Welcome to Weekly Rapts
Every week I come across some exceptional articles, books, videos and other stuff that captures my attention and inspires me to action which could be to write about a blog post; have a conversation about it with someone; create something from it; escape down a rabbit warren to learn more about it.
These have enraptured (‘rapt’) my imagination and attention for the week so I’m going to share them here as (‘wrapped’) gifts to you too. A pathetic attempt at word play….
To Get out of Your Head, Get Out of Your House
This is so true. This post talks about how spending time in nature can help relieve our stress and anxiety. I find I need to get out of the house too at times for my sanity. The places I go to get my headspace back is anywhere with water such as the beach or trees. My local parks were my sanity during covid lockdowns.
Le Petit Nicolas illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé dies aged 89
I loved the Petit Nicholas books and movies as well however, I had no idea about the animator who did these. I always knew his name but nothing much else.
When Your Own Chatbot Says The Truth About Your Own Company (Ha ha!!)
I had to laugh with this. Meta’s own AI chatbot says the “company exploits people”. Ah, funny, out of the mouths of babes, bots….
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity – The Glossary of Terms
No word of a lie, I’m putting it out there that I have no idea about the terminology of the LGBTQ+ community. I’m still grappling with the concept of pronouns and I think I’ve only just got this under control with ensuring I say and refer to people in the most respectful way. My mistakes are really based on ignorance and I’m doing my best to educate myself. I saw this Glossary of Terms that goes a long way to explaining it all only to make me realise – I still have a lot to learn.
Coffee and Learning
Ah, now there IS proof that coffee makes us learn…..
Coffee has long fuelled learning, whether it be through the direct stimulation of the brain, increasing attention, improving memory, preventing dementia or providing a social context for debate and work. Coffee has more recently re-colonised the world, through a global coffee shop culture, in the workplace and at home. Fascinating drink, fascinating culture.
Donald Clark
The 388-Year-Old Play that’s Still Going
This is an amazing play and performed for a long time that defies belief BUT as I stayed in Oberramagau in Germany for a week (great town, lovely ambiance, superb eating places!) this is an interesting article about the play that is performed by the locals every 10 years. If you’re ever in that town, I highly recommend the museum and the behind the scenes tour of the theatre.
Stop Ghosting and Start Saying No
Yes.
I have no idea why this is so bloody hard for some people. Just say it rather than ghost. Ghosting is the coward’s way out of everything, IMHO. If you just tell people, “I don’t want to maintain communications anymore because of XYZ”, I believe most people will accept that. If you’re just upfront and honest with people then most, will understand. It may take time, but they’ll accept it and move on because you’ve given them some closure.
I think ghosting can be triggering for some people – for me it just shows me that many people FEAR the potential situation that could put them into conflict or having to explain themselves.
Pftt, so what. Let it go. It’s THEIR issue not yours.
A New Renaissance
“Where is our new renaissance?” Simon Terry asks. and he believes it is that we are seeking a renaissance of a civil society. (I agree) but it does get worrying when you see that as a world – we are NOT seeing this and frankly, scares the shit out of me thinking that we may live at times when we will experience war first hand and the collapse of civil society. I have prepped as much as I can but ultimately, I know that when the time comes, we really don’t stand a chance. Morbid I know but as a family, we’ve already having conversations like this when it comes.
I too believe that America is going down this path. America: The end for the Country’s Democratic Prowess?”
The disappointment that these have not generated a radical change yet ignores both the shortness of the time since 2020 in terms of cultural changes and that the adjustment to the pandemic is very much ongoing. As much as our world is globalised and rapid in change now, change in worldview still takes time. The Renaissance was not a Davos-style conference that changed the world in a few days or weeks.
Simon Terry
Our governments today are hardly havens of social change or funding new research and ideas. The great contest of ideas seems largely abandoned post the ‘End of History’. Governments are trapped between neoliberalism and resurgent neo-fascism while trying to survive a daily news cycle. Our extraordinarily wealthy billionaires seek political influence and for a few male billionaires their scientific research funding is mostly funding a phallic space race as a way for themselves off a dying planet. The expenditure of their wealth as patrons for social purposes, arts and sciences come predominantly from the efforts of their partners, ex-wives and widows. Our intellectuals and elites have lost the credibility and connection to the world to advocate for new ideas and to drive change. Thought leaders, charlatans, and mob leaders are not a path to a better world. Many work tirelessly as a force for good but they feel isolated and unsupported. There is too much to do for the few.
Simon Terry
If we are seeking a new Renaissance in agency, love, power and belonging then it feels to me that we are seeking a renaissance of civil society. Civil society defines our relations and how we come together as a society, a community and a nation. Perhaps that is where we must focus our new revival.
Simon Terry
So You Decided to Unfollow Me
This post is about the joys of blogging and not having to worry about what people don’t like when you write. I’ve lost count the number of times people have said to me that they’ll unfollow my blog because I write all sorts of different things irrelevant to them (eg French, ukulele, whatever). Guess what? My blog. I write what I want. I’m not writing for an audience.
In those situations, I’m more than happy for people to unfollow me – I will never stop writing things I want to write about or what others think I should write about. No way.
It’s wonderful to have readers who want to read what you want to write. It’s great to have readers who want to argue with the substance of what you write and engage with you on it. But a reader who wants you to write something different? Ugh.
Cory Doctorow
Microsoft vs. Meta: Who’s got the upper hand in the metaverse?
Really? Who cares!
Part of me hopes to be out of the working world before our workplaces then are in the metaverse. If we can’t speak to people AS people and communicate as such, WHY do we place another layer of an already disconnected workforce to “go under” and “into a fake metaverse?” and then dress it up as a place of belonging.
If we go to the metaverse, be prepared for a completely new playing field; with different rules of etiquette and what’s acceptable or not acceptable.
There Was an Old Man
Take it from me, if you find someone on your street or in your life, who seems ALONE, looks ALONE, then go and speak to them. One day they’ll be there – the other day, not. You will notice their absence and curse yourself for not taking the bold step to learn more about them.
A great post by Gary Wise who wondered the same.
Feel Free to Share Your Thoughts