And you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?”
Talking Heads
Personally, self-reflection is a cringe-fest. Exploring the uncomfortable is often the only pathway towards improvement. The greatest learning comes the losses and not the victories.
Measuring oneself against others can be self-reflection. Likewise, one’s dreams and expectations can serve as weights on a mental scale. Now, a Jetpack AI Beta Application from WordPress can weigh on one’s literary competence. The horror! The shame!
This new AI application grades the “reading level” of a user’s article and provides a “reading grade score.” Impliedly, this AI application determines the user’s “writing” level.
Continually dedicated towards improvement, I decided to use this AI application to explore my abilities. As both college graduate and law school graduate- top ten percent, with trepidation, I entered the “mental” octagon for likely a bout of humiliation. How was I going to measure up? Am I a writing genius? Or, am I a dolt?
Before looking at the result, I inventoried my writing abilities. My three decades’ plus legal career has included drafting a multitude of Petitions for the State of California’s higher court, i.e. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Further, I have a generated large body of legal briefs which have led to reported decisions. These written opinions are part of the my area of practice’s corpus. Further, a number my cases have been the topic of professional seminars. Could I be a college level writer?
Within a micro-second, the AI grading displayed. I was ever so humbled as my articles fell within the 9th and 10th grade levels! Even worse, this particular post which I am writing, at one point, registered at the 8th grade level. With most of them were at Grade 10, I pondered whether my High School Experience stunted my growth as a writer. Did my beloved High School English Teacher, Mr. Dukakis, leave an indelible mark on my literary skills? Did my adoration of Cameron Crowe’s Fast Time at Ridgemont High stunt my development? Damn you Spicoli! I am the old man stuck on the simple words of a man who was at sea.
On the other hand, my subconscious may have impacted my writing. Many great writing instructors pound into future writers that writing is for the reader. As I envisioned my writing to be an educational resource towards teens, I perhaps did not to go full throttle with my literary capacity.
After all, I envisioned that a teacher might take one of these articles and offer it up as a class lesson. While I could have taken this rationalization as accurate and felt good about it, the reality is, “who am I fooling?” Despite being of advanced age, I am barely a 10th grader as a writer! Damn you Ernest Hemmingway! I love your simplicity. Who needs to fish for fancy words and complicated sentences?
As such AI had offered up another one of life’s humiliation. It chopped down a grown man in the lowest two percentile in height one notch lower. Ouch!
The Month Going Postal
With that said, I would like to share my “going postal” thoughts for the month of July.
While July’s events were fast moving, I committed to a philosophy of generating content that is more timeless. The rapid pace upon which articles and videos become dated is unprecedented.
In July, I posted Superman & The Ten Commandments. This article connected the “Man of Steel” to the Prophet Jeremiah. The Book of Jeremiah is an important piece of scripture. His writings evidence a true knowledge of the Ten Commandments. Unlike other Prophets, he is literate. At one point, he describes drawing up a land sale contract. For the post’s purposes, his epic statement, “in truth, in justice and in righteousness is explored.
Also in July, I continuing with my effort to cover a Ten Commandments’ moment in every weekly Torah Portion. Thus, Matot was tackled on how “words” can become elevated when they are attached to a vow. For this one, I loved the AI graphic that was produced. It was one upon which I asked it to do a little more and put the Bee Gees in it.
A Prophet’s Revealing Ten Commandments Moment Post was again an exploration of the Prophet Jeremiah. This Post of the Prophet’s discussion of the Sabbath.
For the post Moments, I discussed how moments can shift our human narratives. While not necessarily tied to any current event, the notion advanced was that emotions are tied to moments. There was horror and relief after the attempted assassination of Presidential candidate Donald Trump and there was sadness and disappointment with President Joseph Biden’s withdrawal his 2024 Presidential campaign.
After writing Moments, I experienced at epiphany. Within the Torah Portion, Pinchas’ action of killing two individuals was given much praise. Was this act a polemic against sacred prostitution? In essence, was the need for a demonstrative event to create a barrier between cultic practices and sexuality?
In Discernment, I continued on my journey through AI and offered up an important message to parents raising their children. The new reality for children is that they will need to develop new skills. They must sharpen their skill in discernment. In essence, AI will be the worker and humans be the director of the AI. These children, when finally working, will have to look at the AI production and determine whether it is satisfactory. They will need to have the skills to improve or change the product to satisfaction.
Of Bronny James is a piece generated from a Laker fan who remembers going to games 49 years ago. Courtesy of family friends, I have the privilege of attending games involving the greats of Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlin. The piece really is geared towards the media’s belief that they can somehow transform the truth. Yes, they are telling us that we having the lying eyes and they are the truth tellers. As a parent and coach who has had a player make it play professionally, there are cruel realities for athletes. For instance, one’s height on deliver matters.
Their belief of their powers were chopped down when President Joseph Biden’s cogency was exposed at the Presidential Debate. The likes of Morning Joe, like those pushing the Bronny James’ narrative, were exposed.
Changing Narratives takes a moment to see how existential events can change narratives. While the Torah Portion Balak is much riduculed for having a “talking donkey” in it, I actually find it one of the most beautiful. While not discussed in the article, I personally love the donkey’s line “Aren’t I your ass, on whom you’ve ridden? From your start until this day, have I been accustomed to do like this to you?” Numbers 22:30.
In Psalm 23a, I pay a tribute to one of modernity’s great singer-songwriters. Dying with cancer, Mr. Warren Zevon penned “Keep Me In Your Heart”. For those confronting death or grieving the loss of a loved one, it is Psalm 23-level poetry.
Finally, there was a post on Chukat. It is a painful tale of failed leadership and a momentary loss of faith.
If you are still reading, I would like to thank you for getting to the end. BTW, AI gave me a 8th Grade score for this post!
Be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 