Perspective

N. - the art of picturing objects so as to show their relative distance or depth.

There are four different definitions of perspective according to the Webster's New World Dictionary, yet the latter three are merely the application of the first, which is the one I've begun this post with, in various fields or situations.

This drawing form rourkevisualart.com is the type of thing we think of as perspective in art.

Depth on a two dimensional surface. Sometimes the effect is such that we're not quiet sure what the "trick" is.

Is this giant coke bottle from rense.com a photographic trick or a really good chalk drawing? Yet there are other pictures that present a perspective that you know are impossible. Such as Echner's Waterfall

Perspective also describes how we see events in life, and they often fall into one of the above categories: seemingly three dimensional but obviously not real, obviously not really but unsure where the error is, or obviously not real yet seemingly true.

Perspectives can have a lasting affect on the thing or person we are viewing. So before making a decision based only on your perspective, you might want to evaluate your perspective to make sure it is accurate.

Pabulum

Have you ever encountered a word of which you could not begin to guess the meaning? Is the word for this week one such word for you? It was for me.

This is a very nice and not too old of a word - it was first used in 1733.

What does it mean? Food. Specifically, a suspension or solution of nutrients in a state suitable for absorption. It can also be intellectual sustenance. Or, it can be something (as writing or speech) that is insipid, simplistic, or bland.

Theses are the type of things I visualize about when I think about intellectual sustenance.

Books. Old books with yellowing paper are what I specifically think about. All that knowledge just sitting there waiting to be discovered. Delicious.

This week my Advanced Composition class has been discussing the future of these icons of knowledge. Will the book one day become a relic like scrolls? Will everything be digital? The knowledge is still the same, of course. However, the experience is different. There is something much less personal about my iPad than my 1865 edition of Longfellow poetry.

Beyond the structure, are the books being produced really intellectually nourishing? Nutritionists will tell you that you are made of what you eat - literally. So what about your thoughts? How much about what you think and who you are is effected by what you read? Are you what you read?

So are you nourishing your mind? Is the "food" good? What will you be like after the next "meal" you eat?

I hope this blog was pabulum (definition 2) and not pabulum (definition 3).

Gratitude

N. - thankful appreciation for favors or benefits received.

I know why I was thinking of gratitude this week; I mean that is what every American should be thinking of the week before Thanksgiving - right?

We get excited about seeing family members who we may have only heard about since last November. Our mouths water at the thought of the food that is served only on this day. We are thankful, but what are we grateful for? What are the favors and benefits that we have received over the year?

Many families include a time of reflecting on what each member is thankful for during the day's feast. But is thankfulness different than gratitude? They are synonyms, but I point out to my students that no two words mean exactly the same thing. I think it has to do with action.

We express thankfulness for things that just are, but gratitude is appreciation for a specific favor or benefit we have received. This is harder then it sounds. Just try saying something other than, "my family" when someone this week asks you what you are grateful for. Dig. Get specific. You will find that you have more to be grateful for than you first thought. Gratitude Journal