Arbitrary

dictionary with letter A

Arbitrary: (adj) based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.

When everything is considered important, nothing truly has value.

Half the time I don’t know whether to burst out laughing or cry as I watch the entanglement of emotions in our society, giving place to things, feelings and problems that really just don’t matter.

I am going to give you a list of those things which I find to be arbitrary, and therefore annoying and useless, generating a traffic jams in our human flow:

1. I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat. Pass a damn law.

2. I do not care that Kim Kardashian has a large butt. Perhaps some of it should be transferred to her cranium.

3. I do not care, on The Voice, if you have a family, children, a mother with cancer or are going through a financial hard time. I thought you wanted to be a singer, not a hard case. Shut up and sing.

4. I do not care about church doctrine. I want you to tell me better ways to “love my neighbor as myself.”

5. I certainly am appalled at the views some folks have of women, using religion to punish them, which creates a self-defeating environment where you soon will have nobody to romance.

6. I do not care to hear about every time a celebrity is in a bad mood. After all, since they have financial security, they should probably pursue a traditional form of gratitude to rectify their surly nature.

7. I don’t care if you’re black, white, red, yellow, brown, tan, rose, pink or any particular hue. I would just like you to be nicer.

8. I would like people who are caught in hypocrisy to admit that they were hit by a dumb stick instead of hitting me with a stick and acting like I am dumb for challenging them.

9. I would like to live in a world where truth is still honored and lying is considered to be a negative thing instead of a “natural” thing.

10. I would like the 24-hour news cycle to at least take a daily nap so they don’t have to embellish every little stupid thing that comes along.

And even though I am supposed to end at #10, I will do an 11th, which is:

11. I am tired of the spiritual, political and social correctness which promises the right of free speech, but only as long as you agree with the majority.

If we remain determined to make everything a story … there will soon be no true stories to tell.

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Thank you for enjoying Words from Dic(tionary) —  J.R. Practix

Amuse

dictionary with letter A

Amuse (v): cause someone to find something funny or enjoyable

The true definition of getting old: when you start lamenting why things aren’t like they used to be instead of trying to improve the way things are.

The most annoying thing about young people is they believe a fad that is four minutes old will be here in forty years.

The advantage of having a few more birthday candles under your belt is knowing the difference between something innovative and something insane.

It doesn’t demand that you hearken back to a former time, wishing you were strolling through those aisles, but it does require having a sense of history and realizing that human beings function best in an environment in which they are truly amused.

First of all, let’s list the three things that are not amusing:

  1. Hurting people.
  2. Making fun of people, to their detriment
  3. Lack of being funny, trying to make that funny

These are actions which presently in our time may gain a few giggles and applause but will eventually be deemed childish, stupid, out-of-step and meaningless.

What is universally amusing?

  1. A great story with a surprise ending.
  2. A great story that makes fun of ourselves.
  3. A great story where everybody in the room relates to it because they’ve been there.

You can see–the linking force is a great story.

Life is humorous enough without us having to make up scenarios that are anti-life. At least that’s what I think–and I believe historically, and even in the future, it will prove to be true.

I know “amusing” is in the ear of the receiver, but as time goes on, we will realize…merely ridiculing people and circumstances does not have much lasting quality. 

 

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Thank you for enjoying Words from Dic(tionary) —  J.R. Practix

Amorphous

dictionary with letter A

Amorphous: (adj.) without a clearly defined shape or form.

That’s me.

I found a word that describes my physicality.

I have pretty big feet, strong legs, an ever-present belly, a plump chest and a head that is somewhere between a regal Roman senator and a troll.

There you go.

Now I have a word for it. But the trouble with such words is that if you use them in public and have to explain them, you come across really annoying.

So I guess I’m just stuck calling myself by my name, and letting it be associated with my visage.

We spend an awful lot of time worrying about body image, when all being accomplished, the most important thing we can do in life … is be interesting.

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Affirmative

Words from Dic(tionary)

dictionary with letter AAffirmative: (adj) agreeing with a statement or to a request.

I used to have a friend who was retired from the Air Force who continued to use military lingo even though he was no longer in uniform or toting a rifle. So if you asked him a question, instead of saying “yes” he would reply, “Affirmative.”

The first couple of times it was kind of interesting. Then, like most things which are repeated for no reason whatsoever, it was downright annoying.

First of all, I don’t know if “yes” really IS affirmative. I have said yes to many things in my life because they were needed, and had NO sense of affirming them.

For instance, even though I am not a political animal, I have always referred to whoever has held the Presidency of the United States as “President” instead of just using the person’s last name or some slang or derogatory term. In that way I was able to affirm their position without ever saying yes to the politics.

I do believe there are things we need to affirm even though we don’t necessarily agree.

This is at the heart of every fight in our system today: you can’t grant liberty and justice for all and start redefining liberty, justice and all.

There are things I would never say yes to personally but as a good American I do affirm them, because they are good for our common cause.

So affirmative, sometimes, is admitting it is none of my business. I sheath my sword and stop slashing with my opinions.

I have turned “yes” is a holy word–it’s when I add my heart and soul to my affirmations and I am willing to see these dreams through to a conclusion.

So for my dear friend who was grounded from the Air Force through retirement, I must tell you that I do not think “affirmative” is the same as “yes.”

For I do affirm your right, as an American, to pursue your happiness, but it does not mean I agree with all your choices.