A Blog Post About Nothing In Particular
I'm controversial, brash, brazen and somewhat rude and blunt when I write things like this but then again it brings to mind the quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich when she said, "Well behaved women seldom make history." Don't get me wrong, I don't believe I'm a woman of the same caliber as the pop culture icons of today and when asked, I won't tell anyone that I want to go out with a bang or a blaze of glory. I would much rather end my existence with the whisper that rocks the world for even as my writing is my rebel yell, I also firmly believe that if I can't get my point across with a softly spoken word, it's not something that bears speaking. It can reasonably be said therefore that it is only in my writing that the ill-behaved woman comes to the fore and I like it that way. Such is the contradiction of my everyday life but what a glorious oxymoron it is.
If a person would ask my other half, he would probably laugh at this sentiment and talk about any one of numerous times that I've completely scrapped this ideal and hollered with the best of them. Arguments are an exception for both of us and shouting matches get nothing accomplished but sure make a person feel better.
In truth, I don't know exactly why I'm writing this. I only know that the urge struck me and where the compulsion leads, I follow. It's a simple enough idea even if it's a little bit convoluted or confusing because normally when I write and I do mean with this one exception, I always have an idea in mind about what it is I want to write. I have no real idea what I'm writing or why this time, I only know that I need to write and that has to be enough for now. If you have no idea what I'm talking about at this point or even if I have a point, rest assured that neither do I and we'll find out together.
To date, I've written two novels and I'm gearing up to start a third, several blog posts and numerous other little tidbits because a talent for the written word comes in handy more often than you might think. I can't leave something that I've written alone and I'm consistently critiquing my own work which brings to mind the quote from Leonardo DaVinci when he said, "True art is never finished but only abandoned." My sentiments exactly.
I've had another quote go through my head for years now and I always revise it though I always do so quietly because I've tried to explain my point to people and I invariably get blank looks or the thousand mile stare when I do. The quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson and goes like this, "There is no knowledge that is not power." I beg to differ and if you'll bear with me for a few moments, I'll explain why. I believe that as a whole, the quote itself is powerful and perfectly fit for the time however, I also believe that as that same knowledge evolves and becomes greater than what it was, the word "knowledge" should be replaced with the word "understanding" thus making the quote, "There is no understanding that is not power."
I'm making this statement because I firmly believe that knowledge is not the least bit useful until the person who possesses that knowledge understands what it is they possess. A person can walk through the whole of their life knowing almost everything but without understanding what they know, there is no practical application for their knowledge. Understanding is the key that unlocks the treasure trove of knowledge and makes it something that can be utilized and applied in a logical way to everyday life.
If you think about it this way, let's use the example of a small child. A young child, shall we say four or five years old is just beginning to grasp the concept of math for until then, most everything they've learned is through mimicry. They figure out how to eat, speak, walk, run, play and even potty train by watching others and doing what those others do. The old monkey see, monkey do in point of fact. In this, they know because they have been told the simple math problem that 2-1=1 but if you think about it this way, they have no understanding of it until it's put in real terms for them. Now, if a person were to explain the idea like this to them it's much easier to grasp; I have two apples and I share one with my friend, now I have one apple left so now I understand that 2-1=1. This is something practical for them that they can apply. It seems to me that the reason the alphabet is learned by associating each letter with the beginning sound of a familiar or known object is to put a nebulous concept into understood terms for a child. It's a simple association.
I've met some very knowledgeable and intelligent people in my life and I've felt sorry for some of them because of all the knowledge they possess, that same knowledge seems empty and meaningless because there's no way for them to apply it with any practicality. There is no understanding of it. I mean sure, they can repeat any number of dry facts recited from rote memory and most would do exceedingly well at a game of Trivial Pursuit but do they get a chance to enjoy that knowledge or does it sit there in the dusty archives of their brain and do little or nothing and enrich no one? Then again, it could reasonably be said that being able to thoroughly and inarguably trounce the competition in a game of Jeopardy and conjure cash hand over fist could be validation enough. Who am I to argue about what makes a person happy or even content and isn't that the very thing for which we all strive? We do what makes us happy or what we can convince ourselves makes us happy. Far be it from me to stand in the way of that.
In this, I've been writing what amounts to a stream of conscious thought that doesn't particularly tie cohesively together and a series of musings that have no discernable common theme. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only person who understands any of the points that I've written and everyone else is more inclined to simply skim over this and dismiss it as the asinine babbling of someone who just needed to write something. I've analyzed and recited some quotes and followed a stream of my own thoughtful associations to an end that's only logical to me and if that isn't a little off the deep end, I don't know what is. If you don't understand the point of all of this, don't feel like the Lone Ranger because I'm probably the only one that really does grasp everything that I've been meaning to say.
I guess to better understand the way my mind and consequently this writing works, I was thinking about quotes. Then I had a series of quotes dance through my head along with thoughts about their meanings. To that end, I began to think about the tiny flaws in those quotes and ran into the inevitable quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson which then compelled me to write out not only that I felt that it could use revision, but also why it was I felt it could be revised. That led me to explain my justifications and point of view and now, in front of you, you have the logical thought process that led me here. It's a glimpse into my psyche and realistically also an idea how the feminine mind works. Do I think that I've cornered the perfect explanation? Not a chance in hell. Do I think it might give someone somewhere some kind of understanding? Perhaps but then again, who am I to say anyway? I am, after all, not of the caliber of some of today's pop culture icons.Related articlesThe Transcendentalist Event: Starts Today! (jillianreadsbooks2.wordpress.com)
Top 100 Motivational Quotes of All Time! (billcrosby.com)
My Expression (poetic-muselings.net)
Quotes that Sum Up Mom's World (boymomblog.com)
Understanding the meaning of success. (eminayiden.wordpress.com)
Blessings in disguise (positivelybranded.wordpress.com)
Emerson's ideals: who "owns" nature? (aml4453uf.wordpress.com)
A Majestic Bird (mmaikers.wordpress.com)
Ralph Waldo Emerson's War | Peace Couple (wilderside.wordpress.com)
Testing 1,2,3 (jordanleighlindberg.wordpress.com)
If a person would ask my other half, he would probably laugh at this sentiment and talk about any one of numerous times that I've completely scrapped this ideal and hollered with the best of them. Arguments are an exception for both of us and shouting matches get nothing accomplished but sure make a person feel better.
In truth, I don't know exactly why I'm writing this. I only know that the urge struck me and where the compulsion leads, I follow. It's a simple enough idea even if it's a little bit convoluted or confusing because normally when I write and I do mean with this one exception, I always have an idea in mind about what it is I want to write. I have no real idea what I'm writing or why this time, I only know that I need to write and that has to be enough for now. If you have no idea what I'm talking about at this point or even if I have a point, rest assured that neither do I and we'll find out together.
To date, I've written two novels and I'm gearing up to start a third, several blog posts and numerous other little tidbits because a talent for the written word comes in handy more often than you might think. I can't leave something that I've written alone and I'm consistently critiquing my own work which brings to mind the quote from Leonardo DaVinci when he said, "True art is never finished but only abandoned." My sentiments exactly.
I've had another quote go through my head for years now and I always revise it though I always do so quietly because I've tried to explain my point to people and I invariably get blank looks or the thousand mile stare when I do. The quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson and goes like this, "There is no knowledge that is not power." I beg to differ and if you'll bear with me for a few moments, I'll explain why. I believe that as a whole, the quote itself is powerful and perfectly fit for the time however, I also believe that as that same knowledge evolves and becomes greater than what it was, the word "knowledge" should be replaced with the word "understanding" thus making the quote, "There is no understanding that is not power."
I'm making this statement because I firmly believe that knowledge is not the least bit useful until the person who possesses that knowledge understands what it is they possess. A person can walk through the whole of their life knowing almost everything but without understanding what they know, there is no practical application for their knowledge. Understanding is the key that unlocks the treasure trove of knowledge and makes it something that can be utilized and applied in a logical way to everyday life.
If you think about it this way, let's use the example of a small child. A young child, shall we say four or five years old is just beginning to grasp the concept of math for until then, most everything they've learned is through mimicry. They figure out how to eat, speak, walk, run, play and even potty train by watching others and doing what those others do. The old monkey see, monkey do in point of fact. In this, they know because they have been told the simple math problem that 2-1=1 but if you think about it this way, they have no understanding of it until it's put in real terms for them. Now, if a person were to explain the idea like this to them it's much easier to grasp; I have two apples and I share one with my friend, now I have one apple left so now I understand that 2-1=1. This is something practical for them that they can apply. It seems to me that the reason the alphabet is learned by associating each letter with the beginning sound of a familiar or known object is to put a nebulous concept into understood terms for a child. It's a simple association.
I've met some very knowledgeable and intelligent people in my life and I've felt sorry for some of them because of all the knowledge they possess, that same knowledge seems empty and meaningless because there's no way for them to apply it with any practicality. There is no understanding of it. I mean sure, they can repeat any number of dry facts recited from rote memory and most would do exceedingly well at a game of Trivial Pursuit but do they get a chance to enjoy that knowledge or does it sit there in the dusty archives of their brain and do little or nothing and enrich no one? Then again, it could reasonably be said that being able to thoroughly and inarguably trounce the competition in a game of Jeopardy and conjure cash hand over fist could be validation enough. Who am I to argue about what makes a person happy or even content and isn't that the very thing for which we all strive? We do what makes us happy or what we can convince ourselves makes us happy. Far be it from me to stand in the way of that.
In this, I've been writing what amounts to a stream of conscious thought that doesn't particularly tie cohesively together and a series of musings that have no discernable common theme. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only person who understands any of the points that I've written and everyone else is more inclined to simply skim over this and dismiss it as the asinine babbling of someone who just needed to write something. I've analyzed and recited some quotes and followed a stream of my own thoughtful associations to an end that's only logical to me and if that isn't a little off the deep end, I don't know what is. If you don't understand the point of all of this, don't feel like the Lone Ranger because I'm probably the only one that really does grasp everything that I've been meaning to say.
I guess to better understand the way my mind and consequently this writing works, I was thinking about quotes. Then I had a series of quotes dance through my head along with thoughts about their meanings. To that end, I began to think about the tiny flaws in those quotes and ran into the inevitable quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson which then compelled me to write out not only that I felt that it could use revision, but also why it was I felt it could be revised. That led me to explain my justifications and point of view and now, in front of you, you have the logical thought process that led me here. It's a glimpse into my psyche and realistically also an idea how the feminine mind works. Do I think that I've cornered the perfect explanation? Not a chance in hell. Do I think it might give someone somewhere some kind of understanding? Perhaps but then again, who am I to say anyway? I am, after all, not of the caliber of some of today's pop culture icons.Related articlesThe Transcendentalist Event: Starts Today! (jillianreadsbooks2.wordpress.com)
Top 100 Motivational Quotes of All Time! (billcrosby.com)
My Expression (poetic-muselings.net)
Quotes that Sum Up Mom's World (boymomblog.com)
Understanding the meaning of success. (eminayiden.wordpress.com)
Blessings in disguise (positivelybranded.wordpress.com)
Emerson's ideals: who "owns" nature? (aml4453uf.wordpress.com)
A Majestic Bird (mmaikers.wordpress.com)
Ralph Waldo Emerson's War | Peace Couple (wilderside.wordpress.com)
Testing 1,2,3 (jordanleighlindberg.wordpress.com)
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