The smart thing to do?

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Israel protest against terror -

I do not regard myself as smart.

Though, I do regard myself as knowledgeable, a condition I attribute mostly to the fact that I am old and have been around long enough to collect a lot of knowable things…

Plus, I read a lot, which enables me to collect even more knowable things.

Yeah, knowing a lot doesn’t make one smart…

Knowing what to do with the things one knows, now that’s smart.

Smart people know how to leverage knowledge in ways that benefit them, however they may define it.

Probably they define it mostly as success, money, happiness, power, etc.

Or so I suppose.

I also suppose the fact that having a lot of knowledge doesn’t necessarily equate to being smart is also why calling someone a “know it all” is usually not a good thing.

Yeah…

But, unfortunately, there are some nuts in life that are so tough to crack that even truly smart people do not know what to do about them.

Climate change.

Trump.

The problems between Israel and Palestine.

Yeah, especially that one…

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Sunday Songs to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance

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Life is all it is – joyful, sad, comprehensive, confusing, peaceful, violent, and on and on and on…

Of course, regardless of what reality tries to tell one, it can only be what one – you, me, each unique individual making up the all of we – says it is.

And no matter how hard we/I try to understand it, to challenge it, to master it, chances are we/I never will; and chances are along the way we/I will alienate those who see reality 180 degrees differently than you/me.

So, understanding our understanding and execution of life will always be incomplete and often inaccurate, and way off kilter to many, accepting that some will love us for what we do and, sadly, some with hate us for the same, will hopefully make it all a bit less painful.

So, we might as smile the best we can and dance.

#embraceyourreality

Weaponized Words

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scribbles on wall

It is the ongoing global war of misinformation that, long term, I am beginning to fear most.

The damage that has been done by it just from weaponizing social media sites alone is incomprehensible to me.

And yet, for the most part, this phase of the global misinformation war is being executed by slow-moving, mistake-prone, carbon-based humans…

When AI is fully engaged in the battle…

Oh boy*…

That’s when, I reckon fearfully, the doomsday clock strikes T-minus kaboom.

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God only knows…

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Ostrakon with Biblical Text

Suppose two men are fighting and hit a pregnant woman, causing the baby to come out. If there is no further injury, the man who caused the accident must pay money—whatever amount the woman’s husband says and the court allows. But if there is further injury, then the punishment that must be paid is life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.

Exodus 21:22-25

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Matthew 5:38-42

We ordained for them in the Torah, “A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth—and for wounds equal retaliation.” But whoever waives it charitably, it will be atonement for them. And those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are ˹truly˺ the wrongdoers.

Surah al-Maidah 5:45
smite thine eye for mine?
or turneth to thee both cheeks?
god knoweth alone

#prayforallpeopleofthelevant
#andeverywhereelse