Is Using Bigger Words Okay

 I inquire that the title of this online journal should likely be “is the application of larger locutions appropriate”. The simple answer – sometimes. There are a few questions that have to be answered before deciding on bigger words.

1^st – Who are you speaking with?

Is it someone who is used to more complicated words? Are they relatively educated for their age? In other words, are they mentally capable of hearing terms that are more than common language?

2^nd – Do the words help to get the point across?

Does the bigger word fit better in the statement you are making? Does it more eloquently make the person you are talking to understand what you are saying?

Last – Does the word make for a lot less awkward conversation?

And we all know what I am talking about. That person that no matter what word you seem to use, they retort with, "That’s what she said". I find that using the word difficult instead of hard or gender instead of sex tends to deflate their immaturity…most of the time.

Once the answers to some of these questions are answered then the decision of what words to use can be made. Maybe go somewhere in the middle – a little big, some small. Because there is a saying that just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should. You definitely don’t want to be that person that seems like a pompous arrogant jerk because you keep talking in a way no one understands. Sometimes being relatable and friendly is better than proving how intelligent you are with bigger words. But that’s just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Leaving the World Behind

 Before anyone gets any ideas, no I am not talking about some greater place or anyone that has died. I am talking about people who lose touch with reality and just stop moving forward on the timeline of modern life. Now I understand that everyone has their own style and it is perfectly okay to still be wearing your bell bottoms, slap bracelets, and grunge shirts. I also think it is just fine to have had a hobby or a favorite show as a kid that you never really outgrew. I am 28 and I still like Pokemon. The thing I am talking about is when a person reaches a certain time period and just won’t move past it. I know a guy who refuses, and has refused for 50 years, to hop onto the technological train. He does not have a cell phone, computer, or even an email address. He still uses a rotary phone and no I am not joking. His landline rotary phone is his only method of contact. This is just unacceptable because he is not just cheating himself out of the experience of modern technology, he is making everyone else’s life miserable because they have to treat him special because he won’t give even a little. So, to anyone out there who has left the modern world behind and will not move forward in the years, come back to us. I promise, it’s more fun in the front seats. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Let's Introduce Some Discipline

 The world is very large and it is full of people, but if there is one thing I cannot stand it is undisciplined children. And you know the ones I’m talking about. The kids that go into a public place and act like complete menaces to society. They yell and scream and cry for no reason, dance around like monkeys, and destroy everything they touch. The only thing I can think when I see this is how much of a hide tanning I would have gotten as a youngster if I had behaved this way. My parents did not stand for this sort of behavior. It was okay to have a little fun and be a kid, but when we went into public, like for grocery shopping, or when my parents had a place to go for something important and had to bring us along, etc. we became proper little gentlemen and ladies. And if we didn’t, we knew what waited for us when we got home. Now, this is not to say that a parent has to spank their kid to discipline them. If you don’t want to spank, that is fine, but a child has to be shown, in some form or another, that there are consequences for their actions. In other words, if they cause trouble there will be trouble. Most parents follow the track of grounding; others with taking things away, but it could be something as simple as time in a corner by themselves. It is not cruel and unusual punishment to torture your kids a little by making them do things they don’t want to do, i.e. yardwork, extra chores, giving up valuables, or, yes, even sitting completely silently in a corner. With any luck, the children that are disciplined will grow up to become civilized, productive members of society and not assholes that think they can have everything their way because that was how it was as they grew up. And hopefully while they grow up in this reasonably disciplined environment, it will make it more peaceful for people like you and me to do the day-to-day activities for a normal life. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

When does knowledge become expertise?

 The other day I was talking with my father about something that was wrong with my vehicle and he told me how to fix it. He even said that he could fix it, if I got the new parts. I trust him 100% with my vehicle, but I had a revelation. Why? He has never been to mechanic school, nor has he read any books about my specific vehicle. He has just always worked on my family’s vehicles and so I came to trust him with mine. That led to the title’s question. When does knowledge become expertise? I think in this modern time we focus so much on education that we fail to realize that learning by doing was the way to learn things for centuries. And it’s not as if the base knowledge is going to lead to results. For instance, just because someone has taken the chemistry and knows the chemicals in a battery, doesn’t mean they could necessarily build one. Moreover, many people would answer the question by saying that if the person had learned enough that they could teach someone else then it is an expertise. But many people have problems relaying information further than their own minds (i.e. dyslexia or other such mental complexity). There are also those who say that age is a requirement for expertise in a subject. So, then what about the Doogie Howsers of the world. They are geniuses in their fields and could feasibly teach someone else. I think there is a middle ground for it all. Maybe a little education, being able to show someone else the knowledge, and certainly at least being able to apply the skill, if applicable, in the real world with your actual physical hands, but all within the thoughts that, no matter how young, anyone can become an expert on anything with enough fortitude, dedication, and practice. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.