All the World’s a Stage and I Am But a Player

William Shakespeare by John Taylor

William Shakespeare. The name carries weight, influence. His remarkable power with words defies comprehension. Not only the quantity of words, but the quality of his content... When writers review the rich catalog of his works, they are impressed and humbled. The guy could turn a phrase. Moreover, those phrases contained so many dense pearls of distilled wisdom. How did he do it?

Well, I have since learned that he did not do it. There was a committee, founded by two playwrights Geoffrey Williams and Walter Shakespeare. They hired a team of young writers and put them to work. The published sonnets and plays were said to have been penned by a William Shakespeare. A scandal arose at one point when one of the writers revealed...

 

Please do not believe the muttering in this previous paragraph. It would astonish me even more to discover that Shakespeare's art had been produced by committee. Have you ever done art by committee? I myself stand in awe at the volumes produced by authors like Shakespeare who with no keyboard, no word processors, no typewriters moved the world.

 

The best way to enjoy a good quote, by the way, is not to read a series of them quickly, as presented here below. Rather, make as if each were a tea bag. Heat your cup of water, dip it and let it steep. Allow the aroma of each idea to seep into and saturate your mind. Once you have supped from the first, you may proceed to the next. There are flavors rich and subtle here. Take your time, enjoy each one.

 

» The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

 

» Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.

 

» Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.

 

» Be great in act, as you have been in thought.

 

» Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none.

 

» Blow, blow, thou winter wind

Thou art not so unkind,

As man's ingratitude.

» There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

 

» Brevity is the soul of wit.

 

» Cowards die many times before their deaths,

the valiant never taste of death but once.

 

» Neither a borrower nor a lender be;

For loan oft loses both itself and friend,

And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

This above all: to thine ownself be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

 

» All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players.

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts...

Originally published January 2008

"If at First You Don't Succeed" and Other Modern Words of Wisdom

I was looking for a folder in one of my backup drives and came across a document titled "Modern Words of Wisdom." I share these here for entertainment purposes only. 

* * *

If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you even tried.

 

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

Never do card tricks for the group you play poker with.

No one is listening until you make a mistake.

Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.

The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required on it.

The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach.

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.

To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.

The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Change is inevitable .... except from vending machines.

A fool and his money are soon partying.

If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments.

How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hands ....

Attempt to get a new car for your spouse -- it'll be a great trade!

Drugs may lead nowhere, but at least it's the scenic route.

I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Everybody repeat after me....."We are all individuals."

Love may be blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.

Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.

Half the people you know are below average.

99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.*

42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot. 

If you've read this far, maybe you'd like add a couple witticisms of your own in the comments. And do enjoy the rest of your day.

* * * 

* This line deserves elaboration. My take aligns with Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels author) who said the following in a letter to Alexander Pope: “I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities; and all my love is toward individuals: for instance, I hate the tribe of lawyers, but I love Counsellor Such-a-one, and Judge Such-a-one: so with physicians— I will not speak of my own trade—soldiers, English, Scotch, French, and the rest. But principally I hate and detest that animal called man, although I heartily love John, Peter, Thomas, and so forth.”

Crowds On Demand: How Money Can Be Used to Create Illusions

My first trip to Las Vegas was in 1991. I'd gone to attend a trade show on trade shows at Bally's Convention Center. It was highly informative. For two days my boss and I attended workshops and walked the show floor, absorbing everything we could learn. 

One thing we observed was there seemed to be three pricing tiers in the booth business, just like McDonald's, except that instead of 1, 2 and 5 dollar prices, these structures were priced 5, 50 and 200.... thousands. If you had the money, there was no limit to how much you could spend once you had consultants and architects paid off.

In a similar vein, there was a wide variety of talent you could purchase for your show booth. There are national organizations with models who you can hire for the duration of your show. Kelly Girls is one such organization, but an internet search will unearth others. There are also magicians you can hire to draw crowds. Who doesn't enjoy a good magic show? This is where the "almost famous" end up, I suspect. 

There are also look-a-likes of famous people whom you can rent to work your booth. A smiling Michael J. Fox stepped over and shook my hand. A veritable twin. Same voice and mannerisms, too. Ever wonder what an actors' doubles do when the actor is not working? Yep. You can probably rent him to attract people to your booth. And for a price, you can even have the real person, if you have the bucks.

All these memories came to mind when I saw an email this week about a company called Crowds On Demand. Having been an extra in a Hollywood film, I'm aware that when movies need lots of people for crowd scenes they have systems in place to recruit them. Were you aware that there are systems in place for manufacturing crowds in real life? 

Here's their sales pitch:

"Are you looking to create a buzz anywhere in the United States? At Crowds on Demand, we provide our clients with protests, rallies, flash-mobs, paparazzi events and other inventive PR stunts. These services are available across the country in every major U.S city, every major U.S metro area and even most smaller cities as well. We provide everything including the people, the materials and even the ideas. You can come to us with a specific plan of action and we can make it happen. OR, you can approach us with a general idea and we can help you plan the strategy then execute it."
https://crowdsondemand.com/

Next I learned about another group called Demand Protest. Here's info gleaned from their site.

We are strategists mobilizing millennials across the globe with seeded audiences and desirable messages. With absolute discretion a top priority, our operatives create convincing scenes that become the building blocks of massive movements. When you need the appearance of outrage, we are able to deliver it at scale while keeping your reputation intact.

Demonstrations

We develop, recruit, manage, and execute on your high-level objectives. Our trained operatives can lead entire crowds or simply steer events in your favor.

Movements

We have the proven expertise required to expertly shape political, corporate, or public health perceptions.

Intelligence

Our operatives can embrace and steer existing organizations, providing you valuable insights about those involved and their future actions.

Training

Our strategists can train your organization in our methods of creating effective demonstrations and design the situations that will deliver your goals.

Website: www.demandprotest.com

https://www.demandprotest.com/?fbclid=IwAR0A6p6AmfcudnVvNIlJCdcziBZ3seSf_b1e2H1CoCC2-ROz9BIye3vXeOs

* * * *

When I was growing up I remember being told, "Don't believe everything you hear." When the Internet came along, we were told, "Don't believe everything you read on the Net." As time went on, online misinformation was given a name: Fake News.

The purpose of these two sayings was to encourage a healthy skepticism and critical thinking. To these I'll add a third, attributed to Edgar Allen Poe. "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see."

When we read about these two groups--Crowds On Demand, and Demand Protest--it ought to cause us to question the things we're seeing in real life. What is really happening? Who is manipulating whom? When you see protests, are they spontaneous or organized? If organized, what's the real agenda?

Both of these organizations claim to be skilled at influencing public opinion. That is how they set their prices. Purportedly they are able to deliver on their promises. 

When we take a closer look, over the last 80 years U.S. clandestine activities have included similar hocus pocus shenanigans. On this topic much has been written and more can be said. As we following stories in the news, let's make an effort to be a little more discerning regarding what we swallow. As George Harrison once noted, "You know that what you eat your are // but what is sweet now turns so sour." 

* * * *

Related Link

He Who Controls the Narrative Controls the People

Photo at top of page by Rob Curran on Unsplash

The original blog post here was published in November 2020. I republished with a new ending because I noticed some recent stories in the news about Crowds on Demand.

Wordsmith Wisdom: Insights from Writers for Crafting Compelling Fiction

A long and winding road.

First, a word of advice from the blogger. When I began my writing career, I didn't focus on money or fame. My goal was to excel as a writer. To do this I used my local library and read nearly every book about writing, looking for pearls like the ones you find here. Some of these books I also purchased, forming a personal reference library.

There were other things I did, but that's a longer story and my aim here was to share a few of the insights I gleaned from a few of these personal favorites. 

On Writing Fiction
"Though the literary dabbler may write a fine story now and then, the true writer is one for whom technique has become, as for the pianist, second nature."
J. Gardner - The Art of Fiction 

"... whatever the genre may be, fiction does its work by creating a dream in the reader's mind."
J. Gardner - The Art of Fiction 

"Thus the value of great fiction, we begin to suspect, is not just that it entertains us or distracts us from our troubles, not just that it broadens our knowledge of people and places, but also that it helps us to know what we believe, reinforces those qualities that are noblest in us, leads us to feel uneasy about our faults and limitations."
J. Gardner - The Art of Fiction

"What the young writer needs to develop, to achieve his goal of becoming a great artist, is not a set of aesthetic laws, but artistic mastery."
J. Gardner - The Art of Fiction 

"One great inhibition and obstacle to me was the thought: Will it make money? But you find if you are thinking of that all the time, either you don't make money because the work is so empty, dry, calculated and without life in it. Or you do make money and you are ashamed of your work. Your published writing gives you the pip."
Brenda Uelland - If You Want to Write 

"It may feel more classy to imitate James Joyce... than All In the Family; but every literary imitation lacks something we expect of good writing: the writer seeing with his own eyes."
J. Gardner - On Becoming a Novelist 

"Detail is the lifeblood of fiction."
J. Gardner - On Becoming a Novelist

"The study of writing, like the study of classical piano, is not practical but aristocratic. If one is born rich, one can easily afford to be an artist; if not, one has to afford one's art by sacrifice."
J. Gardner - On Becoming a Novelist

"The main purpose of art... is this, that it tell the truth about the soul, revealing and giving expression to all the secrets one cannot say in simple words. ...Art is a microscope that the artist focuses on the secrets of his own soul, and that then reveals to men the secrets common to them all."
Tolstoy - diary note

"The real rewards of writing are serious and bitter as well as sweet. And they are private, not public.
W. Sloan - The Craft of Writing

"With Schopenhauer he (Thomas Mann) holds that the epic writer's aim should be to conjure up the richest possible inner life by means of a minimum of external action: 'Art consists in the writer's affecting our inner life most strongly with the least display of outer life; for the inner is essentially the object of our interest.' Thus every detail of Aschenbach's outer life is so chosen as to illuminate the deepest recesses of his mind and to furnish the richest symbolical meaning."
Von Gronicka, in a critique of Mann's Death in Venice

"The lifelong central theme of Mann's books has been an inquiry into the function of art and the artist, of culture and the intellectual in modern society."
Kahler

"And yet, we know how fatal the pursuit of liveliness may be: it may result in ...tiresome acrobatics. ... Flashy effects distract the mind. They destroy their persuasiveness; you would not believe a man was very intent on ploughing a furrow if he carried a hoop with him and jumped through it at every other step."
Katherine Anne Porter

"Sin is easier to write about than grace, I suppose, because the territory is so familiar and because, too, it is the nature of grace, when we receive it, to turn our eyes not inward, where most writers' eyes turn, but outward, where there is a whole world of needs to serve far greater than the need for another book."
F. Buechner - Then and Now 

"I have never produced anything good except by a long succession of slight efforts."
Andre Gide

"One should only become aware of the difficulties of a subject progressively and in the course of working at it; if one realizes them all at the outset, one loses heart."
Andre Gide "If it Die..."

"At least in conventional fiction, the moment we stop caring where the story will go next... the writer has failed, and we stop reading.
J. Gardner - The Art of Fiction 

"When the amateur writer lets a bad sentence stand in his final draft, though he knows its bad, the sin is frigidity: he has not yet learned the importance of his art..."
J. Gardner - The Art of Fiction 

"When virtuosity gets the upper hand of your theme, or is better than your idea, it is time to quit."
Katherine Anne Porter

"My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip."

Elmore Leonard

Of Oracles and Wisdom-Keepers, Then and Now

We're all familiar with the notion of the wise old guru who lives in a cave on the mountain. Seekers of wisdom would set aside time to make their journey to the East to find that mountain, climb to its apex and ask the burning question on their hearts. 

In Greek mythology that wisdom was found by making a journey to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. In contrast to directly asking the guru, who was considered a repository of wisdom, seekers would make their inquiries to the god Apollo via a medium known as the Oracle of Delphi. 

In both examples, the wisdom being sought required a journey with a quest. In both cases, the wisdom proffered was frequently veiled, a riddle that needed to be solved, a puzzle to be pieced together, a cryptic conundrum to be de-coded. In short, profound truths required engagement and effort to be laid bare.

* * * 

I woke this morning thinking about the contrast between those ancients and our modern world. Instead of the wisdom being privately pursued by seekers who make sacrifices to obtain it, the self-proclaimed gurus hire PR firms to promote their books or start podcasts and shout it from the mountaintops via social media platforms. 

Those thoughts brought to mind an anecdote which I shared in a blog post titled Dali: Madman or Genius? It went like this: According to the Masterpiece Paintings Gallery website, "Dali's ego and need for attention were never satisfied. His thirst for scandal was unquenchable. And 'the thought of not being recognized was unbearable', he said. He used to walk through the streets of New York ringing a bell whenever he felt people were not paying him enough attention. 'Every morning when I wake up I experience an exquisite joy -- the joy of being Salvador Dali -- and I ask myself in rapture what wonderful things this Salvador Dali is going to accomplish today.'”

What's going on here? Dali's behavior was preposterous, but.... but what's really going on?

At the center of it, the difference may well be contentment. I've read about Hollywood stars who are never content. Their whole lives revolved around ratings, or being acknowledged, or being seen with the right people. Is that really the meaning of my life, what others think of me? Or more specifically, what others whom I don't even know think of me. 

Teenagers struggle with this because they are immature. At a certain point, it's time to grow up and move on, isn't it?

* * * 

Right Here and Now: Navigating Life's Burdens with Wisdom

"Each of us has a burden to carry in the heat of the day."
--Robert Lookup

I have been on somewhat of a cleaning binge lately. Yesterday, while shuffling through some notebooks, I found the quote above about burdens. It made me think of a Rumi quote, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

No, actually, I thought of the Rumi quote because I thought it ended with "carrying a heavy burden." Turns out that was wrong.

What's funny, though, is how it was not Rumi who originated this quote many attribute to Rumi. A fellow named John Watson is cited as the source, until you dig deeper and see that Plato made the same statement 2500 years ago. 

* 

Here are five quotes about Burdens that I thought were insightful:

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
--Dr. Martin Luther King

People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them.
--George Bernard Shaw

I do not pray for a lighter load, but for a stronger back.
--Phillips Brooks

None knows the weight of another's burden.
--George Herbert

Remember, the burden of sorrow is doubled when it is borne alone.
--Goran Persson

* * * 

For what it's worth, here's one more quote that came to mind after reading all these others. Matthew 11:28-30

[28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

The Endpoint of Human History (According to Our Modern AI Oracles)

An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. (Wikipedia)

In ancient Greece, oracles were often priests or priestesses who were believed to be able to communicate with the gods. They would give advice to people who came to them, and they would also make predictions about the future. Some of the most famous oracles in ancient Greece were Delphi, Dodona, and Olympia.

In modern times, the term "oracle" is often used to refer to a computer system that provides information or answers to questions. For example, Google Search can be considered an oracle because it can provide answers to a wide variety of questions.

Against this backdrop I asked two AI systems to tell us what the endpoint of human history will be. Here are replies from these two 21st century "oracles."

Google Bard
The endpoint of human history is a difficult question to answer. There are many different possibilities, and it is impossible to say for sure what the future holds. However, some possible scenarios include:

• 
  Humanity achieves a utopian society. In this scenario, humans are able to overcome all of their problems and create a world that is free from war, poverty, and suffering. This would be a truly remarkable achievement, and it would represent the culmination of human history.
• Humanity destroys itself. This is perhaps the most pessimistic possibility. In this scenario, humans are unable to overcome their differences and they destroy themselves through war, environmental destruction, or some other means. This would be a tragic end to human history, but it is a possibility that we must take seriously.
• Humanity evolves into something new. It is also possible that humanity will evolve into something new. This could happen through genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, or some other means. If this happens, it is impossible to say what the future holds for this new species. However, it is possible that they will be able to create a better world than we have been able to.

Ultimately, the endpoint of human history is up to us. We can choose to create a better future, or we can choose to destroy ourselves. The choice is ours.

ChatGPT

As an AI language model, I don't have the ability to predict or determine the endpoint of human history. The future trajectory of humanity is uncertain and shaped by numerous complex factors, including social, political, technological, and environmental changes. Speculating about the ultimate endpoint of human history is a topic of philosophical and speculative discussion.

It's worth noting that throughout history, various cultures and individuals have proposed different theories and beliefs about the purpose or eventual destination of humanity. These range from religious and spiritual perspectives that suggest a divine plan or final judgment, to secular viewpoints that focus on scientific progress, societal evolution, or the possibility of human colonization of other planets.

Ultimately, the future of human history will be influenced by the collective actions, decisions, and advancements made by individuals and societies over time. It is a subject that remains open to interpretation and is continually shaped by our choices and circumstances.

* * * 

These two replies bring to mind a story I heard in the mid-80s about an old wise man and some sneaky teens. The old man had become famous for his wisdom to such an extent that people came from all around to hear him speak. Well, one of these wily teens had caught a bird and clasped it in his hands so that the old man could not see it. The youth asked, "I have a bird in my hands. Is he alive or is he dead?" 

Naturally, if the wise man said the bird was alive he would crush it and make the oracle appear to be a fool. If the old man, knowing this plan, said it was dead, then the youth would let it fly away unharmed.

The old wise man replied, "The future is in your hands."

Real Intelligence

I have a very good friend whom I visit on a regular basis. He has repeatedly made statements that I later wish I'd recorded. His insights are from that zone outside the norm. This past Friday evening he made the following statement while we were discussing intelligence.

"Real intelligence is not IQ, but knowing what's important."

We're all familiar with the expression "Educated fools." I believe that is the point of this statement. Intelligence, if not accompanied by wisdom, can hardly be deemed intelligence at all. 

What do you think?

Illustration created with Dream by Wombo 
based on an original painting by my grandmother.

If Social Media Had Been Around in the Days of Solomon

"Get me a sword. Cut the baby in half."--King Solomon

One of the things I've observed about social media--especially Twitter, though other platforms as well--is that some people have to weigh in with opinions on every single thing. Many of these people feel compelled to weigh in as quickly as possible, totally forgetting the admonition to be quick to listen but slow to speak.

This means that we don't see a lot of nuanced thinking taking place. People want to react fast and first, which means that quite often there is little thought at all, and seldom any effort to determine if what they're reacting to is even true.

This past weekend I was reading the famous Old Testament story about King Solomon, who was labelled the wisest man that ever lived. This seems like a hard title to live up to, but the Bible illustrates an example here to substantiate this claim. Here's a paraphrase of the story.

Two prostitutes came to the king seeking help resolving a private conflict. The two women lived in the same house and had each had a baby the same week. During the night, the one woman unintentionally crushed or suffocated her baby by lying on him. To solve this matter she switched the babies. Naturally the mother who had her baby stolen recognized that the dead child was not the one she gave birth to. The other woman, however, was adamant and claimed the living one was hers.

They brought their argument to the king, the true mother of the baby telling her side first. The other woman, who accidentally killed her infant son presented her side next. After listening to each Solomon said, "Bring me a sword." He then ordered one of his underlings to cut the living baby in half and give half to each.

The true mother of the living child was practically hysterical and said, "Give her the living baby. Don't kill him!"

The other woman seemed quite satisfied with the verdict and said, "Go ahead, cut him in two."

Solomon announced, "Give the baby to the first woman. Don't kill him; she is his mother."  

Within minutes, though, what Solomon had initially said had been posted on Twitter. In less than an hour it had gone viral and had over one million views and re-tweets that went like this: "King requests sword and says 'Kill the baby!'"

Other Tweets said that the Solomon himself killed the baby. By the time the actual true account appeared in the Jerusalem Post, everyone had already concluded that King Solomon was a beast and the Post story must be fake news, probably planted by the Philistines.

* * * 

Obviously I made up the last segment here. What this Old Testament passage said at the end was, "When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice."

It would be nice if today's national and global issues were as small as resolving a dispute between two prostitutes. We ourselves could use a little wisdom in our approach to social media. It wouldn't be a bad thing to see a little more wisdom in our  leadership right now as well. Then again, in light of the way our media (social and otherwise) distorts everything, would we recognize wisdom if we saw or heard it?

--The origin of this anecdote was I Kings 3:16-28

How Should We Then Tweet? Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs is one of three Old Testament books categorized as "wisdom literature." Nestled between the Psalms and Ecclesiastes, it's a book loaded with practical advice and observations. 

While reading the 15th chapter recently I noticed a number of passages that were relevant for people using social media today, which is cool because these ideas, maxims and instructions are probably 3,000 years old. I wasn't looking for them. The maxims and admonitions seemed so apropos.

We 21st century moderns think everything is different now with things so advanced. The reality is that very fundamental ways people today are just like the ancients of one, two or three millennia ago. Like ourselves, they were trying to learn how to get along with others, learning how to live meaningful lives, and wondering how we should live. 

Here are some proverbs that seem quite relevant for users of social media, especially Twitter. If you mull these over I think you'll see how relevant they are. (I've included a few from Proverbs 19 as well.)

* * * 

A gentle answer turns away wrath, 
     but a harsh word stirs up anger.
        (Don't be that guy.)

* * * 

The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
        (Don't be this guy either.)

* * * 

The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
   but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit
         (Can't we just get along?)

* * * 

The lips of the wise spread knowledge,   <-- Let's aim to be this one
    but the hearts of fools are not upright.

* * * 

A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and whoever pours out lies will not go free.
        (Fake news creators.)

* * * 

A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty
     rescue them, and you will have to do it again. 

* * * 

A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
     but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
       (Patience is a virtue. Why is it so hard?)

* * * 

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
    but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
        (There's a little too much gushing today.)

* * * 

A fool gives full vent to his anger 
    but a wise man keeps himself under control.

* * * 

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
    and how good is a timely word! 

* * *

What do you think?