Tag Archives: dailyprompt

What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?

My tendency is to look for ways to confirm my priors° not contradict them. I don’t think I am unique in wanting a prejudice supported by any facts available.

                   °’priors‘:           This term of art, as it were, came to my attention recently, and my ears pricked up. Isn’t it cool?

Heard on The Bulwark

As a rule, I would catalog the ideas and viewpoints that encourage my way of seeing the world. The song in South Pacific that is imprinted most prominently is You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.

Here’s to Oscar and Richard!

This is, of course, just one reference that I carry around, but you get the point. I have been inspired by more of the American songbook catalog, of course. I get goosebumps while listening to Somewhere from West Side Story. Every time.

For this one, I owe my thanks to the trio of Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents.

The list is long, and I won’t strain to give credit to all my inspirations.

What’s something you’d love to see in the future, but know you probably won’t live to witness?

Don’t overthink it. Shouldn’t the future be unpredictable?

Jules Verne needed to imagine what he’d like to see, but you and I can just sit back in the back of a Waymo and let tomorrow unfold.

Researchers or rocket scientists also may have to shape expectations. It’s their job to look towards improving the future.

If we want to be visionaries, we’ll have to honor what might happen.

If we need to bend the future to the will of the present, we can work towards what we want to happen.

Let’s not run ahead of ourselves.

Leave reading the cards to the $10 psychics.

How do you plan the perfect road trip?

Perfection is a high bar, but we like to think it’s within reach.

• Destination, best: check.
• Time, short: check
• Route, long: check.

How do you use social media?

Isn’t it more like anti-social? I stole that from somebody, the «anti» part and couldn’t think of any cleverer.

In truth my relationship to media is more social than not. I use blogs to connect, communicate, commix!

Once I’ve posted my opinions in long form, I use social media to spread the words. What I say here, I «advertise» on LinkedIn, and FB, and often on Bluesky or Substack. So many outlets.

What job would you do for free?

Retirement puts a different spin on this question.

In retirement, jobs are often done without compensation. We get the title “volunteer” while undertaking such work.

In my retirement, I’m volunteering as an Alzheimer’s support group co- facilitator.

It is actually a job that I would volunteer to do, even if I were not retired.

If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?

That he is loved, of course. I don’t have a pet. I used to and I know I always loved them.

And same goes for these pets belonging to other people, my pets by proxy:

They are adorable and adored, not just me but by their proud pet moms and dads, of course.