(under construction)
Week 1 – Logical Week 2 – Enhance Week 3 – Glimmer Wk 4 – Abstraction Wk 5 – Hybrid
logical.100217.Monday
“Since she helped us before, it’s logical to assume that she’ll help us again.” In this example sentence, we are introduced to the concept of “logical assumption.” This concept is very dangerous. Assumptions are not based upon facts, but upon guesswork. The laws of physics are logical. They are repetitive and will work each time they are used. When you assume or guess about the actions of another human being, they are not always repetitive and do not always produce the same result. Be very careful of making assumptions that seem logical but may in fact produce a different result!
logical.100317.Tuesday
“It was flat and logical.” For something to be logical, does not mean that it will be exciting. We see in the definition of logical as an adjective, the following: “or, relating to, involving, or being in accordance with logic.” Another similar meaning is to be skilled in logic as in “formally true or valid.” Again, another definition of logical is “capable or reasoning or of using reason in an orderly cogent fashion.” Two concepts come through from these meanings which are order and reason. For something to be logical, it must be able to produce the same result for each time it is used. Don’t be whimsical in the use of logical!
logical.100417.Wednesday
“He seems to be a logical choice for the job.” For this thought to be correct, a series of factors must be examined and the result must fit the needed end result. First, the job must be stated with the duties that the applicant is to perform. Second, the background of the candidate must conform to the specification outlined for that job. Third, the applicant’s experience should be similar to or nearly exact to what the job description requires. This kind of logical examination must be done to select the right candidate for the job to be filled!
logical.100517.Thursday
“He couldn’t explain his decision logically.” This dude is in trouble! When a decision is made, most people will set down a series of pros and cons about the subject. Once this is done, then each pro or con is analyzed to see if it fits into the expected end result. When the analysis if complete, it should become apparent as to what logical decision should be made. To make a decision on a whim (an emotion) is not always a good way to decide what action is to be taken. Emotions are many times not based upon fact, but the “feeling” of the person involved. Rarely do emotions coincide with fact. An emotional decision cannot always be explained logically!
logical.100617.Friday
“She wasn’t able to give me a logical explanation for her behavior.” The key word in this thought is ‘behavior.’ Sometimes a person reacts to things around them by whim or desire. A person like this is more likely to not be able to explain how their decisions are logical. Seldom do they take the time to look at facts and previous results in similar situations or relationships. Logical decisions require an amount of looking at positive and negative factors before one makes a decision. Some relationship behavior patterns are illogical!
Return to 2017 Index
enhance.100917.Monday
“She approached the meeting with an enhanced understanding of the issues.” This is the mark of a smart presenter. Be prepared for your meeting by correctly understanding the issues and by having appropriate ideas and suggestions that help solve the topic under discussion. Last minute ‘make ready’ does not enhance the topic that you are presenting. A good sound, logical approach to the issues that need to be covered will give you a sound presentation approach that will bring solutions. Approach the meeting with an enhanced understanding and your presentation will be well received!
enhance.101017.Tuesday
“Your gifts should enhance your work, not hinder it.” This is good advice for any applicant looking for a job. This example illustrates one of the most used meanings of enhance as “to increase or improve in value, quality, desirability, or attractiveness.” This verb should heighten or increase the quality of what is being offered. Also it is helpful to research what end result is wanted by the one who is to receive what you offer. The mere statement that you have a giftedness is not enough, several examples of how that giftedness helped to bring a positive result is also good. Again, to enhance means it should not hinder!
enhance.101117.Wednesday
“The image has been digitally enhanced to show more detail.” Digital enhancement is a technique that the movie industry uses to preserve and upgrade old movies. It is also used by the advertising media to make new and different kinds of ads. The technique is used to improve the quality and value of not only old movies, but old pictures. Much of what we see on TV, in magazines, and in the theatre is digitally enhanced. The military and intelligence agencies all use digital enhancement as a surveillance method to get greater detail. Much of what we see in everyday life has been digitally enhanced to show greater detail!
enhance.101217.Thursday
“You can enhance the flavor of a dish by using fresh herbs.” Fresh herbs are a technique that many good cooks use. Any successful restaurant chef will tell you that much of his success with his specialty dishes is the use of his favorite fresh herbs. The knowledgeable chef will know how much to use in a dish or when the use of a dry herb would be better. Many cooks in the kitchen do not take the time to learn what a fresh herb will enhance the taste of the dish that they are preparing. Fresh herbs do enhance the flavor of a dish when properly used!
enhance.101317.Friday
“Guys look for things that will enhance your charm to the ladies.” In most relationships, there is a mutual attraction between the two. The smart man will look for those things that make him attractive to her. The lack of this skill will hinder a guy from having a good relationship with the girl that he is attracted to. Women are relational creatures. They need the emotional interactions with others. It is part of what makes them female. The guy that find what she wants or needs and can enhance that part of his makeup will be much more successful in forming good relationships with the opposite sex. Guys, enhance your charm and put your best foot forward for a solid relationship with your girl!
Return to 2017 Index
glimmer.101617.Monday
“This past election gave Republicans a glimmer of what they could expect from the media.” Most of our modern media is liberal. What is bad is that the liberal media has taken the attitude of focusing on what is wrong with conservative values. What they write is negative and sometimes even twisted. When a liberal news media outlet puts out a news article it must be fact checked for accuracy. Therein lies the problem, because most readers will not take the time to do this. The liberal news media knows this and exploits this weakness. Conservatives and Republicans must hold on to a glimmer of hope for change in the media to go in right direction!
glimmer.Tuesday.101717
“Sam felt a glimmer of hope.” Because of this glimmer of hope, he can look to the future. Our example sentence gives us one use of glimmer as a verb. Glimmer means “to shine faintly or unsteadily.” A second verb meaning is “to give off a subdued unsteady reflection.” Glimmer in the noun form means “a feeble or unsteady light.” Glimmer can also be used as a noun in this sense as “a dim perception or faint idea.” Whether used as a verb or a noun, glimmer is not a forceful word, but can bring insert the idea of “light” in what is being said. We all need to have that glimmer of hope!
glimmer.101817.Wednesday
“Moonlight glimmered on the pond.” This example sentence gives us a feel for the romantic or maybe sentimental side of what we see. Life can be dead and dreary if we do not have any sentimental sense of what to expect from the future. A glimmer means that we see a sparkle of something with positive value. Sometimes it is that sparkle or glimmer of what will come that we expectantly look for. It keeps us living with pleasant expectations of good things to come. Let’s all look for the moonlight glimmering on the waters of life!
glimmer.101917.Thursday
“Candles glimmered in the windows of the inn as he walked past.” Candles that glimmer are a sure sign of life. This man knew that inside the inn, people were doing things and going about the business of life. The candles gave the impression of someone taking care of things inside the inn. They were an indicator of action going on within. They were signs of human activity and things being done in a normal fashion. They did not give him details of life within the inn, but do assure him that people were busy within. Candles glimmering in the windows were reassuring!
glimmer.102017.Friday
“Her white satin dress glimmered in the dusk.” This thought carries the idea of intimacy and romance. Many couples have such thoughts and experiences at the beginning of their relationship. Any relationship between a man and a woman that does not have such emotional ties is a dreary and forlorn union. It is in such experiences that emotional bonds are formed that make the relationship more meaningful. Any couple should look for and remember those intimate and romantic moments. We should see far more than a white satin dress that glimmers in the dusk!
Return to 2017 Index
abstraction.102317.Monday
“They exist in a fantasy-world of pure abstraction.” This example sentence could well describe the ‘idealist.’ An idealist will look for the perfect solution or ideal answer to life’s problems. However, as human beings, none of us are perfect or capable of being perfect. The idealist, like Don Quixote, charges imaginary foes but never quite succeeds. The thinking and actions of an idealist carries him or her away from finding real solutions for life’s problems. They think about what could be in a perfect world instead of finding answers for the real problems around them. To the idealist the abstraction of the fantasy-world is preferred!
abstraction.102417.Tuesday
“Abstraction can never replace actuality.” This is a self-evident truth, but there are many deluded souls that cannot see it. Abstraction is a noun that means “the state of being abstracted.” A second meaning is “absence of mind or preoccupation.” A third definition is something that has an “abstract quality or character.” And lastly, probably the most common idea that we have about abstraction is that of “an abstraction composition or creation in art.” The second meaning “absence of mind or preoccupation” is a thought that gives me a lot of grief. Can a person be so preoccupied that they have an absence of mind? Good grief Charlie Brown, how can that happen? But, it is true that abstraction can never replace actuality!
abstraction.102517.Wednesday
“Beauty” and “trust” are abstractions. Both of these concepts are not based upon hard physical facts but are perceived by the individual person’s experience and learning. Because they lack a “physical” nature, they become mental concepts of understanding which can vary from person to person. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary makes the following statement about abstraction as a “process by which the mind is able to form universal representations of the properties of distinct objects,” In other words, an abstraction is a mental process whereby we form images as to what we are thinking and observing. This is a human characteristic that we are able to understand and use non-physical concepts such as abstractions!
abstraction.102617.Thursday
“He gazed out the window in abstraction as he thought about his vivid dream.” We are at risk when something distracts us from reality. Abstraction tends to take our focus off of the day to day activities that we normally engage in and puts our minds into a state of preoccupation that disconnects us from our physical norm. That may explain why sometimes people do things with mindless abandon. If they are preoccupied with an abstraction, they are not focused upon normal daily actions. This can leave someone vulnerable to dangerous events going on around them. Don’t let abstractions put you in danger!
abstraction.102717.Friday
“A good relationship cannot exist in a fantasy-world of pure abstraction.” In every relationship, there are some fantasy ideas about what we want the relationship to be, but reality will put limitations on our fantasies. When abstraction dominates, that is when problems will quickly surface. Good relationships should be well grounded upon the physical environment in which it exists. However, a little fantasy and abstraction can add some spice when the relationship matures or becomes humdrum. Good relationships are not built upon nor can they withstand a pure, abstract fantasy-world!
Return to 2017 Index
hybrid.103017.Monday
“Democrats are becoming a hybrid party of progressives and radical liberals.” Liberals are ecstatic. Progressives are a little unsettled and conservatives are becoming unglued as to the future political arena this produces. Our nation has always been a hybrid system, but recently it has taken unprecedented turn. Liberal tendencies are taking politics into areas that were once considered to be stable and dependable. The last election has upset the balance politics once had in our country and is taking both political parties into uncharted territory. Hybrid politics can produce unexpected and destructive results!
hybrid.103117.Tuesday
“She grows beautiful hybrid roses.” It takes a lot of care and time to grow beautiful roses and even more so with hybrids. This word ‘hybrid’ as a noun means “an offspring of two animals or plants of different races.” It can also be used to indicate “a person whose background is a blend of two diverse cultures or traditions.” (Merriam-Webster) It also means “something (such as a power plant, vehicle, or electronic circuit) that has two different types of components performing essentially the same function.” It can also be used as an adjective. Growing hybrid roses can be fun and rewarding!
hybrid.110117.Wednesday
“Her sister bought a hybrid car that runs on gas or electricity.” Auto companies are doing a lot of research and experimentation to produce cars that minimize petroleum fuels. It is intended to reduce carbon emissions and be more environmentally friendly. Hybrid cars are one step in the process of producing vehicles that do not pollute our atmosphere. It is hoped that future generations will reap the benefit of having vehicles that are pollution free and do not emit harmful gases that impact our environment. The future requires that we do what we can to protect our environment. Driving a hybrid vehicle is one way of doing that!
hybrid.110217.Thursday
“The Rockin’ R ranch specializes in raising hybrid cattle.” They do this because the hybrid cattle they raise are grass fed, lean, and free of any dangerous chemicals. With this plan, they can sell their herd for a higher price as it will meet stricter organic standards. They feed and care for their animals with a high degree of attention. Their ranch hands receive training in how to properly care for their animals to make sure they meet the stricter organic standards. They seem to be doing very well in their specialty of raising hybrid cattle!
hybrid.110317.Friday
“Two people with different cultural backgrounds will produce a hybrid relationship.” Many times such a hybrid relationship will cause problems. Different religious beliefs are normally one area that will cause difficulty. Money and spending habits are another area that can bring very different opinions on how to handle finances. Areas of responsibility and who has the final authority is another arena in which differences of opinion can occur. In a hybrid relationship, these are just a few areas where issues can arise that impact the relationship. Agreement on how to handle these key areas is a must in a hybrid relationship!
Return to 2017 Index
