For reading between the lines with greater comprehension
In the short run I measure my progress by immediate, concrete standards. Did I meet my deadlines? Did she smile at me? Did they say something nice about me? Does my boss think I’m doing a good job? Did I get a good grade? These may or may not be good standards by which to […]
Dinner at an all-you-can-eat restaurant last week reminded me how fundamentally ambiguous the word can is. Its meaning falls between “want to” and “can endure without dying,” just as, conversely, the word need falls somewhere between “want” and “will die without.” Imagine an all-you-can-eat restaurant with a reverse bouncer, a big galoot who won’t let […]
“Life is a game.” People interpret the parallel between life and games in two ways. The most common implies that like a game, life is no big deal, so you should just relax. This notion can be a comfort when you’re feeling stressed–stressed, in fact by the other way to take the statement: that in […]
“Don’t say I don’t care. I do care.” Like many words, care means different kinds of things. It has its descriptive meaning–its denotation: Caring is a certain kind of behavior. But it also has its prescriptive meaning–its connotation: Caring is good. You should care. Being uncaring is bad. Combining denotation and connotation you get a […]
Last week I wrote about the way my ambitions shrank to a more human scale at midlife. Before my midlife crisis I had grand plans. I thought making a big difference would bring me satisfaction and peace of mind. By midlife, having not achieved greatness, I felt the monkey slowly slide off my back. I […]
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