Tom's Opinion

What does honour mean to you? I use the Canadian spelling to loudly (in writing) announce my nationalism.

Seriously though, if you had to define honour how would the definition read?

For a long time I’ve tried to think of a complete, solid, all-encompassing definition for the word but somehow always fell short, and still do. As I see it, this leads to a few conclusions. Allow me to elaborate (as if you have some say.)

One of the possibilities, that I’ve thought of, is that there is no definition for the word. It’s a metaword of some sort that simply encompasses a huge amount of more precise words; kind of like the word furniture. Of course this doesn’t help because it relegates honour to a class of words I dislike: imprecise. Bad, bad, bad. The point being that the word itself has no meaning, it’s a pointer to other words or a lazy man’s escape from concision and precision. If this is true then the adventure kind of ends there doesn’t it.

On the other hand, it’s possible that I haven’t come across the definition of honour yet. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. After all, I haven’t yet seen a space shuttle with my own eyes but I’m convinced they exist. The Oxford Concise English Dictionary (I can’t yet afford the 20 volume set) gives a definition so long it’s as good as useless. Of course this makes it a little bit more fun because it means the search can continue, think Indiana Jones in the world of words, I always do. Though somehow if the OED can’t seem to give me a good place to start I’m not too certain what a non-linguist avid reader can do. No matter though, this world of adventure is one that can be put down and taken up whenever one pleases, words don’t disappear, they remain forever, somewhere or other.

So, what does honour mean to you?

I have underestimated the power of, and need for, editing. When I look back at some of the posts in this blog I’m disappointed. I don’t like revisionism on one hand, but I dislike blatant and obvious errors in writing as well.

As a result, and among other reasons, I’m going change the posting schedule to once a week on Saturdays (while reserving the right to post more often) in the hope of providing higher quality, more interesting content. I’m in the process of a number of other web projects all of which take time. However, quality is the main reason for the “cut backs.” I want to provide provocative, well-argued pieces that I can be proud of putting my name to.

In the end however, all of it may come out differently in the wash when my other projects come to fruition. If you must know, I’m in the process of putting together a site, with the help of Joomla, where I can compile all of my individual works. I’m making a Tom Centre as it were. The blog format doesn’t allow me to post things in parallel, doesn’t allow for easy news feed posting, longer written works etc. I want MOAR!!!

I guess my mission with this blog has changed somewhat and this is the result. My paranoia of the interweeb though is still a formidable force within me so nothing may come of it.

Carry on then.

When it comes to sports viewing on television I can’t watch anything except world cup soccer. The Eurocup is coming up, staring 7 June in fact, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never watched a Eurocup so I don’t know what to expect.

My point is that sports on TV suck! Yet when the stakes increase somehow the enjoyment of watching increases. A very few times in my life I’ve watched a final game of the baseball world series and that was also extremely engrossing.

Though I’ve not done any study on the topic, as in comparing goals or RBIs or penalty time, I could swear that the games with higher stakes are better, more intense, and faster. That may seem obvious but it leads into the question: what is it I’m after? It doesn’t seem to be the sport itself…

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PS: Sorry about the late post.

In my dream
the tower stood
waiting for the
master in cape and hood.

In purple velvet
he approached,
daring his great
defense be broached.

Upon the noiseless
tongues of lightning,
his visage spread
mighty and frightening.

The terror seized
my every limb,
to think he did
it on a whim.

Though I did not
see, I saw
the fire that burned
his brain so raw.

I wondered why
he so cursed me,
for only after
did I see…

That he was me.

My world is simple. I make goals for myself and I do everything I can to attain them, well almost everything. I’m stunned by people that I see around me who don’t work in this way. Obviously, one size does not fit all, I know that. Being human I’m only able to see as far as my mind allows me though, so I think my way is best (and it probably is for me).

This is very noticeable to me at my current place of work. The shift schedule, as I’ve mentioned in other posts, is very taxing physically and no one seems to deny it. Everyone agrees the wages are pitiable, they are in fact (as I understand it) below industry average. And the tasks of the job are menial and mind numbingly boring. Despite these things almost everyone there doesn’t have any plans to leave. The complacency that has gripped my coworkers is interesting because it provides an insight into what I believe many people suffer from; a lack of goals.

Again, I know that many people don’t operate as I do but at the same time I’m certain that there must be a percentage that would benefit from the creation of goals, more commonly known as “planning.” The drive and focus that a goal creates is phenomenal. I mean people went to the moon, they crossed oceans, they developed and innovated many things because of focus and determination. These lessons can be scaled down to the level of the personal. Without a goal a person sees no reason to expend effort, no obvious centre to focus upon.

I’m bored by the people who’s plans extend only to the weekend, maybe that is bad of me to say but I can’t really help it. Deep, rigorous, complex, intellectual, conversation holds my interest and inspires me, that’s why I seek it. And so it’s been my general experience that persons with goals are also likely to provide this kind of conversation and persons without goals or plans generally don’t. To be clear I consider mental effort a perfectly valid use of one’s efforts. If a person wants to discuss their attempt to prove or disprove the philosophical need for aid to the poor I would love to hear about it.

I think this idea of goals also impacts how people think about- ergo, behave toward- the future. Given that most people are interested in self preservation, a look into the future coupled with even a mediocre assessment of it by said people would result, I think, in a manyfold better prospect for humanity.

Goals are destinations on a map. I’m always looking for the next horizon in one aspect or another, mental or physical. I cannot imagine just being content with staying in one place. It’s important to remember though that goals are just a destination, not a route, so among the choices of goals, and the various routes to achieve those goals, there are an infinite amount of possibilities to satisfy everyone. Standing still however, just seems to crop all of those away.