Look at what we’re taught in school- go to college, get a good job, and you’ll be okay.

Well millions of people do that, yet our country is in horrible shape financially.

Probably because people aren’t taught to be creative anymore, we just follow what our ancestors did!

I remember one Sunday School teacher telling how she learned this. My younger brother was a fidgeter, a disrupter at time and constantly talking & commenting. She was doing a series of lessons and the one who knew the most at the end on the series won a Bible. She never even considered my brother, because she was certain he had never heard a word she said. But, he won it and quite easily in fact. It turns out he was highly intelligent and could do 2-3 things at the same time.

We had always considered me to be the “smart” one in the family and my brother as “normal”. Forget that. I may be very intelligent but little brother had me beat all to pieces.

I have always kept that story in mind when people tell me how dumb or smart kids are. If I remember correctly, there are numerous types of intelligence (@ 20), including musical, mechanical, physical, etc. Many of us are good at one or two, but vertually none of us are great in all of them.

And particular thanks for the poetry site! I’m hoping to see some of my favorites that aren’t on there; I may leave a comment asking for them.

And with all the electronic toys available today, it’s great to see the old favorites such as kites still flying high!

I agree with you though, but that’s how marketers get people to click through to see their product, whatever that might be. As consumers, it’s up to us to be aware of the information we’re consuming (especially media, as the news has become more of an ongoing opinion commentary without much in the way of presenting actual facts…that only happens immediately after an event/situation occurs.)

I’ve always shied away from news aggregator sites that want me to state my preferences in too much detail – the whole point of news, to me, is to learn things you don’t already know about and hear viewpoints that might challenge your own.

Thanks so much for your “10 Pieces of Inspiration” series. I read your blog daily, but I admit that I enjoy this particular series the most. It reminds me of the important things in my life.

I just wanted to say that I really enjoy all of these posts and thank you for putting them together and inspiring me.

That is a filter you set. There are many filters that decide FOR YOU what to filter, without your knowledge, request, or consent. Patterns of what you view or write are stored, analyzed, and reacted to by displaying only what the filter thinks you will find palatable. As an example, when you log in Amazon- other things you might like….

The danger here is in news or current events, only be shown your own viewpoint, and not being shown other points of view, in order to appeal to you. It stunts growth, and is like living in a bubble. Search engines do this also.

The more interactive and customized search engines and browsers become, the more you can be certain that a left-winger and right-winger who log onto the same newspaper, will start seeing different articles as top news, then eventually, tailored news altogether. It will eliminate objectivity, and replace it with constant reinforcement of what you already think. It will benefit advertisers by minimizing controversy, but at the same time, it will eliminate discussion, and polarize the population.

It will also stifle the individuals ability process opposing ideas and come to his/her own opinion in a truly informed way. Filters are not benign- they restrict. Set your own restrictions- fine. Set restrictions for me? No thank you.