The truth remains: Words enable or form thoughts. No words, no thoughts! This category contains Full of Years blogs that play with words. Those associated with old age, and those that add zest to living fully.
The idea of frail can be a legitimate adjective that follows us older folks around, tugging at our sleeves and asking for our attention. But once we grant that thought its place in our self-concepts, it can crawl into our brains like attitudinal kudzu—climbing/winding/vining its way into nooks and crannies where other ideas and emotions would like to prosper. Frail can be both an accurate measureMORE...
If you’ve gone through anything resembling a catharsis—a complete re-examination of your identity, purpose or worth—you might remember a possibly chaotic emotional state right before this deep self-cleaning began. Those emotions—including total repentance and longing for a fresh start—may have been strong motivation for you to move beyond the dead-end of an unsatisfying self-concept or lifestyleMORE...
Some of those who think about the inner workings of AI have come to the conclusion that, around 2026, chatbot training processes might run out of human-originated data! This might seem arcane—as in “Who cares?”—except that large language AI training algorithms depend on machines that slurp up vast quantities of information to feed into models of predictable reality. With less material to scrapeMORE...
It’s taken me awhile to admit that I’m an older gentleman. (I’ve always been an odd guy, but older was a bit harder.) “Frail elder” will be similar: There might not be a definitive moment when I’ll say to myself, “Okay, NOW I’m a frail person.” Frailty—whatever it is—is probably sneaking up on me. Parts of my anatomy don’t work as well. I come away from medical tests and doctor visits withMORE...
There IS one, and society benefits from its presence. The organizations and individuals who constitute the enterprise of philanthropy make possible the well-being of all of us. Lately, it feels like this segment of American commerce may have hit a rough patch. Chris and I continue to receive in the mail increasing amounts of free gifts. Their implicit message seems plausible: “We have given youMORE...
You may have wondered why lifework or life purpose keeps showing up in these entries. Have I become a fierce workaholic who’s blind to other parts of life? Am I stuck on this one matter to the exclusion of others? Could be…. Years ago, I regularly visited residents at a local assisted living facility. I saw a good share of these elderly folks tilted back in their recliners, napping in front ofMORE...
It’s easy to criticize toadies. They seem sadly lacking in self-respect, fawning over political, entertainment or sports figures who don’t always deserve flattery. Over many years, sycophants have garnered more than their share of public disdain. Their original, 17th century manifestation: Subservient assistants to medical charlatans in Europe. They pretended to being cured—by the self-proclaimedMORE...
Daily life is full of tipping points, and some of them can provide reasons for hopefulness. Actual tipping points may be hard to see, because they may occur before the observable event we name as the moment of change. An example: In June, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. Many of us named that occasion as the possible tipping point regarding the country’s attitudesMORE...
(I’m not sure where to go with this splotch of thoughts that keeps whirling around in my brain. So you can mark what follows as the kind of musing that stays around until it makes sense or invites action. This blog’s blob: Dysfunction that spreads.) I’ve seems lately that dysfunctions and dysfunctional people are cropping up everywhere. (My working definition: There areMORE...
(Awhile back, I profiled Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety by Britt Wray. The book accumulates concepts that can be helpful in grasping the nature of climate anxiety, as well as our reactions to it. These few ideas caught my interest…) Narrative foreclosure Psychologist Ernst Bohlmeijer and colleagues (Netherlands’ University of Twente) coined this term to refer toMORE...
BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.