Category Archives: Miscellany
Sunsets: No two alike
Do I really need opinions?
Opinion: a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
I have a lot of opinions. On lots of topics. Politics, religion, climate change, NSA, gun violence, racism, the Middle East, poverty, and on and on and on. But I’ve decided I don’t really need opinions. But is it possible to NOT have opinions. More on that in a moment.
What are my opinions based on (if not fact or knowledge)? Views expressed by family and friends (as a child and throughout life); personal experience; reading; media. What am I overlooking?
Does it even make sense to ask how “accurate” my opinions are? Can opinions be “valid?” I really don’t see how. Too fluid. I might be big on gun control today and change my mind after someone breaks into my home.
When do I NEED opinions? In the voting booth? Discussions in the coffee shop? Does my having an opinion on any of the topics above make a real difference? I don’t think so. Actions make a difference but not opinions. Do you have to have an opinion before you act? Perhaps.
I’ve concluded opinions have NO real value or use. But is not having an opinion even an option? Can I function without having opinions? Are opinions so much a part of the fabric of who we are we can’t help but have and express them? Is it possible to “catch” myself having an opinion… and then deciding NOT to?
Opinions seem like dead weight to me. Like lugging around a backpack full of rocks. What would it feel like to set that backpack down?
I’m going to write each of my cherished opinions on a rock, put it in a backpack, and carry that backpack around for a week. When I hear myself expressing an opinion (verbally or mentally) I’m going to open the backpack and find that opinion/rock and hold it until I’m done.
You’re just kidding yourself, Mays. You might not EXPRESS your opinions but you still HAVE them. True. But for starters, I’d settle for not spraying my opinions on others. And just being aware of when I’m under the influence of an opinion.
I’ll let you know how this little experiment goes.
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Life in 2 minutes
Portrait of Lotte
What coffee shops say about where we live
“Independent coffee shops are positive markers of a living community. They function as social spaces, urban offices, and places to see the world go by. Communities are often formed by having spaces in which people can have casual interactions, and local and walkable coffee shops create those conditions, not only in the coffee shop themselves, but on the sidewalks around them. […] Coffee shops are unlike other community assets in that they enable us to mingle with strangers in ways that we might not in restaurants, to meet a wider range of people than we would in a bar, to linger in ways that we don’t at the grocery store, or to people-watch with an ease that would be awkward almost anywhere else.” — Washington Post
Banksy
High school transcripts
One of the many treasures unearthed while cleaning out my parents attic was my high school transcripts. I scanned, filed and then forgot about them but they popped up recently so I decided to add them to this record.
I was a little surprised to see I was 8th in a class of 152. I take that to mean lots of folks were having more fun than I was. My grades in math don’t reflect what I really took away from those classes. (Thank you John Robison for letting my copy your work).
I vaguely recall taking some of these tests, in preparation for college but I don’t think I ever saw the results. With an IQ of 121 (high average?) I probably should have tried harder in life. Next time.