Fortitude- the virtue that challenges us to be courageous

Why is it that fortitude is so often overlooked or condemned to be politically incorrect?
When did it become rude to speak an intelligent, informed opinion? It seems to me that nowadays if you have a different thought or an idea that opposes another persons' idea it is considered wrong, adversarial or wrong.
I believe that if you arent' truthful (not to say you can't be tactful while truthful) then you are disingenuous. I would prefer to be around those who had the fortitude to disagree with me and make their opinions known than those who cower and choose to just agree rather than think about a situation and have a voice of their own.
The latter situation recalls the tale of the Emperor's New Clothes.

hmmmmm....

2 THINGS I CAN'T APPRECIATE, UNDERSTAND OR TOLERATE:
1 apathy
2 wishywashy-ness (aka doormatism)

Life is just too short for these things, and furthermore, what kind of life are you living if you embrace these traits?
blech

To say or to keep my mouth shut

So I have this friend. She has been my friend since I was 9 years old. I have to say that I cherish our friendship, although we both have our own lives and families and only get together a few times a year. We talk about once a month or so - always with promises to get together soon, but i have to say that the times are getting further and further apart. Let me just say that my friend has always struggled with her weight, and I believe because of that her self esteem. You wouldn't really know that she struggles with her self esteem though because it's not something she ever talks about. My friend has always been a bit heavier and when she was growing up her stepdad would continually make comments of the rude variety about her size, her eating habits or whatever- it didn't help. Friend met her first boyfriend in grade nine. He was a few years older. They liked to party, hang out and eat. Years later, when they married, they were both the heaviest I had ever seen them. I suppose looking around at people nowadays, this is a pretty common thing. But in my small confined community of family and friends it is not. A few years after they had their first child, both husband and wife decided to get healthy. I started going to the gym on a tri-weekly basis with my friend and we were having a lot of fun. We were in our late twenties and we had lots of time to do what we needed to get in the best of shape. Friend was overjoyed when she no longer had to shop at plus sized stores. things were good in the world. Shortly after I got married, started having kids of my own, moved out of the neighbourhood and thus don't see my friend on a daily basis anymore. My friend switched careers within the same healthcare field and is now working in a weight control help centre. Oddly enough the new place of work has had an opposite effect on her as both her and her husband have been putting on weight again. Last year my friend called me completely distressed. (Have I mentioned friend very rarely lets any of her true feelings out? She is a bottle waiting to burst!) She had her husband at the doctors office. The dr. told her that they needed to get husband to the hospital right away. Apparently they discovered during a routine procedure, that his blood pressure was through the roof. I mean practically at stroke level. I couldn't believe the news. So, what was the diagnosis? What was the course of action? Lifestyle change of course. No more booze, no more red meat. plenty of excersize etc. and of course, pharmaceuticals. So husband took the pharmaceuticals (of course) and for a month or so laid off the booze and bad food. That was it. I never heard about it again. Every conversation was about the last restaurant they ate at or the drinks they had etc etc. Never again did I hear a peep about the illness or blood pressure or the lifestyle adjustments they were supposed to make. Now I spoke with friend the other day. She mentions a dr.'s appointment that she has gone to for sleep apnea. I am troubled by this. I ask her, and she says she has been having trouble sleeping and she has gone to a sleep disorder clinic and they tell her that she has sleep apnea, but not to worry because it doesn't have anything to do with weight. (At this point I don't know what to say because it is fairly common knowledge that sleep apnea is associated with weight and it can be cured with weight loss- something I am sure that she knows, but is somehow either avoiding or denying) Of course it is now 2 months later and I have not heard anything about this ailment again. It's as if it has totally disappeared. Plus she has been having issues over the past couple of years with swollen ankles and now her knees are starting to bother her as well.
The real purpose of this post is to A) be cathartic and B) figure out whether or not I should mention something or just let it lie.
In the past I have always let things lie. My thought behind this was that if she wanted to discuss things, she would bring them up and I would provide an ear to listen. I know that she knows I will always be an ear for her and that I wouldn't judge her. I know this because shortly after my first child was born there was an issue where she either thought her husband cheating or he actually was cheating. We don't know for sure, but there was a rough spot in her marriage there and she called and we spoke for a time. of course, true to nature, this too was soon passed over and never spoken of again shortly after a few poignant conversations.
I don't know if I need to add that this is not my personal method of dealing with things. I am the "up front" and transparent type of person. I like to confront, discuss and deal with things either before or as they occur, so I am at a loss even in terms of understanding the passivity of her nature.
What is one to do?
Am I a good friend to stay in silence?
Just my thoughts on this issue. I don't want to be apathetic, but I don't want to intrude where I don't belong either.

10 Power Questions

So I have been referencing this book lately for my class. It's called: "How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci". Although I haven't read this book in its entirety, I have been browsing sections. Last semester I used the 100 questions activities with the grade 11 students so I could get them to understand how to work on a theme, it worked because they wrote down the first 100 questions that came to mind, then grouped the questions into themes, decided which themes were most relevant to them at the time and then began their print design based on the theme.
Now I am reading a bit further into the book and I have discovered the 10 power questions. Keep in mind that all of these questions are to be used to help develop creativity. I think they are quite powerful and I am hoping to use them with the students soon. Anyways fyi, here there are:
When am I most naturally myself? What people, places and activities allow me to feel most fully myself?
What is one thing I could stop doing, or start doing, or do differently, starting today that would most improve my quality of life?
What is my greatest talent?
How can I get paid for doing what I love?
Who are my most inspiring role models?
How can I best be of service to others?
What is my heart's deepest desire?
How am I perceived by: my closest friend, my worst enemy, my boss, my children, my co-workers etc.?
What are the blessings of my life?
What legacy would I like to leave?

Gotta run ...

now I have a venue, but my thoughts escape me!

I find it so interesting that finally I have a venue to air all of my thoughts and opinions and I am all of a sudden at a loss for words. Perhaps it is due to lack of sleep. Prior to having children, when I suffered from insomnia, I found that it fuelled my creativity, now I am finding lack of sleep sucks the creativity away! This is an interesting fact as far as I am concerned.
There are so many topics that I'd like to touch on , but i know the real reason i am even sitting here is because I am procrastinating doing other things that need to be done. Nothing relevant or exciting mind you... of course, perhaps that is why I am procrastinating!!! If there were things I needed to accomplish that were exciting, i would be doing them. not dreading getting them finished.
I am curious about how much I write might be able to remain anonymous. i suppose anytime you publish your words, you are putting yourself out there. Best to keep a harness on some of my thoughts- but not all.

Okay, let's begin at the beginning...

First of all, let me just say, I truly don't have time for this type of self-indulgence. Honestly. But for some reason I am compelled to let the rest of the world know my opinions on the mundane day to day.
I will post more, but my video for my sisters wedding just finished rendering.
until then-
not to be rude, but... why is it that most people have such difficulty navigating a four way stop! This is a subject I must touch on when I have a few minutes!!!