Sunday, May 23, 2010

CHANGE

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."
        
I have no idea where that quotation came from, but it's been in my head for years, maybe even decades. Probably decades. (I'm old enough to have memories which go that far back.)

To the point. I've been looking at my blog, and I've decided to change a few things. I don't know how many, or what this will look like when I'm done. It's a "work in progress." Or something to that effect.

So, please; Bear with me. (Yes, I suppose there's a pun in that.) This may look a little strange (or more than a little strange) during the process.

26 comments:

Sniffles and Smiles said...

First of all, I LOVE the quote! Think I'll copy it down and post it somewhere prominently to remember it! And...I'll enjoy seeing what you come up with...will be great fun! And knowing you, it'll be terrific! Hugs to you from me, Janine

The Blog Fodder said...

Better than bare with you at any rate.

Rob-bear said...

® Janine: Being a "woman of words," I'm not surprised that you enjoy the quote. Have fun with it! That's part of my approach to blogging.

® BF: I'm not going to go there! I'm not. I'm. . . .

I'll send you an e-mail.

Annie said...

I guess that makes me inconsistant :-)
A x

French Fancy... said...

Oh yes, changes are good in every shape and form. I sometimes sit in different chairs to get a fresh view of things.

Snowbrush said...

Oscar Wilde said it. Sounds like it could have been a bit of a rationalization for flakiness if you ask me.

Rob-bear said...

® Wipso: I think most of the people at Cowart's Skool would fall into that wonderful category.

® FF: Wonderful flexibility, Julie. And an important thought. Moving physically does change out "point of view," in a variety of ways.

® Snow: Thanks for the source on that. I appreciate the info.

I've thought about your comment for a while. I don't think it's a "rationalization for flakiness"; I think it is a reflection on anal retentiveness.

Reasons said...

That is such a great quote. It is very relevant to our local council me thinks!!

Rob-bear said...

® Reasons: Sadly relevant to too many local councils, I think. But not you, fortunately.

Snowbrush said...

"I don't think it's a "rationalization for flakiness"; I think it is a reflection on anal retentiveness."

I don't doubt but what that's how he meant it, but then how often are we aware of our own rationalizations. Here are my problems with the statement.

It is a putdown in that the author--rather obnoxiously, I think--considers himself superior by virtue of what he considers his imaginative inconsistency. This makes it a case of refusing to see even the possibility of a problem with ones own preferred way of behaving while pointing out an imagined error in other people's behavior without giving the least evidence that you are correct. This leaves the listener entirely on his own (since, so far as I know, the statement stands alone) to consider the truth of the matter, and "on his own" was pretty much where he was anyway unless he (or she) is the kind of person who gives little thought to human behavior.

More importantly, the statement is an unverifiable generalization composed of undefined terms. What is consistency; what is imagination? How much consistency would he recommend, and in what areas? Is a person who keeps his vows and contracts necessarily less imaginative than one who doesn't? If so, then god save me from the imaginative, although I consider myself to be among them.

I can readily think of people (Kant and Schopenhauer being two notable examples) who were so consistent in their daily habits at least that everyone who knew them knew exactly where they would be and what they would be doing at any hour of the day. Yet, these men were ground-breakers in the area of imaginative philosophical thought. How can such apparent contradictions to the statement be explained?

Finally, where is the line between being inconsistent--as the writer seems to prefer--and simply being selfish, juvenile, and untrustworthy? Here again, he applauds inconsistency without giving any idea of what he means by the term or at what point, if any, it stops being a virtue.

It rather puts me in mind of the songs "The Wayward Wind," and "I Was Born Under a Wandering Star," in which the protagonists explain their unwillingness to be loyal by proclaiming their kinship (or at least their inspiration) to such mighty forces of nature as the wind and stars. If this is true, it's just too bad for the rest of us who plod along trying to live faithfully. I guess we're related to the lowly ant and bee, creatures that, whatever their failings, can at least be trusted by their fellows.

Tattieweasle said...

As they say a change is as good as a rest...

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Hello, dear Bear!!! Just stopping in to give you a wink and a smile!! Oh, and some big bear hugs, too! ~Janine

Anonymous said...

DEFINITELY a pointed comment toward anal retentiveness Rob-bear, but for those of us who have become leery of lifting our head above ground level, there's something to be said for the safety of a deep rut. It's boring as hell, but harder to be used for target practice.

Nancy said...

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Gutsy Living said...

I think change is wonderful and I am looking forward to seeing more color and a "chic" bear look.

Natalie said...

The green is really great, Rob. Very soothing. ♥

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Looks like you had an "oopsie" post too...Great Journalists' minds think alike!!! ;-) Hugs, Janine

Rob-bear said...

Well, I suppose, that it's about time the Bear weighed in on all these comments. So. . . .

®Snow: Do you ever make me work hard! Sigh. Darn it all, man; it's hard work dealing with you. Your problem, and my problem, is wordiness. You lost me in about your second or third sentence.

I do remember Gogi Grant's version of "The Wayward Wind." (Wow! Am I ever dating myself!) That's 1956 — half a century ago! H**l, man; are you that old?

It's way too late at night and I'm way too tired and too medicated to deal with this. All I can say is that I stand by my original statement. I'll probably have to e-mail the rest to you when I'm a bit more clear-headed. That's the "toss-up" eh; balancing pain and medication. You probably know that one better than I do, though only slightly better.

®Tattie: Thanks.

®Janine: Thanks for the hugs. I need all the hugs I can get. Especially when I hurt this badly.

®Dana: Maybe you can explain this to Snowbrush. At least you "get it." For which I am deeply thankful.

®Nancy: Thanks. I'm still working on it.

®Sonia: OK, you've got me on this one. What would a "'chic' bear look" actually look like? I'd like to hear more from you on this.

®Natsy: Yes, green is soothing. I like it. Not sure what to do with the rest. Still "in process." Greens and browns are the habitat of Bears. I need to work with those a bit more.

®Janine, again: There are no "oops" events in a Bear's life. There are only experiments. You got caught up in an experiment. Sorry for any confusion. Even if the quick Brown fox can jump over the lazy dog. Or over the slow Bear.

Snowbrush said...

I don't agree that my problem--generally speaking--is wordiness. I actually put hours and hours into my blog entries in order to avoid that.

I hope you are better now. I'm up and down. I actually took Demerol today just to take a short walk around the neighborhood due to the fire in my legs. You asked about Demerol once--long ago--when I first started on it, and I told you that I felt wiped out for days after taking a full dose. As it turned out, the prescription was wrong, and I double dosed by taking what the bottle said was a full dose. Now that I have been taking a reasonable dose, I can say that I like Demerol better than Dilaudid which is often given in place of it. More people have side effects on Demerol, it is true, but it also works a great deal better, at least for me.

potsoc said...

Let's see where that change will lead.

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Just here to give my favorite bear a hug! You're in my thoughts and prayers! ~J.

RachelW said...

Ruffled snuffling grunts
Roots pawed open, tearing sod
Ants run tumbling, wild

(How's that for a little bear haiku?)

:)

CAMILLA said...

Hello Bear.!

Interesting to learn what change Bear will produce.....whatever the change will be know that Bear will come up with something brilliant.

Best Wishes from the night Owl.!

Rob-bear said...

Thanks for your supportive comments, friends, one and all.

® Snowbrush: My original post was 110 words. One of your responses was 432 words. Does "wordiness" resonate?

® Rachel: Amazing poetry. Bear could NEVER do that well.

Snowbrush said...

"My original post was 110 words. One of your responses was 432 words. Does "wordiness" resonate?"

No, it never for a moment occurred to me that I needed to limit the number of words in my response to some still unnamed proportion of the words in your original post.

Rob-bear said...

® Snow: You don't have to limit your comments. I was simply making an observation, based on my context.

What is my context? Articles of 500 words, maximum; letters to the editor of 300 words, maximum. Letters to the editor may be edited (though that's not possible with Blogger.) Maybe I have lived too many years as a journalist.

I publish all contributions, except those which are literally unreadable, or insulting, or simply advertising. None of your writing falls into any of those categories.