Category Archives: General commentary on the world as I see it…

What would it get you to change your mind?

Posted on February 17, 2017 by BigBill

I’ve written a lot here about critical thinking, and how we seem to have lost that facility in our society. Or maybe not lost completely, but it sure seems to be in pretty short supply. It seems to me that … Continue reading →

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I’m with Stupid

Posted on February 9, 2017 by BigBill

I wrote a few posts ago that what made me disheartened with this recent election is the apparent willingness of voters to embrace stupidity and lack of critical thinking, even to the point of making ignorance an asset rather than a liability. I … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Political commentary | Leave a comment

New Year’s resolution

Posted on January 12, 2017 by BigBill

I was asked by some friends last night what New Year’s resolutions I made for 2017. I’ve always made resolutions with each new year (at least once I got old enough to understand what it was all about); frequently they … Continue reading →

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Happy 2017!

Posted on January 1, 2017 by BigBill

2016 is behind us. On a personal level it was a pretty good year. I enjoy what I do for a living and seem to be contributing something worthwhile; I get along well with my boss and coworkers and our … Continue reading →

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Preconceived notions go down in flames:  Soweto

Posted on September 8, 2016 by BigBill

It’s always a bit of a shock to me when my preconceived notions turn out to be wrong. Of course it shouldn’t; many (if not most) do. But I don’t think I’m that unusual; we all create a mental image … Continue reading →

Posted in General commentary on the world as I see it..., Travel | Leave a comment

Two stories to illustrate.

Posted on August 11, 2016 by BigBill

A couple of unrelated events that happened in the last week or so help me to illustrate what I mean by “living The Good Life.” Last week I was in Fargo, North Dakota to do a workshop for a group … Continue reading →

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Who do we want to be as a society?

Posted on August 4, 2016 by BigBill

In my last post I told the story of the man who treated a person in a way that reflected who he was (as a gentleman), without any judgement of the type of person she was, and how that helps … Continue reading →

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Because I am a gentleman

Posted on July 29, 2016 by BigBill

There’s a moral-wrapped-in-a-story I think about when I get all introspective. A century or so ago (well before TV, for sure), couples would get dressed in their finery to “take the evening air” by going for a walk in the … Continue reading →

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The Good Life revisited

Posted on July 10, 2016 by BigBill

This past week has been both happy and sad. We had family in town; Cathy’s two sisters (and spouses), an aunt and a niece with her family. Several of them stayed with us; the rest stayed fairly close by and … Continue reading →

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Fidelity and civilization

Posted on June 29, 2016 by BigBill

My friend Scott and I used to love to argue philosophy; frequently facilitated with a nice  merlot. At times I accused him of taking “The Argument Clinic” position (a great Monty Python sketch well worth the 5 minutes if you’ve … Continue reading →

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