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The Samurai, The Peasant, The Lost Village of Gabos and AI

Samurai
Samurai – courtesy of pexels.com

Some cultures have a particular quirk: they simply cannot say “I don’t know,” “I can’t,” or “It depends.” I think of them as golden retriever cultures—eager to please, eager to agree, even when agreement makes no sense.

These cultures are often deeply hierarchical. Life is hard, survival depends on staying agreeable, and contradicting someone above you in the hierarchy can be … unwise.

Picture this: A 14th century Japanese samurai strides into a rice field. His armour gleams. His muscles bulge. His sword looks like it has opinions.

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Johnny Depp, Theseus and Mrs. S’s Kayak

“A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned,” he said, “for he will be going out on a day he shouldn’t. But we do be afraid of the sea, and we do only be drowned now and again.”—John Millington Synge, The Aran Islands.

Credit: Pixabay contributor 51581

If you’ve watched any movies since the late 1980s, you will have listened to a musical genius named Hans Zimmer. His movie soundtrack credits and multiple awards include:

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Down the Rabbit Hole with the Butcher of the Somme

In a chance conversation, I referred to General Haig as “The Butcher of the Somme” and mentioned his supposed disdain for machine guns. [Haig was the Commander in Chief of the British forces in France during the WWI Battle of the Somme in July 1916.]

I decided I’d do a little research to justify my words (or not). I ended up going down an uglier rabbit hole than I’d intended. Occupational hazard for authors.

The Butcher of the Somme, showing off some bling and two curtain sashes. [Wikimedia ]
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