Smoke Rings

It's kind of fun to see how some of the recently discussed topics overlap, some a little, some a lot, but maybe that's just the way I'm reading them.

Is there such a thing as obfuscation skills?

Most certainly, Mr, Beagles, and some legal and political types have elevated obfuscation to a high art.  After listening to some recent news interviews I am amazed at how little I understand; a lot of questions aren't really answered, or the answer is hidden in a torrent of babble.  The interviews seem more like theatrical performances than objective inquiries into the facts and subtle changes in vocal intonation can make it difficult to determine the actual meaning of statements.  The way some interviews are being conducted lately indicate a very real need for a referee, some neutral third party to tell both sides to shut up for a minute and either take a breather or take it outside and duke it out.  But no biting, scratching, eye-gouging, or hitting below the belt, please.

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I don't think you can discuss natural ability or talent without including the influence of personality, and I think personality is initially developed in the family environment.  Where else could it begin?  Anyhow, a person of limited ability can achieve greater ability if they are driven and self-motivated, it happens all the time.  Sure, Mozart, da Vinci, and guys like them are flukes but history is full of people with modest talents who have achieved greatness.  They never stop trying and they don't quit.  But the same could be said of the failures, too, but history has little record of them.  Maybe they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, just didn't catch the same breaks as the successful guys, or were plain unlucky.  Hard to tell, but talent isn't everything.

I'm just blowing smoke with this idea, but it seems to me that a disproportionate number of highly successful people come from hardship backgrounds.  They know certain levels of suffering and have developed personal values and goals accordingly and are much more driven than those who have enjoyed stress-free lives of comfort.  Our parents all probably grew up in the Great Depression and I think they accomplished much more than their Boomer offspring.  They weren't called the Greatest Generation for nothing, but as I said, this is just blowing smoke and the idea could use a lot more work.

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Obscure articles always seem to grab my attention, and one recent piece relates a little to obfuscation.  I think it was from NPR, with references to the Oxford English Dictionary, and I quote, "The little word "run" — in its verb form alone — has 645 distinct meanings."  Wow!  It's like whatever you read or hear could mean anything at all, depending on your perception of the words.  Now I don't know what to think except that we have shifted into a parallel universe where alternative facts abound.

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Thanks to WikiLeaks, I snagged a copy of the notorious book-of-the-month, Fire and Fury, and have just started reading it.  So far it seems like an entertaining piece of fluff and it may even have some basis in fact.  It sure has raised a big rhubarb in the White House though, but thus far hasn't revealed anything that hasn't been bandied about before.  It's not libel if it's true, and I doubt that any lawsuits will occur because nobody involved would want to be in a courtroom testifying under oath.  The pundits will be chewing on this book for a little while longer until the next big thing rolls around.  I wonder what it will be.