Category Archives: Words

Words of the Year: Defining Our Loss of Definitude

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Bill Schmitt

Seldom is heard a discouraging word, but we might admit our malaise after five dictionary publishers revealed their selections of the 2025 “Word of the Year.” The common theme those selections conveyed was a worrisome view of cognitive pollution in … Continue reading →

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Pray Me a Memory … Sad, Sweet, and I Knew it Complete

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

When Eileen and I attended a Thanksgiving prayer service at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Troy, NY, on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 23, I sampled food for thought that I’m still digesting. It was so abundant, I want … Continue reading →

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Overton at the Window: ‘Open Wide’ and ‘Look Out’!

Posted on November 18, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

The Overton Window, a tool for mapping public opinion, has helped to describe our evolving society since the 1990s. But in the past ten years or so, American discourse has gone off on more tangents, and people’s perspectives occupy a … Continue reading →

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Thoughts and Prayers—Paths to Turning Points

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

More than two million subscribers are standing by for an online video, expected next year, in which veteran airline pilot Petter Hörnfeldt will explain what might be the most perplexing aviation disaster of 2025. Many trust he will diligently examine, … Continue reading →

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As Humans and AI Communicate, the Watchword is Relationship

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

I’ve stumbled onto a story at the intersection of grammar, spirituality, artificial intelligence, and mysteries both timely and timeless. A news bulletin from the multiverse? No, this is simply a collection of insights, some of them mine. As a religion … Continue reading →

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The Best Book About AI Was Published in 1971

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

Where’s a Lorax when you need one? This “bossy” little creature with a bushy mustache spoke up for endangered Truffula trees in Dr. Seuss’s beloved 1971 book. We young readers learned, through the book’s villain, the once-prosperous Once-ler, that the … Continue reading →

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Idea for Pope Leo: A Holy Year for a Moment of Truth

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

Imaginary and hypothetical, written seriously and wistfully: MEMORANDUM To: His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV From: Bill Schmitt | “Phronesis in Pieces” Re: Proposal for a new Holy Year Date: June 30, 2025 This memo proposes that you declare 2026 a … Continue reading →

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Politics, Parades, and All They En-gender

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

The Democratic Party’s “Speaking with American Men” (SAM) project has given Americans plenty to talk about regarding attitudes toward dudes—and even more regarding personhood in the political battlefield. CNN’s Michael Smerconish opened his June 7 program with this summation of … Continue reading →

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Breakthrough Cure for Anxiety: Truth (Use as Directed)

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

The scourge of anxiety burdening millions of people is a reality we’re tempted to deny, but its many causes and impacts require attention. National Mental Health Awareness Month, observed in May, has challenged us to push back against today’s epidemic … Continue reading →

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Two Popes Speak a Common Language on Communications

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Bill Schmitt

Anyone tallying subject areas where Pope Leo XIV is on the same wavelength as his predecessor will find consistent and compelling themes in the Vatican’s 2025 message for the World Day of Social Communications. Pope Francis’ text for the 59th World Communications … Continue reading →

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