Popular Culture Archives - Page 12 of 15

Words are Magic. Writers are Wizards

By Bill Clontz August 12, 2019 August 13, 2019 Leave a Comment

Two Recent Events Remind of the Power and Universality of Great Writing

The title from this blog post comes from an anonymous source. Whoever first said these words has my undying gratitude. Truer words have rarely been spoken– or written. This phrase runs through my mind often. Partly as confirmation of a known truth, partly as a challenge to write better.

Two recent experiences underline this truism for me. I am thinking you can relate to both.

A Lesson Close to Home

The first is more local and personal. The community I live in has a small gathering once a month called Writers Read.

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Planning for “What If” vs. Planning for “When”

By Bill Clontz August 7, 2019 August 9, 2019 Leave a Comment

Which Mindset We Have Can Make a Big Difference

The most recent series of mass shootings (think of what I just wrote there – the MOST RECENT mass shootings. Can you believe this is part of our language now?) brought home yet again that bad things can happen to anyone, any place, at any time. More than one survivor of this latest carnage said it well. “If you think it cannot happen to you where you are, you are kidding yourself.” It more likely is ‘when,’ not ‘if.’

This need not be a reason for living in fear and paralysis.

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Music Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage Beast

By Bill Clontz August 2, 2019 August 2, 2019 3 Comments

Music Is Surely One of The Most Unique and Ubiquitous Inventions of Our Species

The title of this blog post comes from the English playwright William Congreve. It is from Act I of his play “The Mourning Bride,” published in 1697. What was true then is no less true today. Indeed, it has always been so.

Different Music, Same Responses

I experienced a couple of really interesting reminders of this in recent weeks. A couple of weeks ago, I invested a week with the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York. Part of the program there is a large dose of music.

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What Do Baseball and Japanese Tea Ceremonies Have in Common?

By Bill Clontz July 12, 2019 July 19, 2019 4 Comments

Almost Everything, As A Matter Of Fact

An Unlikely Pairing

On a recent Summer night, as I was enjoying a home game of our local minor league baseball team, I had an epiphany at the bottom of the fifth inning.

I had run into a friend at the game and she said, “I love baseball, but sometimes it seems so slow.” Others have said the same, of course, but I always felt that was not correct. Why did I not feel as they do? As I pondered that question, fortified by my cracker jacks,

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What Do Your Small Preferences Say About Your Large Traits?

By Bill Clontz July 12, 2019 July 12, 2019 Leave a Comment

“Mustard or Ketchup?” This May be a Bigger Question Than You Thought

Personal Peculiarities

I have been developing a theory of human behavior and I am curious as to what you think. My theory is based on zero scientific process or any compelling logic, but it feels right to me.

Ever since I can remember, even as a very young child, I have preferred mustard over ketchup. Tart over sweet; savory over mild. I have always preferred ice cream with nuts or fruit in it rather than artificial colors or flavors. My preference is for odd numbers,

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Thinking About People Who Are Thinking About Mount Everest

By Bill Clontz May 31, 2019 May 31, 2019 Leave a Comment

Perhaps It is Time to Rethink the Mountain

The Mountain of all Mountains

Recent days have brought us stories of people dying on Mount Everest in near record numbers. It usually takes an avalanche or a major storm to cause so many casualties. What got them this time? Standing in line.

The Nepalese government issued close to 400 permits this season. By all accounts, that is more than the summit approaches likely could handle. And so, it has come to pass. We have seen what seems to be remarkable photos. Dozens of people standing in lines just short of the summit,

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Where You Live is in Your DNA

By Bill Clontz May 21, 2019 May 21, 2019 2 Comments

In Ways Not Always Obvious, Where We Live Shapes Our World View

When I was in high school (a very long time ago), I eagerly signed up for a course in political geography. I was sorely disappointed that the course never took off. Out of a student body of hundreds, we could not find 10 or 12 students who thought this might be a useful field of study. Most people thought technology had made geography irrelevant.

Technology has freed us from much of the limits of geography. That was true when the telegraph spanned the West.

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It’s Easy to Forget the Remarkable, Good People Among Us

By Bill Clontz May 14, 2019 May 17, 2019 3 Comments

Four Recent Documentaries Remind Us There is Reason for Hope and Celebration

Lights at the End of the Tunnel

More days than not, we see and read a lot that leaves us discouraged. Our fellow human beings leave a lot to be desired, it would seem (present company excluded, of course…). But that is only part of the story. It is a good and healthy thing to be reminded that there are near angels among us.

Four documentaries have come out recently that do a splendid job of reminding us of that fact.

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Are You Willing to Commit to Proximity and Presence?

By Bill Clontz May 6, 2019 May 10, 2019 Leave a Comment

Two Very Different Events Brought Home Lessons on How We Connect

I had the opportunity recently to attend two very different events. Different, but both highlighted how we connect – or fail to connect – with each other. The thread of connection reminded me how important human communication can be. If you doubt that, take a look around at our national conversations today. Still think we are doing OK? Yeah, me neither.

Let’s Get Close

The first event was a presentation by a well-known social activist. This is a man who has done a lot of good in the world.

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