EXCESSIVE USE OF SUPERLATIVES IS DESTROYING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

The overuse of superlatives has made them meaningless. If everything is the greatest, then nothing is the greatest. Crying wolf when there is no wolf, means no one will believe you when there is a wolf. If you want to be taken seriously, keep your superlatives in check. Americans seem to exaggerate everything and it is devaluing our language. Everyone is not an amazing genius. New information is not necessarily incredible. A good restaurant meal is not fantastic. OK, the sex you had last night may have been phenomenal, but no one will know it if you call everything phenomenal. See what I mean? Say what you mean and mean what you say. Your words are more valuable when you reserve the most passionate ones to describe the things you are most passionate about. We can make ourselves more meaningful if we choose our words wisely. Most of the excessive language problem has been created by advertising (new and improved!) and political campaign propaganda (my opponent is a bastard but I am a Saint!) Don't believe propaganda and don't use the hyperbole of advertisers and politicians! I think this blog is the most awesome blog that was ever written! Certainly, it is the most extraordinary one that I have ever heard of!

THE WISDOM OF AGEING IS...

The ability to experience everyday life as uplifting! That is a wonderful bit of wisdom that comes with age. I am thankful for another day. I wrote a short poem about getting older: "I know a lot of dead people, And that's a bad sign, But I'm still alive, And feeling fine!" I was born before computers and the Internet. Nobody had aids or herpes. Nobody had semiautomatic weapons or crack. Those were the good old days and I was young and looking for adventure. Now, I am old and looking for triumphs of the mind. Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man. Surprise! you are suddenly old. I didn't see it coming. But wait, I am not as old as my sister, Vonnie. She was born the same year as the Great Dust Bowl Storm. Also, that year, the Department of Justice offered a $25,000 reward for Dillinger, dead or alive. Peter Nero and my sister were both born on Tuesday, May 22, 1934. And, they both play the piano really well. It was a good year for piano players. On Saturday, May 23, 2009, we are celebrating Vonnie's 75Th birthday. She is much older than I am but we both feel lucky when we can find our car in the parking lot!

HOW DOES ONE BECOME HAPPY?

A better question is, "What is the purpose of life?" There is not a correct answer to the 'purpose' question. If there is an answer, it remains a mystery. Religious scholars and philosophers have wrestled with this question for thousands of years. They have not been able to come up with a plausible answer that is acceptable to everyone. Hey, maybe, every one's purpose is different! Maybe, the secret to happiness is discovering your purpose and working to achieve it. By Jove, I may be on to something! I have done what no man has done before; I have defined the meaning of life!

Psychologist tell us that moments of happiness occur when we are "in the zone" of doing something well, that is difficult to do, and that we enjoy doing. Unfortunately, we can not always be in the zone. So, we are not always happy, but we have our moments. General happiness comes from spirituality, love, and human relationships. It also comes from a balance between work and play. And, let's not forget that helping others makes us happy. And, Being moral and fair in our dealings with others makes us feel good about ourselves (happy). I suggest that you live, love, laugh, and think your way to the path of happiness!!!

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE & ONLINE COURTESY

I have blogged about politics, religion, and economics without fear. But today's topic is so controversial, I am approaching it with trepidation. It is sure to offend a number of my readers! Relatively speaking, e-mail is a new way of communicating that rapidly exploded into existence. Not only did it happen quickly, but it became universal. Every one is using it but not always effectively and with courtesy. As a culture, we have not had to rely on our writing skills for decades. But now, there is no way around it. Consequently, there is a great amount of miscommunication with it, and misuse of it. Not to mention disrespect of its recipients. Please stop filling my e-mail inbox with jokes! Please stop harassing me with hyperlinks to You Tube videos of cute stuff! Please stop forwarding emails to me that you think are clever! OK, now that I have that stuff off my chest, Here is what I would like you to do with e-mail. Send messages which are original thoughts from you. People love to hear what you are doing and how things are going. They love receiving news about you. Hey, if you discover a web page with helpful information for me_please attach it to an e-mail to me. I appreciate those kinds of e-mails. And by the way, stop using thinks like BTW and LOL. They make you sound like the hip hop Mayor of Detroit! Oh yeah, and please no more xxx and 000 and smiley faces. They make you sound juvenile. Well, that's my rant for today. I am sorry if you are offended but somebody had to tell you these things.