand my foreign spelling and smile knowingly at me. And so it has proved. There are, however, certain words that have two forms, one being common on one side of the Atlantic, the other being preferred in its counterpart. The matter of “toward” and “towards,” for instance. I’m told that “toward” has become the standard in the States, whereas we Brits use both but have a slight preference for “towards.” Should I stick to my decision and use “towards,” or should I avoid being constantly told that it wasn’t used in America anymore by accepting “toward” as my accepted expression? I opted for the latter solution as the Brits won’t even notice my choice. And I will probably go for the American opinion on other optional forms in future. Anything for a quiet life. Word count: 263 |
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