Tag Archives: Desire for certainty

30% of Americans are bigots

OUR BEST POSTS, Politics, The William Tell Show, , , , , , , , , , ,

Acceptance, or judgment?

Biden slammed for Christmas ‘unity’ speech after year of political attacks: ‘Spare us, you old grinch’ | Fox News

There is a segment of the population who won’t accede to any gesture of reconciliation.  Though I myself didn’t approve of Joe Biden’s divisive remarks about MAGA people in September ’22, the reactions quoted in the article, to Biden’s Christmas ’22 message, are telling.  On the one hand, most of the people quoted are actually outside the conservative mainstream.  On the other hand, they’re there, which is the subject of this post.  The quote from Kevin McCarthy’s spokesperson is particularly troubling; I will not examine whether these folks correctly say Biden said what they say he said. Continue reading 30% of Americans are bigots →

Hopes vs. expectations

Bible, Get on your feet, Motivations, The Way of Peace, , , , , , , , , ,

I have been wary of telling this, because the thing hinges on an abstraction that not everyone may be in a position to grasp.  But in recent weeks, it’s been really prominent to me.  And one can tell from recent posts that I don’t much care for abstractions.

Continue reading Hopes vs. expectations →

Ulterior motives are funny.

Homelessness, Motivations, OUR BEST POSTS, The Way of Peace, , , , , , , , , ,

One’s ulterior motives can be wholly different from anything one would expect, and can make one do funny things — that one likewise would never expect.  At least, things that have nothing to do with one’s real needs.

Decades ago, my brother Francis, the dentist, knowing that my prescription medicines include SSRIs, asked whether I grit my teeth at night; for it’s common for such patients to do that.

I don’t grit my teeth, but I do take special joy in crunchy foods.  This has been on my mind, as this hankering has been prominent in recent months.  On occasions when I got turned away from the shelter, I would buy lots and lots of potato chips to include in supper, since they’re crunchy.  Also, potatoes are high in tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin; so that potatoes are, in fact, a mood-enhancing food. Continue reading Ulterior motives are funny. →