Friday, August 30, 2013

Distraction - LBC topic

Today’s topic – distraction - comes from Maria. Distraction is a multifaceted thing!



Yes distraction can be good, bad or ugly. Depends upon the circumstances. As a contract programmer there were times when I would get seriously stuck on dumb. Something that should have been a breeze suddenly took on the magnitude of scaling the Himalayas. What to do? How to do it? And at times like that a distraction was a welcome thing. In my case simply hearing a song



I liked and hadn’t heard in a while was often enough to break the logjam and let the code flow. Then there are those occasions when you are concentratying on a task at hand - it can be anything from work to watching a movie, reading - and something distracts you. The distraction breaks your concentration, derails your train of thought or somehow otherwise intrudes upon your space. Maybe it's the very impetus to your being stuck on dumb.

Then there are folks like the members of Westboro Baptist Church, the clowns that protest at military funerals waving signs like this


That's an ugly distraction if ever I saw one. Unfortunately the activity - regardless how tasteless - is protected by freedom of speech. Nobody ever said living in a free society was easy - just better than the alernative.

In the world of good distractions, the weekly LBC topic is a most welcome distraction to my daily life. I've made great new friends, engaged in a spirited debate or two and generally enjoyed the break from my routine this weekly exercise offers. For that I thank all y'all (official plural form of y'all for those of you unschooled in southern speak).

5 comments:

  1. Good post as always, Shackman. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly one of my favourite movies.If I'd been the casting director I couldn't have chosen better.

    Yes, free speech. Which, unfortunately, allows"Thank god for dead soldiers". One could, of course, give the sentiment the benefit of the doubt: Ironic post modern. But is it?

    U

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  2. They are all distractions, the good, the bad and the ugly. I however find the beautiful to be attraction. You?

    As always, the choice of music to distract is wonderful and your take on how to clear the logjam resonates with me.

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  3. Hmmm...I wonder how we could distract those church members from their rants? lol

    I agree...LBC is a great distraction!

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  4. I was surrounded by distractions this week from all angles, so the LBC and all blog reading had to fall by the wayside. It was busy and I had fun. Not to concentrate and play catch-up!

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  5. Say it ain't so. Say it ain't so - not on distractions, but on your sayonnnara.
    I know I can't talk given my protracted absence, but I gotta tell ya - I'm glad to be back.

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