Tag: curiousity

Posted in In my humble opinion..., Writing Prompts

SoCS 11-5-22- Outrage, Regret, and Input

Posted on by Susan St.Pierre


Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “your favorite word.” Decide on your favorite word and use it in your post any way you’d like. Enjoy!



My favorite word used to be anthropomorphism. I love how it rolls off the tongue and makes the person using it sound ‘smart’.
It is most certainly something we do, that is, attribute human emotions and tendencies to animals (sometimes inanimate objects or forces in Nature). And when it comes to the emotional lives of animals, it isn’t always a misguided view. If you’ve owned and loved a dog or cat, I know you’re ‘in tune’ with their capacity to love, worry, and miss others.
But recently I’ve been fascinated with the word consequences. I personally thought it meant ‘bad results’ but I have come to know it more precisely means any reactions or results of one’s actions or words. So, the consequence of being kind probably is receiving kindness from others and so on…
Today, I found out that the political Left publications, one being The Atlantic, are asking for something called “pandemic amnesty”. To paraphrase it, they’re saying, “Hey, we all did and said things we regret during the pandemic so let’s just all be friends and forget about it.”.
Um… I regret nothing and didn’t do anything to anyone but ask to retain my freedom and be left alone. The Left, and their malleable minions on the other hand, called people terrible names, infringed on their freedom, ruined their lives by shutting down businesses and firing people, even outwardly calling for “the unvaccinated” to be refused medical treatment and mobility, to be shunned and censored, even to be arrested. They (anyone who liked those ideas) want to, now, shrug and offer a handshake with the suggestion they were “just kidding”. I can’t imagine that’s going to work. LOL
When it comes to consequences, people who demanded that our free citizenry snap to full unquestioning compliance, dished out a boatload more than I ever thought possible in the U.S.A.
I personally hope that those arrogant people are about to reap some consequences at the ballot box on Tuesday.
As a consequence of having and sharing my own opinions, I’ve had more than a few good results. I’ve made new truly tolerant friends whom I don’t expect to completely agree with but enjoy on a more important level of mutual respect. We exist, people.
Just yesterday, though, I did something I know better than to do. I used written language trying to explain a complicated and controversial topic in few words. Ugh! I’ve regretted it since. My message (upon rereading) wasn’t clear, and it seemed condescending. I did not mean for that to happen. There are some topics that require face to face discussion or need to just be avoided. I hope I can learn that!
In my own defense, my problem comes from insatiable curiosity and an eagerness to exchange ideas. I feel like Johnney Five in the movie Short Circuit. I cannot seem to get enough “input”! And just now I realize that my ‘stream’ has come full circle.
Johnney Five (a robot) adopted anthropomorphic traits in the end.
Well, hopefully I learned from my mistakes last week. I can’t wait to make new ones this week! LOL
Happy Weekend Everyone! Hope your mistakes are few and all your consequences are the good kind!


https://lindaghill.com/category/stream-of-consciousness-saturday/
https://lindaghill.com/2022/11/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-5-2022/


Posted in In my humble opinion...

Thinking Isn’t Hard but Speaking Is- Food for Thought

Posted on by Susan St.Pierre

Have you ever examined how few concepts have true opposites? Except for the colors black and white, with the condition of ‘white’ being the reflection of all color and ‘black’ oppositely absorbing all color, I cannot think of any. Even our concept of the commonly accepted opposites of ‘up’ and ‘down’ is relative. In outer space, there’s no clarity of where ‘up’ or ‘down’ lie.
Yet, nowadays, there are some extremely loud people insisting that we consider most concepts and conditions as binary opposites:

If you question the rate or severity of Climate Change, you’re labeled as a Climate Change ‘denier’.
If you show concern about future unknown side effects or the efficacy of the mRNA ‘vaccines’, you’re an ‘anti-vaxxer’.
If you worry about the growing trend of impressionable children identifying as transgender, it’s suggested (by loudmouths) that you want to deny their existence… or even worse ‘hate’ them.
If you want a secure border, you’re either xenophobic or monstrously insensitive to the plight of migrants.

There are sadly too many more to list, but these are enough to give anyone with the capacity for reason pause.
I want to know why we allow these absurd reductive labels to occupy any adult conversation.

I regret having to say this but that intellectually lazy either/or ‘reasoning’ predominantly is coming from folks who claim to be the smartest and most tolerant. {News Flash- If you need to claim you’re smart and/or tolerant, you probably are neither in practice.}

We most likely can agree that words and phrases can have more than one definition. So, why are so many people defaulting to the idea that ALL “arguments” are something so negative that they need to be avoided? Are they ignorant of the courtroom definition of “A line of reasoning.”?
If Americans truly revere the “scientific method” as the ultimate formula for finding facts and approaching Truth, why is there so much effort being directed toward reducing speech and inquiry?
These are points and questions that I hope all well-meaning people will consider. This post consists of questions and hypotheses rather than statements for a reason. I’m offering an argument as “food for thought” and not at all trying to start an argument. 😉





Posted in In my humble opinion..., Writing Prompts

SoCS Saturday- April 30, 2022

Posted on by Susan St.Pierre

 The prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “zip, zero, zilch.” Use one, use ’em all, bonus points if you use all three. Have fun!



My ability to zip my lips while expressing my opinion is zilch probably because I have zero interest in changing anyone’s mind and most interest in testing my own opinions by hearing the opinions and information others may have. (If I can add to their information or give them new angles, all the better.)
It’s invigorating.
If I find someone who wishes to do the same, it’s a wonderful thing.

I expect to respect anyone’s views, but I am willing to challenge and/or question their thought process. This happens because I spend a great deal of time on ‘fine tuning’ my own opinions (and often I change them). It’s a process.
I’m prone to spill over, often too energetically, with pre-planned rebuttals. All of this is a search of ‘the truth’ and never intended as a pursuit of a “win”. It’s quite clear that many people who engage in opinion sharing think there’s a competition going on! They’re amusing but not much fun because they get aggravated too easily and take everything as a personal assault on their ‘intelligence’. The term ‘immature’ seems appropriate for them.

IMHO…The worst thing I can do is lie to myself, so I spend a lot of time questioning my own positions.
I have zero respect for people who’d rather discuss the fairness or kindness of thoughts rather than the “truth” in them because they’re just ideas… put your big girl or boy pants on please.
My interest in impressing the other person is zilch too. Don’t flatter yourself.
And finally, I always learn something from conversations even if it’s my realization that the other person knows zip (at least about debating) from his/her inability to stay on topic.
Have a great Saturday! Keep asking questions and seeking input everyone.



https://lindaghill.com/2022/04/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-30-2022/