The song was—and this is after Med School, so it doesn't fall into the Black Hole—"Everybody Wants To Rule The World." And yes, rugby would have been a good choice. A bloody nose is always funny. On someone else.
Jeff, next time I do something near you (I do get into the Boston area every now and again), I'll absolutely let you know. Twenty-five years, my friend!
Thanks, John for yet another beautifully crafted, entertaining, and educational piece. I remember being in Germany and hearing "Achtung!" and feeling like I was in a WWII movie and about to be prodded on to a cattle care to Auschwitz. And an instant later, I looked up at a gorgeous lake, families soaking up sun on the grass, and bought a bratwurst sandwich from a little stand.
And where did you find the photo of the Jesus Trump?
I’m not exactly sure where I got the Trump as Jesus pic. I know I’ve had it for a while and figured it would come in handy at some point.
I like this one because it blends so many tropes in one picture: Christianity, victimhood, sacrifice, the Marvel universe, a hint of manga, and it is likely AI generated. Now that’s covering the bases.
Thanks for this, Kelly. We are, after all is said and done, still Americans. Together. I think you and I both agree on the media, across the spectrum—MSNBC, CNN, and FOX—dividing us. If today’s conversation has been a little bridge, then we have done something good.
I admire your writing, the way you slyly sneak in a humorous phrase or sentence. Every once in a while, I watch a Trump rally and the followers remind me of Hitler's. I spent Covid learning about politics and history. What I realized is I'd been a follower — of the left. I hadn't thought about the policies or hooked them up to what my needs. Instead, I voted for a party. My friends in West Los Angeles leaned so far left, it's a wonder I didn't follow them off the cliff. I voted for Obama. Twice. And I was happy with my choice. However, during Covid when I studied politics. I watched both liberal and conservative news media. I studied the Cold War, and Trumbo and most of all, I studied Hitler. I studied true crime, and why people lie and kill. Hitler's Germany grew out of a widespread hatred of the Jews and as a protest against far-left policies. Germany, at the time performed the first transgender surgeries. What goes up must go down. What leans too far left must lean too far right. I will vote for Trump because he has been president once before. His policies are moderate. In his last presidency, he didn't put people in prison for disagreeing with him. He didn't put anyone in a concentration camp. Gas prices and groceries cost far less. We didn't fight any wars. He brought some peace to the Middle East. Plus, I'm tired of people being called racist when, in fact, the person doing the name-calling is racist. I'd also like to see Elon Musk clean up the bureaucracy, Robert Kennedy put health programs in place and Tulsi Gabbard work with the military and foreign affairs. I will vote for Trump because I am on Medicare and when he was in office last time I had much more spending power. Etc. Finally, last night in an improvisational writing workshop I facilitated, the exercise was to write about what you love and hate. Naturally, politics came up. Those on the left listened to someone rant about how she was going to vote for Trump. Someone else ranted about why they weren't going to vote for Trump. I absolutely set a boundary: No one can argue or talk about politics. That descends into arguing. You could only write about politics. (which you did in your thoughtful article.) After everyone read what they'd written out loud, and after the cyclone of feelings had calmed down in the Zoom room, one progressive said of the Trump-dazzled voter, "Wow what she is saying and how she feels is the same way we feel." That surprised him. I blame the media. I can tell which stations they watch based on their talking points. Too many are not considering their own needs. As you may have guessed I'm voting for Trump again, and I hope it will balance out what has been happening. I pray the media stops diving us and that more "no spin" news continues to be aired.
If you read my post from today, you will see that I am coming down in a different place. Which is fine.
I remember doing an article for some place (memory fails), back in 2016 (prior to the election) that, more than any person I could think of, Trump had damaged the English language.
His constant use of superlatives and his descent into vulgarity has seeped into public discourse. Language, something that I love and value, is not the same. Nor, as a product of a Jesuit education, do I see logic hold the place it once did in public discourse. I rarely agreed with William F. Buckley; but I could not fault his logic. In fact, I admired him for that.
I don't want to go off on a long tangent about Hitler but, as I pointed out in my piece today, one cannot understand Hitler without understanding Weimar Germany. Anti-Semitism was, yes, the animus driving Hitler. But Hitler was the useful idiot for those driven by grievance and financial gain. (The definitive work on this is still William Shirer.)
I do agree that things swing left to right. But one constant in humankind is a need for scapegoating. (Rene Girard is the definitive writer on this.) If one studies history, it is alarming to see how quickly the object of scapegoating can change. It was Jews in World War II. It has, in America, been blacks for centuries. Today, it is immigrants. That can change on a dime.
I am a pastor. I have spent a good deal of my adult life working with the underserved. I find it unconscionable that Elon Musk's net worth is over $200 billion and there are people who, through no fault of their own, just bad luck in the gene pool, are incapable of providing for themselves—and we, as a country, are fine with letting them fend for themselves.
Also, I would like if people could do this: stand in the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer above Omaha Beach, see the line after line of graves of 19 and 20 year-olds who, no doubt died scared, far from home, painfully. And then, in a prayer, say: thanks for that, but the price of gas and groceries trump (sic) your sacrifice.
So, I respectfully disagree with your decision as you, no doubt, will do with mine.
Barbara, it's a cousin thing. Somewhere in our DNA, there is that laughing-in-the-face of life that a bunch of us inherited. Not everyone got it, but those that did never fail to crack me up. You're in that group.
Every week, I think, "This is John's best piece yet." I'm on my 4th re-reading of your latest, and I'm sure that's a new record for me. I love the words and the music. Bravo!
I just read your post and I love what you wrote. We just got back from Ogunquit and I tried to stay off social media for the week (somewhat unsuccessfully). You put into words the pursuit I was trying to achieve while there. Hoping to be happy the entire time we were there but I realized that being thankful, grateful and content after having gone through brain surgery 2 1/2 months ago, that that's enough. Happy can be as fleeting as the birds at the bird feeder but content is where I want to be.
In September, 2023 I attended an Author's Guild conference in Lenox, MA. AI was center stage. One author described his collaboration with AI. He was at the climax of the story, and his two characters were having an intense conversation about their past, apologizing, explaining, making promises for the future. But the author couldn't come up with a good line of dialog for the final line. He asked AI, and the response wasn't another line of dialog. Instead, AI suggested, "And then he reached out and held her hand." The author was floored by the creative leap in categories and the sense that AI was "emotionally attuned." And what could be more emotionally intense than your combination of words and music?
Writing "prompts" are a fixture in writing classes. Some folks like them. I, personally, never found them helpful. But I don't think it's up for grabs that they were organic, human-made. I see AI as—for me—a more helpful prompt. I still have to generate the input, the prompt, the material with which I will make something. And, I have never used something that AI has produced. But I have used an idea that AI has sprung free that I can then craft into my own way of thinking.
Ethical? Moral? I'm still a bit on the fence. Simply copying AI? Definitely not. A new idea? I guess we'll be working on this for a while.
The serene Swedish guitarist definitely made her playing look effortless. I loved the way she smiled at the end. I Shazammed her song: was it "Serenity"? Which is the opposite of how it feels to board a plane. Your photo choices were great. I might add one of a rugby scrum, which would add at least a few bloody noses to the boarding process.
Thanks, Barbara. I appreciate your reading. I think on a Venn diagram, our views on the world would pretty much overlap.
Also, so great to see that picture of your Mom smiling. While I don't believe much in a personal God looking in on everything we do, I strongly believe in grace. I cannot explain it, but I know it when I see it. And that's what I see when I see your Mom: grace.
I used to take my kids into the MFA. I showed them what I believe to be the brilliance of Monet and other impressionist artists. I encourage them to get close to the works of art. At least as close as was allowable under the gaze of the docents and security. At the distance of an arms length, the image of the haystack in Monet’s piece is grainy pointillism. Now step back to a normal viewing range. Monet standing less than about two feet was able to project what you would see, at say, ten feet. We are all standing too close to the now, to clearly see what will be the future. Thanks for posting.
Well, there is that genius thing, too. Which I think, in all cases, starts with seeing the world differently. Not just with one's eyes, but with an inner vision of how the world is perceived. It's the long gaze that does it.
8 years in Chicago, and I always marveled at the Seurat painting at the Art Institute. Great the way you have taken all those tiny dots of color and expanded them into a way to understand our current era. Bravo!
Another warm, brilliant, funny, engaging, and enlightening piece. Your focus on "harmony" resonates with my life as a psychiatrist where "attunement" with patients is such a key ingredient: tune in, stay tuned in, and at certain key moments, step back and offer a new (but harmonious) description of what you are hearing.
Kathy, I should just hire you as my publicity person!
I think that introvert thing pops up a lot in ministry. Which is surprising, since you have to get up in front of people to preach. But I think where it comes in handy is the one on one conversations, which fall right into the introvert wheelhouse.
And yes, that kid is scary good. I have another one lined up for a post soon. Not as flashy, but, technically, perhaps even more advanced.
Be well, and I sincerely, appreciate all the support.
The song was—and this is after Med School, so it doesn't fall into the Black Hole—"Everybody Wants To Rule The World." And yes, rugby would have been a good choice. A bloody nose is always funny. On someone else.
Jeff, next time I do something near you (I do get into the Boston area every now and again), I'll absolutely let you know. Twenty-five years, my friend!
Thanks, John for yet another beautifully crafted, entertaining, and educational piece. I remember being in Germany and hearing "Achtung!" and feeling like I was in a WWII movie and about to be prodded on to a cattle care to Auschwitz. And an instant later, I looked up at a gorgeous lake, families soaking up sun on the grass, and bought a bratwurst sandwich from a little stand.
And where did you find the photo of the Jesus Trump?
Thanks, as always, Rich.
I’m not exactly sure where I got the Trump as Jesus pic. I know I’ve had it for a while and figured it would come in handy at some point.
I like this one because it blends so many tropes in one picture: Christianity, victimhood, sacrifice, the Marvel universe, a hint of manga, and it is likely AI generated. Now that’s covering the bases.
Thank you for connecting. If everyone respected each other's beliefs instead of arguing them, what a world this would be.
Thanks for this, Kelly. We are, after all is said and done, still Americans. Together. I think you and I both agree on the media, across the spectrum—MSNBC, CNN, and FOX—dividing us. If today’s conversation has been a little bridge, then we have done something good.
I admire your writing, the way you slyly sneak in a humorous phrase or sentence. Every once in a while, I watch a Trump rally and the followers remind me of Hitler's. I spent Covid learning about politics and history. What I realized is I'd been a follower — of the left. I hadn't thought about the policies or hooked them up to what my needs. Instead, I voted for a party. My friends in West Los Angeles leaned so far left, it's a wonder I didn't follow them off the cliff. I voted for Obama. Twice. And I was happy with my choice. However, during Covid when I studied politics. I watched both liberal and conservative news media. I studied the Cold War, and Trumbo and most of all, I studied Hitler. I studied true crime, and why people lie and kill. Hitler's Germany grew out of a widespread hatred of the Jews and as a protest against far-left policies. Germany, at the time performed the first transgender surgeries. What goes up must go down. What leans too far left must lean too far right. I will vote for Trump because he has been president once before. His policies are moderate. In his last presidency, he didn't put people in prison for disagreeing with him. He didn't put anyone in a concentration camp. Gas prices and groceries cost far less. We didn't fight any wars. He brought some peace to the Middle East. Plus, I'm tired of people being called racist when, in fact, the person doing the name-calling is racist. I'd also like to see Elon Musk clean up the bureaucracy, Robert Kennedy put health programs in place and Tulsi Gabbard work with the military and foreign affairs. I will vote for Trump because I am on Medicare and when he was in office last time I had much more spending power. Etc. Finally, last night in an improvisational writing workshop I facilitated, the exercise was to write about what you love and hate. Naturally, politics came up. Those on the left listened to someone rant about how she was going to vote for Trump. Someone else ranted about why they weren't going to vote for Trump. I absolutely set a boundary: No one can argue or talk about politics. That descends into arguing. You could only write about politics. (which you did in your thoughtful article.) After everyone read what they'd written out loud, and after the cyclone of feelings had calmed down in the Zoom room, one progressive said of the Trump-dazzled voter, "Wow what she is saying and how she feels is the same way we feel." That surprised him. I blame the media. I can tell which stations they watch based on their talking points. Too many are not considering their own needs. As you may have guessed I'm voting for Trump again, and I hope it will balance out what has been happening. I pray the media stops diving us and that more "no spin" news continues to be aired.
I appreciate the comment, Kelly.
If you read my post from today, you will see that I am coming down in a different place. Which is fine.
I remember doing an article for some place (memory fails), back in 2016 (prior to the election) that, more than any person I could think of, Trump had damaged the English language.
His constant use of superlatives and his descent into vulgarity has seeped into public discourse. Language, something that I love and value, is not the same. Nor, as a product of a Jesuit education, do I see logic hold the place it once did in public discourse. I rarely agreed with William F. Buckley; but I could not fault his logic. In fact, I admired him for that.
I don't want to go off on a long tangent about Hitler but, as I pointed out in my piece today, one cannot understand Hitler without understanding Weimar Germany. Anti-Semitism was, yes, the animus driving Hitler. But Hitler was the useful idiot for those driven by grievance and financial gain. (The definitive work on this is still William Shirer.)
I do agree that things swing left to right. But one constant in humankind is a need for scapegoating. (Rene Girard is the definitive writer on this.) If one studies history, it is alarming to see how quickly the object of scapegoating can change. It was Jews in World War II. It has, in America, been blacks for centuries. Today, it is immigrants. That can change on a dime.
I am a pastor. I have spent a good deal of my adult life working with the underserved. I find it unconscionable that Elon Musk's net worth is over $200 billion and there are people who, through no fault of their own, just bad luck in the gene pool, are incapable of providing for themselves—and we, as a country, are fine with letting them fend for themselves.
Also, I would like if people could do this: stand in the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer above Omaha Beach, see the line after line of graves of 19 and 20 year-olds who, no doubt died scared, far from home, painfully. And then, in a prayer, say: thanks for that, but the price of gas and groceries trump (sic) your sacrifice.
So, I respectfully disagree with your decision as you, no doubt, will do with mine.
John you are hilarious!
Barbara, it's a cousin thing. Somewhere in our DNA, there is that laughing-in-the-face of life that a bunch of us inherited. Not everyone got it, but those that did never fail to crack me up. You're in that group.
Every week, I think, "This is John's best piece yet." I'm on my 4th re-reading of your latest, and I'm sure that's a new record for me. I love the words and the music. Bravo!
I just read your post and I love what you wrote. We just got back from Ogunquit and I tried to stay off social media for the week (somewhat unsuccessfully). You put into words the pursuit I was trying to achieve while there. Hoping to be happy the entire time we were there but I realized that being thankful, grateful and content after having gone through brain surgery 2 1/2 months ago, that that's enough. Happy can be as fleeting as the birds at the bird feeder but content is where I want to be.
Thankful, grateful, and content. And may you find as much of that as possible!
In September, 2023 I attended an Author's Guild conference in Lenox, MA. AI was center stage. One author described his collaboration with AI. He was at the climax of the story, and his two characters were having an intense conversation about their past, apologizing, explaining, making promises for the future. But the author couldn't come up with a good line of dialog for the final line. He asked AI, and the response wasn't another line of dialog. Instead, AI suggested, "And then he reached out and held her hand." The author was floored by the creative leap in categories and the sense that AI was "emotionally attuned." And what could be more emotionally intense than your combination of words and music?
Writing "prompts" are a fixture in writing classes. Some folks like them. I, personally, never found them helpful. But I don't think it's up for grabs that they were organic, human-made. I see AI as—for me—a more helpful prompt. I still have to generate the input, the prompt, the material with which I will make something. And, I have never used something that AI has produced. But I have used an idea that AI has sprung free that I can then craft into my own way of thinking.
Ethical? Moral? I'm still a bit on the fence. Simply copying AI? Definitely not. A new idea? I guess we'll be working on this for a while.
The serene Swedish guitarist definitely made her playing look effortless. I loved the way she smiled at the end. I Shazammed her song: was it "Serenity"? Which is the opposite of how it feels to board a plane. Your photo choices were great. I might add one of a rugby scrum, which would add at least a few bloody noses to the boarding process.
Light and graceful!
Thank you for posting!
Thanks, Ed. I knew it applied to my dancing, but knowing you think it carries over to writing is a BONUS!
Hi John,
Great read, as usual! I can hear your voice narrating as I’m reading and I smile.
Thanks, Barbara. I appreciate your reading. I think on a Venn diagram, our views on the world would pretty much overlap.
Also, so great to see that picture of your Mom smiling. While I don't believe much in a personal God looking in on everything we do, I strongly believe in grace. I cannot explain it, but I know it when I see it. And that's what I see when I see your Mom: grace.
I used to take my kids into the MFA. I showed them what I believe to be the brilliance of Monet and other impressionist artists. I encourage them to get close to the works of art. At least as close as was allowable under the gaze of the docents and security. At the distance of an arms length, the image of the haystack in Monet’s piece is grainy pointillism. Now step back to a normal viewing range. Monet standing less than about two feet was able to project what you would see, at say, ten feet. We are all standing too close to the now, to clearly see what will be the future. Thanks for posting.
Well, there is that genius thing, too. Which I think, in all cases, starts with seeing the world differently. Not just with one's eyes, but with an inner vision of how the world is perceived. It's the long gaze that does it.
Hi John,
8 years in Chicago, and I always marveled at the Seurat painting at the Art Institute. Great the way you have taken all those tiny dots of color and expanded them into a way to understand our current era. Bravo!
I think it might be worth the rip to Chicago. When I think of the times I've been there and didn't go to the Art Institute, I kick myself.
Hey John,
Another warm, brilliant, funny, engaging, and enlightening piece. Your focus on "harmony" resonates with my life as a psychiatrist where "attunement" with patients is such a key ingredient: tune in, stay tuned in, and at certain key moments, step back and offer a new (but harmonious) description of what you are hearing.
Thanks, Rich!
Hey John,
I’ve sent this to every introvert I know and most of them are clergy. The kid at the end just ROCKS. Thanks for sharing so honestly. Again!
Kathy, I should just hire you as my publicity person!
I think that introvert thing pops up a lot in ministry. Which is surprising, since you have to get up in front of people to preach. But I think where it comes in handy is the one on one conversations, which fall right into the introvert wheelhouse.
And yes, that kid is scary good. I have another one lined up for a post soon. Not as flashy, but, technically, perhaps even more advanced.
Be well, and I sincerely, appreciate all the support.