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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: Do you feel 2025 is off to a good start? Why or why not? Write about this in your Blog entry today. ------ I don't think this world is off to a good start, but being the optimist me, I'm hoping things will get better. First, none of the old problems as to wars and fights between nations have subsided, and worse yet, everyday a new one pops up, such the terrorism attacks in our own country. One of those attacks I read in the Hindustan Times first and I thought theirs was a fake news. Two days later, our news people reported the same thing. I don't know if powers-that-be are holding our news people back or our news people are too lazy to deliver the news on time. Your guess is as good as mine. By the way, that's why I read the news from the many different world sources because I can't trust our own news people. Even the evening news in all the TV channels is more ads than news. Go figure or should I say, go live with it! Then, on the personal front, I'm having such difficulty with the companies not training their workers properly with the recent Ai changes. This goes for all companies. And it isn't the fault of the advances in the technology. If they want to change their mode of operations, shouldn't they really learn the technology first? Also, in my own house, one of the toilets flooded during the last week and I had to clean and change the whole thing. Luckily, I have a reliable plumber, and he could come the next day. Then, my internet provider Comcast is giving me such a trouble, especially with the email. Five years ago, I went to their local store with my husband's death certificate and changed the whole thing into my name. Now, they keep dumping me from my email and asking me to re-enter with the Xfinity ID that was my late husband's. I don't even know what that is. Then, my local bank closed its branch near me, just when I needed to get into my box in their vault. Luckily, their closure was temporary and they opened up, again, after a week. On the plus side, health-wise, I seem to be doing acceptably. Thank God for that! I wish God would help with all the companies I have to deal with nowadays. Only because I am always on the alert, wondering which company will do what because they don't know how to handle technology. Then, one can get a heart attack or lose the mind due to dealing with the long waits on the phone to be suddenly dumped. or worse, to get some agent who has no inkling of what's going on. Still, I have my sons and my health and Writing.com. Thank you God, for these big favors! Now, Dear God, if You would just....fix all the other stuff in 2025? Pretty please? |
| Prompt: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." George Orwell Is it easy to tell people something, about anything, that they do not want to hear? And which kinds of things do you think people wouldn't want to hear even if what is said may be the truth or to their benefit? ============= No, it isn't easy telling people negative stuff. Try telling such a thing to your own children, especially when they are teens or young adults. You can't. During those ages, people know everything. Yet, it gets better after they grow up a bit, say when they are in their fifties. Even with friends, believe me it is like walking on thin ice. This is because, mostly, people don't want to hear negative comments about themselves, their appearance, their loved ones, or things they care about. They also don't care much for any advice they didn't ask for. Possibly, that something people don't want to hear could well be the truth. This is understandable, and there are good reasons for this type of a resistance. The first one could point to that ego thing. The ego is a barrier and a defense mechanism. This is because anything that challenges self-perception, beliefs, or decisions is usually taboo. The results of pushing that ego barrier can lead to denial, rationalization, or insults. That's why I'd rather not touch anything that could scrape anyone's ego. Also, when people don't want to hear anything they don't agree with, they may not interpret any feedback or truth as it's intended...even if they trust my best intensions. They may simply misunderstand my words or tone of voice or my speech. Still speaking for myself, I have an inbuilt aversion to confrontation, and I don't like much to be rejected or misunderstood, and neither do I like to turn my good relationships into stinky ones. I also don't like to say something that would trigger defensiveness, anger, or hurt feelings in other people. Plus, I don't trust my own delivery at all, unless I think and plan on it ahead of time. Yet, sometimes, even if years later, the other persons may understand and appreciate anyone's effort to make things better for them. So, I guess, timing and the right words, words and ways that do not blame, as well as attitudes that show empathy and compassion do matter. In short telling anyone what they are not ready to hear is an act of courage and care. For that, sensitivity and skill is immensely needed. As to George Orwell's exact quote, I'd rather not exercise that kind of a personal liberty, unless the others' actions can lead to huge tragedies. After all, most people have very good minds to figure things out for themselves. |
| Prompt: “Your new start is only as far away as your fear has parked it.” Craig D. Lounsbrough What does this quote mean to you? And/or are you planning any new starts in the coming year? And which kinds of joys and fears come to your mind about the next twelve months? ------------- Isn't fear the cause of many ills, setbacks, and missed opportunities with anything new and with everything else! I believe this is because fear creates a distance between us and the workings of the world. Some of us are not only fearful of failure, but also rejection, the unknown, or even success. Any "new start" represents a goal, a chapter in life, a wish we'd love to pursue, and any new opportunity. When fear steps into our minds, then, it is time to look where we place this new start. Fear never eliminates opportunities, but the way I look at it, it freezes them into immobility. So to us, those opportunities seem out of reach. Just think of all the wonderful poets and writers who weren't known at all during their own lifetimes. Remember Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, Kafka, Lovecraft, Marcel Proust, and Fredrich Nietzsche? I always wonder if some kind of a fear held them back. Of course, this also could be due to their indifference to fame and fortune, and I do understand that since like some of us, I cherish my privacy. These people, however, did not only held themselves back but also, they could have stopped the others from enjoying and benefiting from their talents. What if, by some chance, their works were lost to the world? Could we call their holding back "selfishness"? This makes me think of all the good works and culture our world is now missing through that kind of a selfishness and the fear of the unknown. There is an accountability, here, isn't there? My answer to the question in the quote is: I am not a fortune teller and I don't know anything about what the new year will bring where fears and joys could be concerned. And no, I'm not planning any new ventures in 2025, but this doesn't mean that I'll stop doing or planning anything new during the next twelve months. On this day and hour, if I could work on the old ones and make them better, I'd be quite satisfied. After all, the future is an open book. |
| Prompt: Why does January feel like a year- long Monday? ----------- Does it? I haven't noticed any dragging. It may feel like it's dragging since we have a long year ahead and we may be worried about the way the world is going to you-know-where-in-a-handbasket. Yet, to my knowledge, in only online and social sites January is christened as the longest month. Still, it lasts just 31 days, like several other months. It could also be what we might call this the holiday slump. Since December has the overload of all the fun, excitement, and action. January, afterwards all that, becomes a letdown. Also, with January, we get the worse weather in most places. Even here, in FL, I'm wearing a sweater today, although the sun is shining full force outside. Another thing is, people make resolutions for the new year that they cannot possibly keep. That's why I never make any new-year's resolutions, by the way. I have enough on my plate as it is, and I know my limits. Then, let's face it, this is a new year and it comes with new pressures, such as financial ones, the change of the president, and tax time looming on the horizon. Just thinking about all this makes me want to zoom to another space and time. Yet, no pain is eternal. We must keep that in mind. And let's not forget. January is only 31 days.  It won't last forever. |
| Prompt: Use these words in your entry today: selflessness, heroic, determination, fierce, longshots, peanuts, and timeouts ------------- Defeat his *heroic *determination, immense selflessness* reigned, and he made sense my husband said, "Be brave, no one is here to stay" while I chased his *longshots, faraway and I was *fierce and bold, against all odds I challenged medicine with doctors its gods yet never got a break, tiny like *peanuts for *timeouts and doom reshaped my struts since, "brave" alone was never enough losing a loved one for the heart is rough. |
| Prompt: 2025. What are your plans and hopes for the new year? ----------- To answer your question, to live through it in one piece. At my age, this is the best I can do.  In addition, I hope no more businesses will close due to financial problems or any other ones. And my bank stays put where it is. I'm worried they'll close the branch close to me and I'll have to travel to the next town. Then, I hope all wars will end, and at least while I am alive, no ruler or no country will start more wars and acts of terrorism. I also wish that my sons and everyone else's kids stay happy, healthy, and successful. On the other hand, there’s really not much difference between an old year and a new one. I don’t need a new year to make positive changes in my life, I can do that anytime. However, what better time than now? Now is an "always" word. Now means the moment or time I'm in and I'm always in the "now." And "now", if I want to see some real, positive change in my life, it’s going to take some hard thinking. "Change is always difficult, but it is so worth it," they say! Really? In old age, any change is almost impossible to handle because we don't have the same material and capability in our bodies and minds. My kids argue this point with me. They say, "But didn't you hear about the 97 year-old man who climbed such and such a mountain?" But, my dears, an exception doesn't make the rule. Luckily, I've been "so far so good." In other words, still manageable...somewhat! We'll see!  |
| Prompt: What impresses you the most and how about the role that a certain activity (sports, theater books, music, etc.) has had on your life? And can you predict what will impress you in 2025? =========== Even without a second of hesitation, I can say what impresses me the most is good writing and word usage, and sincerity. After that, books and theater take the front row. As to sports, I liked them only when I could play them somewhat, but just the simplest ones, like tennis and bowling. Watching others on TV play them so well pains me now. Where music is concerned, I'm a piano-playing dropout; however, I love music especially if it's in the background while I'm reading. I don't know what is going to impress me in 2025. World Peace would, I guess, and greatly, too! I would also be impressed if my own memory and eyesight improved a lot. Then, if nothing broke down in my house and the economy got much better in our country and if I could handle the new technological changes and AI much better, those things would impress me greatly, too, and quoting Emily Dickinson: "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” I hope, therefore, for all our lives in 2025 to turn out to be fantastic with good health, happiness, and much success. So I say, cheers to this new year and to another chance for us to get things right. |
| Prompt: Worldview A worldview is a person's or society's fundamental way of thinking about the world, including their knowledge, culture, and point of view. Do you ever challenge your own worldview or any other views? And have you ever replaced them? -------- Have I ever replaced my worldview! Several times and in big ways, too. Especially with all the so-called revolutions taking place all the time and changes in my personal life and especially because of losing loved ones. Still mostly, my worldview is getting renewed all the time due to not being able to keep up with the all the new ways that seem to change in an instant, without any warning. For example, this morning, I went to the bank and the bank was closed, and even its ATM was closed. It isn't even a bank holiday, today. I used to like this bank because it is close by. Now, I think banks should have the courtesy to at least put in their online pages if a certain branch would be closed aside from their regular holiday closures. I mean this may be something temporary or not, but gone are the days when businesses were more customer-friendly. Today the lens through which I view reality about this bank and its place in my life has changed big time. Worldview is exactly that, the lens through which we view reality and ideas about life, morality, human nature, spirituality and everyone's place in the world. Personal experiences play a big role and other beliefs and education help, too. Add to all this the changes in media and technology that is always jumping up suddenly, my worldview keeps going into revision after revision. On the plus side, exposure to new ideas and disciplines, travel, reading, and being curious other perspectives can be beneficial for personal growth and open-mindedness. Yes, there may be many benefits that can come with good and timely changes. I find, however, the older one gets, the more resistant is one to change. In my case, no matter how I strive to keep up with the changes, I am falling behind. And if worldview is related to social identity, oldies like me have something to worry about, because it seems, not only in my case, but in the case of many other people close to my age, our views of personal competence are going down the drain in a big way--partly due to technology and partly due to how we treat one another--together with the ways we view this world. |
| Prompt: Today is National Card Playing Day. What card games do you enjoy? Do you ever play cards for money? ----- Cards and Me When I was a young kid, I was allowed to spend the New Year's Eve at one of my uncles' house, where several other family members and their friends, and better yet, most of my beloved cousins would be present. That was when I was introduced to the card games. Not cards themselves, mind you, for my mother used to tell her own fortune--and she was very much into that--through her own personal cards, but I wasn't allowed to touch them. They were sacrosanct. In those days, however, every household had several decks of cards. Coming back to the New Year's Eve at my uncle's house, I was the worst card-player ever! My uncle would pass secret chips to me under the table so I wouldn't fall into disgrace by losing all my play-money. I may not remember the games but I do remember, with much love and gratitude, all the attention our extended family gave to me. I can also recall some women, who were friends to the family, who used to play bridge and who had bridge parties, in those days. I can still not wrap my mind around Bridge and other games like that, and I don't recall ever using real money in a card game, at least not in my family. I bet I am still not good at card games, even though I recall my mother's cards' rushing into each other as she took the deck in her hands and shuffled them to randomize them more. I believe I liked those sounds very much. Nowadays, I don't think anyone I know plays with actual cards. Some play online, and others play with friends they know in real life, but still online. As to my incompetence with cards, nowadays I like to play games by myself on my computer: Word Games. math games, games that challenge the memory, and games that emphasize strategy. I'm still bad with most of those games, as before, when I was a kid. Except maybe word games, some forms of Mahjong, and solitaire. Solitaire, maybe because I was an only child once. Also because I have to take after my mother in some way, haven't I! |
| Prompt: Have fun with these words: explode, promote, reasonable, density, composition, compose, moment, prediction, reconcile and shallow. ----- How I Write when thoughts of *density take hold a *composition I muse, wild and bold can I *reconcile dreams I might chase and *reasonable lines I may place? thus a *moment hangs by a fragile thread while stars *explode, my fears are fed I stand and face a *prediction unfound to *promote my words, my rhymes rebound beneath my plight, *shallow brooks flow I *compose this poem and whisper low ideas in fragments line up to be named for after the chaos, my storm is tamed |
| Prompt: Write about your Christmas. Or anything about Christmas. =========== This Christmas, I wasn't alone as I had my sons with me. So for that, I am really grateful. Christmas has many faces that blend religious significance with cultural traditions, community connection, and personal reflections. It is basically a Christian festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, whose real birthday is not known for sure. I don't know if it's because of the vagueness of the exact birthday, but not all Christians celebrate this birthday on December 25 exactly, and some don't at all, possibly the Christians in Russia, the Ukraine and Romania, and the Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate it on the 7th of January. Christmas is really a fun holiday; however, it is highly commercialized in our day, so much so that it loses some of its real meaning. Many religious services, including Midnight Mass, are held, and various customs reflect the spiritual significance of this holiday. Yet, religious connections aside, Christmas is about reminiscing, catching up, laughter, and the warmth of family and friends. Acts of kindness are encouraged during this time, which--in my opinion--should be encouraged throughout the year. Why we encapsule the goodness of our actions during this time is really beyond me. So I keep asking myself, why not have Christmas throughout the year, instead? But then, our human make-up wouldn't allow it, would it! At least, not for every human. |
| Prompt: A New Holiday Tradition Did you ever think of starting a new holiday tradition? Which kinds of new traditions would make you feel happy and excited? ========= A new tradition! I haven't even mastered the old ones...In addition, something to become a tradition it has to be around for sometime, hasn't it! Well, maybe I can bounce some ideas off this page, but I'm afraid they won't be all that new and some or most of them could be the revised versions of the old ones. So let me count the ways:  An annual time capsule? How about it? It could be something a large family can enjoy putting together, such as notes, photos, or small items that represent the past year, to open it in five or ten years later. Adding gratefulness notes to the Christmas tree by each person in the family. A story jar could be something fun. In a jar, each member of the family--and friends, too--can write about a memory or a story from the past year and. during family gatherings and parties, a few of those memories could be read. Traditions are meant to be meaningful and enjoyable if they can take hold. For that, time is of the essence and I'm not talking about hours, days, months, but years and decades and even centuries. Talking about tradition, there's a town around where I live by the name of Tradition, which was built on the southern Florida swamps. Let's hope that this Tradition stays forever because it does house the nicest people and a very good hospital. What I mean by this is, it doesn't matter how good a "tradition" is, people shouldn't build it on swampy ground with the danger of it being swallowed up and forgotten. There is also that Canadian movie called Tradition, in which something judicial is being made fun of. I meant to see this movie for some time, but didn't get around to it, yet. Maybe this could be another tradition, to watch a movie we haven't watched yet, the day after Christmas or on whichever holiday we may be celebrating. Warped as my thinking is, tradition by its very nature is described as, "the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way." In theology, it is "a doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in the scriptures." Far be it from me to mess with the established customs or beliefs or any theological doctrine! I think I'll be better off by just sticking to the already established traditions and routes. |
| Prompt: Gifts Do you believe some gifts, like a Christmas gift, can have the power to bring out the best in their receivers? And what kinds of gifts can do that? -------- The way I look at it, gifts are more than objects. In fact, they are quite meaningful. If chosen with thoughtfulness and care for the receiver, they are also inspirational. I also like gifts that say something about the gift-giving person, especially if it shows their creativity and care. Then, sometimes, a most powerful gift isn't a tangible item but a gesture of support. I have lived this in my own life. When I was nine years, I showed one of my uncles, who was into literature, a poem I had written. It really wasn't much of a poem, but my uncle acted as if it were heaven-sent. He congratulated me, shook my hand, and made a big fuss over it. My head just swam over the clouds, then. And his action, I'm sure, inspired me and my life immensely. I can't now recall what that poem was about since it might have been discarded inside one my childhood notebooks, but I did enjoy the accolade and to this day, I can feel the effect of my uncle's words and actions over it. Nothing else that I won or achieved after that can equal those feelings of the nine-year-old me. Coming back to tangible gifts, I guess my picks start with books, but the book I give as a gift has to resonate with the receiver's interests, and I try to make sure of that. After books, come the tools that the receiver can use, especially if someone is talented in art, writing, photography or cooking. People can always use household items, true, but most of us have an overload of those and with what we may give as a gift--unless we have done some research as to the receiver's needs--we may be adding to their clutter, and the same goes for clothing items. I mean, imagine giving running shoes to a person who can't even walk well or giving someone a red blouse without knowing that she hates the color red! Then, there are the kinds of gifts that fall somewhere in between the tangible and the intangible, such as tickets to a concert, a workshop or a trip. These can create memories and lead to new ways and perspectives in the receiver. Still, such gifts, too, need research as to the receiver's time and availability for such undertakings. Gift giving is more than a gesture. It is something to inspire, motivate, and make the receiver smile. This is because gifts, when objects, can show an understanding of who the recipient is, and when they are not objects, they can offer understanding, care, encouragement, and appreciation. |
| Prompt: Garrison Keillor said, “A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” or Benjamin Franklin said, “A good conscience is a continual Christmas.” Let one of these quotes inspire your entry today. -------- I'll have to say both of these quotes can be true according to the people involved and where and what. This is because the excitement of events, shopping, parties, and traditions can be intense, however short-lived. Still, for most, at least on the outside, this holiday stands for values like generosity, love, and good will, which may mean "good conscience." On the plus side, the idea of Christmas--or rather this good conscience--is a starter, with the hope that what it starts on Christmas Day to be carried throughout the year. Maybe for a few, this can be true because traditions, family ties, spiritual reflections, and the fun of creating memories can inspire a purpose of faith and peace. Yet, are we as human beings so peaceful? Just look at our world today! Where is all that positivity hiding? Also, some Christmas gatherings--like many others--can bring the worst out in people. At times, altercations at the dinner table may take place due to the hidden conflicts among the family members. Add to this the stress and commercial elements, any holiday can feel like a storm. Then, for some, are the unmet expectations, loneliness, or grief. In short, Christmas is what we think of it and make of it. I certainly wish we make it work, by creating a much needed understanding and empathy in our world. Maybe someday in the future, we shall realize that this holiday is much more than parties, a decorated tree, tinsel, wreaths, lights, gifts... Someday, before it is too late for the humankind! |
| Prompt: Write an acrostic poem about Winter Solstice. Yup, it will have two stanzas one with the first letter of each line spelling winter and the second stanza with the first letter spelling solstice. Have fun. I can't wait to see what you come up with in your entry. -------- Winter Solstice Weather whispering through pine trees Into my soul, as if icicles that tease Nights stretch long, days down to a trace Thoughts linger toward a gloomy place Earth in its unbidden celestial dance, Races into my musings' quiet trance Stars shining bright in frosty air Over me, as if some spectacle rare Light, then, on its way to a slow return Soon, inside me a yearning will burn Turning the wheel of memories to keep score Inviting tears into my life, now and once more Cope I must, with changes, dark or light Eternal cycles reigning, those I cannot fight. ------------ Note: Solstice in Latin means the sun stands still before reversing direction. As to its symbolism, it represents the triumph of light over darkness and vice versa. It, in fact, points to a cycle of renewal within the cycles of nature. The winter solstice, in the Northern hemisphere is around December 21 and December 22. It marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. This is due to the earth's tilt. Some old cultures like the Mayans and ancient Egyptians built monuments aligned with the solstice. Even in our day, solstices are celebrated in many places in the world. |
| Prompt: Do you ever wish you could take your precious, cherished memories, wrap them up in tissue paper, put them in a big box with your Christmas Decorations then get them out at Christmas and relive them? How would it make you feel? Write about this in your Blog entry today. ------------ Such a fun prompt! But it is not me who'd wrap and put away cherished anything. Especially with such memories, I like them within my easy reach. Come to think of it, visiting them around Christmas would be nice, too. Anyway, around the Christmas table or on any other sorts of family gatherings, don't people always bring up the good memories and wonderful friends who are no more? Memories, especially the cherished ones, mostly transport me to happy moments and make me smile on a hard day as they offer strength and clarity. Some of my memories --I guess this has to do with age - are very vivid; others are soft distant echoes of my bygone days, just as profound. Some of my beloved memories have to do with my grandmother's hugs in my difficult times or when I had done something she had approved.Talking about my grandmother, in such an occasion when the whole family would be around the dinner table, she'd be the one to correct other people's memories. And when she got an objection, such as, "I remember it this way...," she'd say, "You memory is faulty. I lived the longest among all of you, here. Therefore, what I'm remembering is the correct version." Then, she'd top it off with one of her loud and happy laughters. I learned from my grandmother that remembering is not a passive act, but it is honoring the past, its moments, and the people who have given meaning to my life. Thus, when I visit such a memory, its beauty lights up the present. It means its value wasn't just in those old cherished moments and remembrances, but in the ways I and others in my family have carried them forward with a deep gratitude for their existence. |
| Prompt: Reading What books are you reading right now? Write about this in your Blog entry today. ------- I read a few chapters from The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov who died in 1940. It was translated from Russian by Mirra Ginsburg. From so far that I've read, the story seems to be about the existence of God. The novel begins in a night in Moscow at Patriarch's Ponds, where Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz and Ivan Nikolaevich Ponyrev have a mysterious encounter with a weird guy, Professor Woland, who is the devil. The thing is, here, the devil tries to tell the Russian unbelieving people that God exists. Then, there is also another time of space of 2000 yrs. ago with Pontius Pilate and Yesha Ha-Nozri conversing. Pilate, although he tries not to, condemns Yeshua to death. Their discussion is similar to that of the devil and the non-believer Russians. There are themes, ideas, and imagery from Christianity and the supernatural. I guess this book could be called a dark comedy that criticized the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. For that reason, this novel was published two decades after its writer's death. I'm really trying to get the meaning in this novel more thoroughly, and I'm sticking with it because it won many awards and was made into a film, if I'm not mistaken. My problem in reading The Master and Margarita especially happened between the first and the second chapters. I saw no explanation why the story jumped to 2000 years ago, and there was no ease of passage between its chapters. Maybe, I'll like this book and maybe not, but I'm sticking with it till its end. Tomorrow, Ta Nehisi Coates' book The Message in hardcover is scheduled to arrive. At this point, I'm probably more interested in reading that one. Also, I just got in Kindle, Money GPT: AI and the Threat to the Global Economy by James Rickards, and Letters by Oliver Sacks. I'm actually dying to read these two Kindle books plus the hardcover one that'll arrive tomorrow. Still, I'll finish Mikhail Bulgakov's book, as well. I promised myself that. By the way, Mikhail Bulgakov was an Ukrainian, born in Kyiv at the time. and yet, he was and still is much hailed as a very famous Russian author. Go figure! How things change! |
| Prompt: Friendships "There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you." Paramahansa Yogananda What do you think this prompt means when it comes to making friends? Is total unselfishness the only way to make friends? And how do think friendships deepen? --------- First, I would never act totally unselfish just to make friends. If I were that unselfish, I couldn't live in this world, for sure. This would be because I would think twice before eating meat or even plants, using the environment, and driving on a lane in front of other cars, for example. Imagine trying to give way for all the other cars pass in front of you. You'd get nowhere, and besides, you'd hold up the traffic. The way I see it, total unselfishness could be the yogi-like way of speaking, but it doesn't work in the real world. Then, while selflessness is a quality much admired by all and might be a front factor in making friends, it is not the only way. Plus, it doesn't work in the long run. This is because any friendship needs reciprocity from both parties, so it can grow on mutual respect, care, and understanding. What really means something in making friends is beyond selflessness. In my opinion, authenticity has to be the first requirement. Why would anyone want to be friends with a made-up person? Anyhow, most friendships begin from shared interests, not because someone sees the other person being totally selfless. Also, being dependable is quite important. If you say you'll meet a friend at a certain place or time, and you don't show up without a good reason, that would make you undependable and any friendship with you might not be considered again. In addition, just maybe, showing empathy and sharing one's feelings, experiences, and thoughts can be important, too, as this would build trust in between people. In short, being overly self-centered can alienate people. No one wants to be around those who are always looking for their own benefits and prioritizing their own deeds and works. I think the ideal way for making friends has to do with finding the right balance. One has to have boundaries, and at the same time, has to value and support the other person. To put it in a nutshell, true friendships are built on give and take without any resentment or burnout. |
| Prompt: Never giving up? "If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds." Jesse Jackson What do you think this quote means? Is it a good idea to never give up on something, someone, or some project that seems like a dead-end? Do you give up easily or are you the kind of person Jesse Jackson was talking about? ------------- I have to say, "Never say never!" This is, although Jesse Jackson was such an admirable person with tenacity. I may not be exactly the kind of person Jesse Jackson was talking about, but I don't give up easily, either. Let's face it, we saw the results of Jesse Jackson's perseverance and determination in the face of what seemed, in those days, totally useless, but then, it wasn't useless. It opened up a whole new era for our entire country, if not for the world as well. Still, as much as Jesse Jackson himself and this quote by him is a powerful motivator, the effectiveness of never giving up depends on the situation and the problem at hand. On the plus side, I think this advice encourages mental toughness so I don't give up when facing the smallest kind of difficulty and I can overcome most obstacles and failures. Then, when I keep at a difficult task, I can also gain new skills and so I can develop internally and emotionally. While growing up and learning new languages and such, one of my options was for a language that had an alphabet with very different characters, signs, and letters. It was a difficult task and some people laughed at me, but as the result, I learned a lot about not one but three or more different cultures and ways of being. I am very glad I did that, so when world events turn one way or another, at least, I can see the effects of linguistic misunderstandings among the many nations. As much as not giving up helps to build resilience,--here I go again, with resilience --there is also that risk of burnout. Although I wish I could somehow, had I tried to learn all the languages on earth, I'd probably not have lived my own life the way I would like to. There wouldn't be enough time for that and the whole effort would end up in a burnout, wouldn't it! This just goes to show that not every goal can be feasible or even doable.In addition, persevering at something without adapting to the conditions and the difficulties of the task, can lead to missed opportunities elsewhere. From that angle, walking away can be the most practical choice. Plus, that "never give up" thing can create excess pressure on a person, especially when there is no clear direction. This pressure can lead to feelings of guilt, especially when success is not achieved. Therefore, while "never give up" can be a valuable motto, it is also just as valuable to know when to quit or revise or change goals. So, from my point of view, real success mostly lies somewhere in between the two poles of any one goal. |
| Prompt: On December 14, 1911, Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott. If you were offered a free trip to the South Pole to help with research, would you go? ---------- Would I go? No, not unless I was given a new life with a stronger body that is immune to cold. This, however, isn't because I don't want to or that I don't understand the research being done there. Also, Antarctica is possibly the one, if not the only, place where we stupid earthlings do cooperate with one another. There is a treaty for that and I hope no one messes with it, ever. Through such a treaty and understanding, just maybe, we might handle the management of our resources and face climate change as one world. I hope I recall this correctly, but I think someone in Cape Canaveral also mentioned once, that South Pole mimics the conditions in space, and so it makes the outer space exploration a bit more possible. It is also said that the oceans around Antarctica have diverse ecosystems and that they are testing those effects of melting ice on the kinds of fish and other marine life. Then, South Pole also has fresh water in its ice sheets and a high altitude. That's why they have telescopes and other detectors there for exploring many facts, still unknown to us. Their findings may even let us know more about the future climate changes and our earth's conditions. Still, as much as I applaud all those unselfish scientists working inside the South Pole labs and braving the ice and snow and freezing weather in snowmobiles and kayaks, I have no business being there just to make a pest of myself to them. After all, even Santa is said to live on the North pole! |
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