Potpourri

When you have a phone on speaker for all to hear, as the caller you may not realize the burden you put on the receiver of the call, particularly when you are riding in a vehicle. The overwhelming sound that is broadcast to the person you are calling is not your voice, but the motor noise. Right away there is a disadvantage of which the caller is likely not even aware, because the caller barely hears the engine noise. It may not seem loud in the vehicle, but it is greatly amplified over the cell phone. The problem may be exacerbated by hearing aids being in use, or it may be that way for anyone trying to talk to a vehicle occupant. Unless the caller is talking to someone in an equivalent vehicle, they will not have an inking how difficult it is to hear the voice of the caller. Then when you throw in a third person who has access to the conversation, and ultimately chimes in with comments, it compounds the problem. If a caller in a vehicle says they are going to put you on speaker, you may have to firmly object. Not because the conversation is secret but it’s so the caller can be heard. Either way, it’s surely more helpful to just let it be a non-speaker phone conversation in those conditions.

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I don’t recall any time in my history that one word has been used so frequently, one single word. The F word. I have tried to watch some of the new shows and it is as though the writers have forgotten that a dictionary exists. It is said nearly every other word. Odd that the writers don’t realize it has lost its effect, if it ever had any. Now that it is so common in “entertainment,” young kids have picked it up. No matter the gender, the word is bantered about so much they probably don’t even realize they are saying it. Now it is just an annoyance. Before that word was so wildly thrown about, at least there were variations in exclamations. You may even remember when such words were not even used, were not needed for effect, or whatever they think is necessary to emphasize points. It surely makes me wonder where the writers got their inspiration — it definitely is not from real ranchers, farmers or other agricultural producers. Really, who talks like that?

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Remember how unified the U.S. was after 9/11? What has happened to this country? Political factions argue publicly, act like petulant children, bad mouth people on “the other side,” as well as on the same side. Somehow, they all think they are so important, that the public is hanging on their every word. Here’s a news flash, citizens are tired of it! Knock it off! Grow up!

I fondly remember President Reagan and Tip O’Neill — two Irishmen on different sides of the “aisle” politically, who spent a lot of time laughing together. They worked together, talked through their differences, and were civil while getting things accomplished.

People are swayed by examples, not opinions. As individuals, we have the power to set good examples. That is leadership in a nutshell.

Sanders is a national-award winning columnist who writes from the family farm in southwest South Dakota. Her internet latchstring is always out at peggy@peggysanders.com. She can be reached through her website at http://www.peggysanders.com.