Inappropriate Conversations

There is an old adage that says you'll be happy and successful if you "do what you love" for a living.  Don't believe what you hear.  That saying is only almost right.  "Love what you do for a living" is better advice, and the difference is not mere subtlety.  We should hold the things we truly love as intimate and not fully invest them in the pursuit of trade or commerce.  On the other hand, the things we do professionally must have some underlying passion if we are going to be successful. Different Drummer: Ira A. Robbins

Most debate you hear today is about winning/losing and not about resolving questions and finding answers that will move society forward.  All of us lose when arguments are presented in this manner.  Instead, we need to listen better, speak more clearly and often at greater length, and live up to higher standards.  Guidelines include: granting opponents as much ground as possible, holding ourselves and others to the integrity of stated positions, and striving to find "the rest of the argument." Different Drummer: Dwight MacDonald Dan Carlin's Common Sense 194: State Of The Union (particularly 33:00 - 55:35)

Over the past hundred years, film is by far the most significant form of art.  As a new medium, this probably goes without saying.  It is also true when considering artistic achievement within the realm of commerce or entertainment.  Movies re-established a balance that hasn't been true in music since what we call "classical" today was actually "pop" for its time.  Like music, films of all kinds have created a language of cinema that we rely upon more than we really know. Different Drummer: Stanley Kauffmann

Almost everything wrong with masculinity today can be described by the fear of being "found out."  Sexual aggression is often a front for homophobia. Bullying is often an attempt to use a seeming boldness and bluntness to cover for the fear of weakness.  This blunt-force macho nonsense does not reveal men at their best; it reveals our very worst. Different Drummer: John Eldredge

Friendship is not limited or dictated by gender.  Factors far more important than sexual organs should determine whether two people consider themselves to be in a platonic partnership.  Decades of experiences have shown me that keeping inter-sexual friendships sacred provides a much deeper connection than any of the "with benefits" or "more than a friend" concepts that we frankly ought to reject. Different Drummer: Carl G. Jung

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?  No, and the same applies to family.  For me, the cryptic lyrics to a song so often sung on New Year's Eve has extra meaning because the day itself recalls loved ones who have gone too soon and left us behind.  Sorry, but it is a struggle for me to look at this time of year without wrestling with regrets. Different Drummer: Tony Pucci Tony Pucci & Songs For Jenny

The impeachment of Bill Clinton near the end of his presidency was one of the most embarrassing moments in the history of the United States government.  The president virtually declared that he couldn't define the word "is."  More than 200 representatives in Congress demonstrated a weak grasp of the word "other."  Millions of dollars were wasted on an assumption that a majority of American voters didn't know what they were doing when Clinton was elected, not once but twice!  Embarrassing, indeed. Different Drummer: Alexis de Tocqueville