ABC is trying once again to form a weekly TV series based on the popular Jack Nicholson/Cher film “Eastwick”, about a trio of witches that are drawn together around a mysterious, dark figure of a man as their powers are unleashed.  The film premise was about the witches finally coming around to undo his evil, which lends itself to the series in a more protracted way.

The casting in this show is stupendous. The trio of witches are Rebecca Romijin, Lindsay Price and Jaime Ray Newman.  The three are perfectly cast- they fit well together as well as stand apart as memorable.

The powers they have just begun to unlock of unqiue to themselves- Rebecca’s Roxie (Roxanne) is a hippy-like, Earth loving free spirit that was peddling inferior new-age crafts at local markets before being swept into the mysterious Daryl’s (Paul Gross) irresistable force upon having her powers unlocked.  A self-proclaimed psychic, suddenly Roxie’s visions actually become a reality- she develops into a true psychic, able to see glimpses of the near future.

Lindsay’s Joanna is a struggling journalist who is in dire love with a photographer at the newspaper, seeking a promotion to write more meaningful articles with a sleazy boss who gives her no respect.  After Daryl’s arrival, Joanna suddenly has the power to charm men by staring into their eyes and speaking commands- even forcing a kiss out of her crush before she realizes that it’s the wrong thing to do.  However, flush on the realization of her new power, she has no qualms about “telling” her boss to give her the promotion, a raise and all the money in his wallet (a scene that hints at the humor that will be layered in the show.)

And my favorite, Kat- the adorable Jaime Ray Newman- is a mentally abused, hard working mother of five with a sleeze-ball lazy deadbeat of a husband who blames her for being a failure when she has the audacity to suggest he get a job.  Kat’s powers unlock as those of the greatest mother of all- Mother Nature- and she ends up thrusting a small earthquake upon her husband before later hitting him with a lightning bolt- all unaware of the dangerous powers she possesses.

The pilot establishes the characters quite well, leaves some great room for growth, and already points to the dark side of Daryl- he threatens to kill a young man who was trying to rape Roxie’s daughter, and Joanna’s friend provides her evidence that Daryl is supposed to be dead, per an autopsy report.  There is plenty of room for the show to grow and continue to expand while keeping a central theme going.

Layering the drama with light-hearted comedy should be a winning formula- the previews for next week show Roxie encountering a man who she had a vision of murdering her.  As the three witches look out Roxie’s store window, the attractive young man approches the store front, and Kat and Joanna begin waving at him, finding him cute.  Roxie’s retort? “Don’t wave at my murderer!”

I think that given a chance, Eastwick could be television magic.

Eastwick
ABC
Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m.

Dream Analysis: A remake of the old Jack Nicholson/Cher film (actually the second remake, if I recall) but with a killer cast.  The beautiful (and I do mean it) witches are Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price, and the delicious, adorable, beautiful, heart-thumping Jaime Ray Newman.
Dream Value: Eastwick presents the possibility of an “adult” version of Charmed-  plenty of possibility to mix drama, sex, magic and humor all into the cauldron and come out with plenty of quality entertainment.  This isn’t going to be on the quality level of Lost, going down in TV history, but it’s going to be a quality weekly watch for those of us seeking something other than yet another medical/lawyer/crime drama.  Minimum DVR taping, but most will be fans enough to watch it that night- live or within a few hours of airing.
Dream Length: The show just premiered, and hopefully will be given a fair shake to run for five seasons, at least.  You simply never know with the TV executives nowadays, who still seem to think shows can pull in 17 million viewers regularly.  Eastwick is an hour long show.
Nightmares: It’s too early to see if anything is really missing here, or if the plots become cliche, etc.  But the initial pilot was highly promising, establishing the Witches’ first powers and their exposure to each other, the dark force they become centered around, and the means by which they fall in together.  The only nightmare potential here is going to be plot-based- the cast is too good to have a failing on that end.

Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.
~Unknown

Time is always marching forward, making it easy to get caught up in our day-to-day lives. We allow it to blur ahead, ever faster. How many times have you become been shocked upon realizing how “extra” fast time has seemingly passed in a particular week, month or year? It seems when we focus on time, it moves fast- when we ignore it, it only moves faster.

This makes planning our lives in an orderly fashion something of a hit-or-miss proposition. The majority of us grow up having a “generic societal-norm” plan in place shared by many in our society. Something akin to the following:

High school graduation ► College (or work) ► Work ► Get married by 30 ► Have 2.5 kids by 35 ► Retire at 62 ► Die an old, loved and happy person with a family, who has made a lasting impact on the world.

What can we do when our lives break away from this formula for “success”? It can be a very daunting thing to consider, and can make one feel like a failure in comparison to the rest of society. Wisdom would indicate that you don’t need to follow any set path in life to have a good, happy or successful one: but how can you cope with the reality of your life when the path you imagined following is nowhere in sight?

Personally, I always imagined the above scenario- never figured I’d follow any other route. I personally have always felt if I fail to have at least one child, I will have been a “failure” in life- after all, if I’m not passing on my DNA (and since I’m not curing cancer) then nothing I do will make an impact on the world- very soon after my death, perhaps five years, it will be as if I never existed.

Certainly not everyone feels this way- many do not wish to have children of their own for various reasons. I envy the people who are capable of embracing whatever life has handed them- especially when it’s a solitary existence- and still feel proud of what they’ve done.

I feel a great burden of time upon myself. My current situation finds me lengthily unemployed, while living in my mother’s basement due to incurable anxiety disorder. I’m stuck in my situation due to the lack of full, quality, no-cost options under our current politically designed health system. I’m stuck in a life-quagmire, where I see the years slipping by before all too soon it will be too late for me to have my chance at the vision of what I wanted my life to be. While I am a male, it’s still not too often than you begin to have kids after 40, and since I am attracted to younger women, it is insanely difficult to find a 26 year old who is going to be interested in having a relationship once they hear your age begins with a four. Looking closer to women around my age is folly in most instances- we don’t share interests, and the majority are divorced and already have kids of their own. I do not wish to enter into a relationship with someone that has experienced it all before, and has angry-ex-boyfriends to deal with… but most of all I do not want to be a step-father. I have an internal necessity to have my own children.

This means I only have a touch over two years to A.) find someone much younger than me who is interested in a relationship,  B.) spend time “alone” with her to make sure we’re in love, C.) live together- so we know that we are compatible in a household, D.) get married, E.) spend an initial married timeframe together to enjoy our newlywed status and be able to do things together without other concerns, and… F.) finally, have kids.

That’s a lot to fit into two years, considering I would imagine getting to know each other, living together and enjoying our recent marriage would each take at least six months- already putting this out of the timeframe.  Certainly there are other variables- if all of my wildest dreams come true, I’ll find a younger woman, who will have more time left on her life clock before there’s a danger of being unable to have children. I’m hardly of the sort that requires marriage prior to having kids- the above idea is a “best situation” listing, as it were. But still, even considering these variables, I can feel the weight of my age bearing down on me- but in my world, since I consider children of my own so important, the weight bearing down on me feels more like a guillotine instead of an hourglass.

The worst aspect of all is being unable to break through my current life difficulties- mostly solving my professional dilemma and being able to get back to my own on-my-own adult life that was so rudely torn away from me by others. Overcoming these tribulations is monumental when having to accommodate the anxiety I will suffer with my entire life (miraculous scientific breakthrough notwithstanding). Not only do I need to find work I love, but work I can do, that will allow me to stay healthy and fit my unique work ennvironment requirements while trying to move forward with my life.

All I know is, it’s highly depressing when I encounter one of those “this is a special woman in front of me” situations, and I can’t even start to consider asking her out- what slim, attractive, intelligent woman in her right mind is going to agree to date an overweight, out of work, anxiety ridden goofball stuck in his mom’s basement? It’s a ridiculed cliche (even though I don’t fit the truth of that cliche- I was a successful young professional prior to having others take it all away.) No, I can’t envision the young woman that would feel that none of these things matter and do anything more than either laugh at me, or pity me.

It’s also highly depressing considering the losses already suffered.  Due to working seven days a week year round for eight years, I missed countless relationships during my entire twenties.  Following that period of overworking, I became unemployed and broke, with no means to meet anyone or date- so I’ve spent the first seven-plus years of my thirties without relationships.  It’s further depressing to know that as I near 40 and 50- the cut off age for sex (at least for me… I have no interest in sex with saggy body parts, wrinkled skin, etc.: After your mid-50’s at best (unless you’re a superstar celebrity that’s defied nature)- the concept of sex beyond that age is disgusting).

Knowing I let others in society dictate the fact that I missed out on the single most important human experience- shared sexual bliss- having only a few scared and uninterested partners… it weighs on me, having missed out on the years we are intended to be having sex- as sex is for the young. Sex is for those 14 to 50, not those winding down their lives after that point. Knowing that sex will be something you don’t get to experience in your life in any serious form takes away a part of your spirit, making it hard to have any interest in fighting through the lonely days- without having the hope of sexual contact with another you love, there’s really nothing to look forward to in life of consequence.

Welcome to Part II of this First We Dream “Dream 10″ Guide on how to elegantly fit what you’re trying to say into those scant few 140 characters in Twitter!  If you skipped Part I, it’s vital you start there, so you understand the first five tips before proceeding.

Otherwise, let’s move on to tip 6, next page!

If you’re a member of the A.D.D. generations- or a President of the “Death to the English Language” club, and are a regular on the best social media site out there- Twitter- you probably don’t care how unreadable your Tweet is when you jam your commentary into 140 characters.  You’re making up words, abbreviating everything into forms that word has never been abbreviated into in the history of mankind, replacing every you and two with “U and 2″ (it’s only cool when Prince does it!). You’re struggling to jam what you want to say into a limited space- and in the process you’re often losing your point while simultaenously confusing anyone reading your Tweets into a heaping pile of “what the hell did that mean?”

Fear not: I present the First We Dream “Dream 10″ Guide of ways to help you fit your Tweets into 140 characters, be able to speak in proper English (with some obviously necessary exceptions), and make sense at the same time (well, depending on content- that remains up to you.)

Important Note:

Keep in mind one important Tweet-size rule though:  You can jam a Tweet in at exactly 140 characters, but MOST Tweets (unless you only stick to your few followers) will need one to four hashtag (#) channel labels that count towards the 140 characters.  You have to learn to write clean, but short so you have room for those hashtags, and for other people to RT (re-Tweet) your witty statement with your Twittertag included in that 140 limit.

Tip one, next page!

Sometimes a movie comes along that defies explanation.  “9″ is one of those movies.  Part alternate reality, part Sci-Fi, part Terminator, part Adventure, part Social Commentary, part Fable, part War Flick, part … well, hell- it has a LOT of parts, shall we say?

Let’s keep in mind however that just because a movie might escape traditional explanations or labels doesn’t mean it’s a freaky conglomeration of bizarre nonsense.  No, in “9″’s case, the story is quite understandable and elegant in its telling.

Starting off, you are introduced to the “awakening” of 9- a tiny ragdoll puppet that has been lovingly, though hastily, constructed, as if a toy for a poor child.  A zipper splits his stomach, tiny cameras serve in place of eyes, and various wood and metal bits construct the rest of his otherwise human-like frame.

When 9 awakes (and we know his name, as it is clearly written on his back) he is obviously in a confused state-  a type of half-amnesia.  It is clear he understands the things he sees around him, he can read, he knows upon looking out the nearby window upon the utter devastation of the city that it is horrific, and when he stumbles clumsily to the edge of his table he recoils in horror at the dead man laying upon the floor of the room.

Upon venturing out, 9 quickly encounters another of his kind- 2.  This is the beginning of 9’s experience, as he encounters more of his kind and learns of the dangers of his “new” world- a world he knows at the same time he fails to understand what he is, or what his and his kind are intended to do in the ruins of the former human civilization.

The story is quite cleverly designed, and there is a specific relevance to the 9 that I really can’t reveal without spoiling the story.  In fact, much can not be discussed about this movie without giving away key aspects of the tale- because the tale is one of discovery, and you must take that journey with 9 to be able to appreciate the ending- a moral warning that while not anything new, is still a valid message for humans to continually hear.

“9″ isn’t really groundbreaking in any sense, but it is a quality film with a wonderful style and an excellent message to spread, even if aspects of that message are flawed.  Still, this is a quality film, and one that should be seen and appreciated so that perhaps one of these days humanity will let this movie’s moral message sink in once and for all.

9

Written and Directed by Shane Acker

Focus Features
09/09/09

Voice Talent: Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Jennifer Connelly

Dream Analysis: A unique in theme computer animated film that revolves around unweaving the meaning and purpose behind a peculiar set of nine handmade ragdoll puppets.  By the movie’s end, you will understand the purpose for their being and receive a moral message intended for humanity as a whole- and though the message within is partially flawed, the major portion of the message is quite valid and worthy of repetition in today’s world.  While you never get the specifics of how *exactly* the nine come to exist (in terms of a full explanation) you are given enough of a side-swipe explanation that requires a small leap of Sci-Fi faith.  However, the point of the movie is not about HOW the nine were made, but rather the reason and the meaning behind the end result.

Dream Value: 9 is worth the full ticket price in theaters, though it truly is up to your tastes.  This isn’t a “must see in the theater” because it has to be seen on a big screen- if you have an HDTV at home, or otherwise a large screen, you might feel inclined to wait for a rental.  However, I’d urge you to pay a good price towards this film- unique films with quality like this should always be rewarded.
Dream Length: Originally an award-winning short, this is now an expanded full-length film, but still only comes in at about an hour and a half.  This is not really something that one is going to kill to own, so you’re probably going to watch it the one time and perhaps a few years down the road in a cable rerun.  Still, it’s worth a view in the immediate future, to financially reward the effort.
Nightmares: None for adults, though I wouldn’t take younger children to see this- only because there are “mechanical beasts” that might frighten some children.  Also, there are some scenes of war/human death- again, in animation form, but if you don’t mind your child watching a ragdoll take a seat during guard duty on a severed human hand, you’re probably all good.  (Note that is not to say the movie is gory, or violent- there are just a few scenes that might bother the particularly young or easily squeamish.) Plotwise, there are elements that are skipped over where more detail could be provided, but in all honesty doing so would add unnecessary scenes and simply detract from the point of the tale being told.  There’s nothing to complain about at all with the animation style or great voice acting work, either.

BBC America has had a very strong tradition of quality Sci-Fi and Fantasy shows in recent memory, though they also have the unfortunate tradition of failing to support the shows after a season or three. (”Series” or three, for my British readers.)  In recent memory, they’ve had the outstanding Wiccan/supernatural show “Hex”, the fun dinosaurs through portals, “Primeval”…  sadly both shows, while high quality and better than the majority of television viewing, were unceremoniously killed at the end of their first and second seasons, leaving plot lines never answered and really creating  a bad taste in the mouths of viewers. (Nothing is worse than not letting a show do a proper wrap up.)  Recently they’ve added the new supernatural show “Being Human”, with the content dealing with vampires, werewolves and ghosts- but we’ll have to wait and see how they treat it, as its first season just wrapped.

Then there is Robin Hood.

When Robin Hood launched two seasons back, it was a great show- an excellent cast committing their capers against the evil sheriff and his dimwitted-yet-dangerous second in command.  In the end, each show was not too wildly different- it always seemed to end with the sheriff smacking his dumb guards around and screaming in frustration as Robin (Jonas Armstrong) and his gang laughed their way into Sherwood forest after pulling the wool over the sheriff’s eyes yet again.  The show never needed to use too much of its dramatic twists to be a fun watch- just reveling in the caper of the week was plenty enough to tune in each week.

The things that made the show so entertaining were the comradery of Robin’s gang, the outstanding villainy of the sheriff and Sir Guy both played to perfection by their respective actors, and the most important aspect of the show- his heartfelt, head-over-heels love for the love of his life, Marion. Marion was not just eye-candy, but a pivotal role within the show-  providing Robin his spirit and moral compass, as well as being feistily played by the drop-dead stunning Lucy Griffiths.  Her Marion is no helpless damsel- in fact, while being forced to live in the sheriff’s castle and fend off Guy’s forceful romantic advances, she served as a masked “superhero” to the poor, delivering food and other necessities to the people in such desperate need under the tyrant’s grip of the sheriff.

Then, at the end of season two, they did the unthinkable.  They had Guy kill off Marion.  Now, I must confess- I have NO problems with major characters dying in shows- but only in the shows that it makes sense in which to occur, and to serve a quality plot.  So I expect cast in 24 and Lost to go poof at any moment, and love it when it happens- even when I love the actor or character, the action gets me more excited about the show, not less.

That’s the problem with the action of killing off Marion in Robin Hood.  Finally coming to terms with their love, they willfully disregard Sir Guy and run off to get married.  They are as thrilled as possible, and the viewer is as happy as they are they are together.  Suddenly, that happiness is ripped away from all involved with Guy’s blade through her stomach, which sets up the feeling and story for season three, which just premiered.

The new theme is dark and vengeful.  Gone is the light-hearted humor of the first two seasons-  Robin can never again be a happy man.  The viewer is no longer happy, as they feel Robin’s pain and are aware this is the last season of the show- and it is always difficult to support a show that is ending sooner than it should.  Most noticeable, however, is the lack of Marion’s presence: The show is overly masculine- especially since the lone female gang-member Djaq has left the group.  Soon another female is set to enter the show, but the feeling will still not live up to the original vibe the show held.

The sheriff and Guy’s relationship have changed for the worse, as well.  Instead of being the slapstick “oh-you-screwed-up-again” goofballs, now they are legitimately threatening to kill each other on a constant basis- one of the main plotlines this season is Guy’s potential to assassinate the sheriff on behalf of the evil Prince.

Gone is the whimsical fun of the show, and now we have a dark and angry Robin, a confused and scared gang following him, a lack of humor, and a black heart at the core of the show’s formerly light-hearted theme.  The problem is, even if they try to spin the series around and end on a positive/happy note (which is not how I understand the show plans to end) it still will be dark, sad and bleak as Robin can never achieve his goal of being with Marion.

Unfortunately, this is just another example of one of BBC America’s great shows that they’ve mishandled.  For once, it’d be interesting to see them stick by one of these wonderful shows to create a legendary television experience, instead of rushing to push the next project out and abandon the shows they just put out the door.

Robin Hood
BBC America
Saturdays at 9:00 p.m.

Dream Analysis: The fun, quirky show of the first two seasons is gone, and a dark revenge plot is now in place.  This season is going to be about wrapping up loose ends- and while the show will get a “proper” send off, it’s not going to be possible (without some severe cheap stunts) to provide a reasonable ending that would have compared to a happy Robin and Marion standing victorious, together, after the fall of the evil sheriff.
Dream Value: While the show has lost it’s fun, it’s still better than the rest of the cop, lawyer and CSI shows on the air, so despite the flaws of the storyline, and the new dark tone, it is still worth a weekly view on your DVR.
Dream Length: This is the third season of hour-long shows. There should be twelve to thirteen in the season, and this is the final season- definitely ended far too early.
Nightmares: Compared to the fun and adventurous first two seasons, this third season is maligned with darkness and vengeance, and the great humor in the first two seasons is now mostly missing- any attempts are overshadowed by the tragedies of the show’s second season finale.  The lack of Lucy Griffiths’ Marion is truly overwhelming to the show.

There’s an amazing thing that happens in the United States currently to all young women. As the clock strikes midnight on their 18th birthday, magic glyphs and symbols float in the air, a rainbow swirls over their heads, and drastic, incredible changes occur to their minds and bodies. When the magical procession is complete, each woman- a single minute ago just a girl, is now ready to have sex, legally!

Yes, the magic of the number eighteen.

Of course, the logical mind is aware that nothing whatsoever changes at eighteen. A woman the day before at seventeen is the same woman the next day at eighteen. Yet, if a man has sex with her the day before that birthday, he’s some kind of “child abuser” and out to ruin society, and should be locked up for twenty years, as if he ended a life. It’s a highly flawed way to look at the matter, and uses absolutely no wisdom in its consideration.

Where exactly, did we come to the point where sex and love not only take a backseat in acceptability to violence, but are so far back in our acceptance, that we started arbitrarily assigning a random number of no relevance to allow it? Who made the decision that the “magic” would occur at eighteen? Did everyone in the nation vote? Was a crop-circle made in a large field somewhere in a large “18″ pattern? No, simply a few conservative politicians- likely with prudish attitudes towards sex, or with their own young daughters- thought assigning an old(er) age would suffice to keep their precious girls from being near a boy in such a “naughty” manner. Likely also influenced by those Christians within the religious realm that force their views upon others, where it is unacceptable to have sex before marriage (always an unwise choice) and the combined pressures were likely to assure the arbitrary age was going to be set high.  Look at Sarah Palin’s hypocritical stance on teen sex within her own family.

Well, the conservative plan backfired.

The lack of wisdom in assigning an arbitrary age number to sex is apparent to the open minded. Times change, and girls- women- are changing as well. The younger generations, while still facing the traditional trials of adolescence, do have advantages no generation has had before. They are growing up faster, sharper and more aware at younger ages than ever before. Life is in the fast lane, and it’s only going to get faster.

Have you ever met some young teenage women recently? Not only can you not tell physically what their age is in many instances, there are some very intelligent ones that are highly mature and aware of their role in the world. I have seen/met several 14 year old “girls” more mature than some 35 year old “women” I’ve encountered. Should those 35 year old women not be allowed to have sex? Or perhaps someone seeking to have sex with those particularly immature 35 year old women should be arrested for child abuse? That’s how the flawed logic currently in use would reach its logical conclusion, after all.

Sex, a natural aspect of our humanity, is shunned as a “bad thing” by the conservatives amongst us, while simultaneously pushing forward dangerous gun ownership rights by pointing to flawed statistics that cause deaths. Instead of approaching the situation from that of a closed mind, “all teenagers are incapable of handling the emotional aspects of sex”, instead one should consider the truth of the matter and- once you have all the facts- arrive at a more appropriate course of action: each woman should be judged on an individual level as to her readiness to engage in sexual activities. It is quite easy to tell if a woman is physically mature- if she isn’t, it is not acceptable to be having sex with her.  If she is physically mature, then you must establish if she is mentally mature- look as Miley Cyrus, the pop starlet.  I dare anyone to tell me she’s mature enough to be a multi-millionaire, with the presence of mind to work in the grueling world of a world-wide celebrity, but yet incapable of dealing with sex.  That would be a bald-faced lie.  Consider Emma Watson, from the Harry Potter movies.  When she was 16 (a few years back)- she was fully matured and again, a full-fledged movie star with more responsibility than most adults have, as well as being a multi-millionaire.  Again, somehow sex would be abusing her?  She has a strong enough and mature enough mindset to perform work most adults over 40 couldn’t handle, yet she’d somehow melt into a pile of goo if she had sex with an “adult” over 18?

Girls are having sex now, in a majority percentage, well before eighteen. Making an arbitrary age a cutoff doesn’t slow down the activity from happening, it’s not a deterrent in any way… all that is accomplished is women grow up with a stigma attached to sex- the memory that sex is not good, and I shouldn’t be doing it. They are losing out on highly valuable lessons that would be of far more benefit to a young woman… proper birth control techniques, pride in their body/how they look, not being afraid or ashamed of nudity as so many adult women are, safe sex routines, and other important health issues (like breast cancer screening or the health benefits of masturbation).

So how else to handle the situation besides making an arbitrary age to have legal sex, especially with older men? The way it should be handled, through physical and mental maturity. There are countless thirteen year olds out there who are physically developed and mentally ready for the responsibilities of sexual activity. In years past, women used to be married off at fourteen and start families! It wasn’t considered odd at all- in fact it was common practice- for middle aged men to marry teenage women, giving them maximum time to raise a family. Critics point to the current life expectancy being older as an excuse.  However, with our non-stop work driven society, it is insanely easy for someone to work their way through school, dive into non-stop work, and find themselves in their late thirties- at a cutoff age for ever finding a relationship or having a family.  Sexual activity greatly diminishes after 40, and is much less pleasurable (who wants sex with droopy, saggy, wrinkly body parts compared to the tight, smooth, fit bodies of youth?) Why then, are we going backwards in our mindset? Should we not, as a society, be constantly progressing forwards, rather than backwards?

Everyone has their own favorite entertainment products, and there are countless top five or top ten lists to find everywhere online. Sounds like a great idea- but I’m not satisfied with silly lists that leave any room open for debate. No, I want something monumental- something that chisels the point in concrete, and records it for all time as a fact of existence!

Therefore I present to you… First We Dream’s Ultimate Entertainment List!

Let’s start next page!

“We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it – and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit on a hot stove lid again – and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.”
~Mark Twain

As a Druid, I am a master student of wisdom. What is meant by “wisdom”? What exactly is the difference in information coming from one’s intellect as opposed to insight offered through obtained wisdom? Let’s take a closer look at what exactly we’re dealing with in regards to wisdom- so we can all gain a bit of intellect in the process.

Everyone is used to judging or hearing about people’s intellect, especially their “IQ” (Intelligence Quotient). Skim through any online message board, and every argument will eventually have someone pointing out their (extremely unlikely) IQ of 189. The IQ judges “book smarts”, combined with one’s ability to perform well in test taking (normally under the added pressure of time-constraint), tapping into skills in spacial comprehension, logic, math and other such brain teasers.

Measuring one’s IQ is a truly difficult task- the most common way, the IQ test, is flawed as a concept (as are all tests) as it doesn’t take into account the very separate issue of one’s ability to take tests. Some people truly know the answers, but simply have a personal difficulty in test-taking. A common situation arises where intelligence is set aside and instead the psychology of second-guessing and doubt comes into play, which does not hold any relevance to one’s IQ. (I have a personal average of missing about five to ten questions per test (based on length) from double guessing- despite knowing the answer.  The psychological ability to talk oneself out of sticking to what they believe is the correct answer is overwhelming for some people.) The best way to bypass this situation is to take multiple untimed IQ tests that use highly similar or identical scoring mechanisms and find an adjusted average- for example, about 10 points higher than the average of three untimed IQ tests.

Of course, another problem with IQ tests is inherent in scoring the tests fairly.  For instance- one “IQ” test asked how many sides a stop sign has.  The provided answer was “eight”.  However, that is incorrect.  A stop sign has ten sides- the eight edges, and the front and back.  A stop sign is a three-dimensional object, after all.  For the test to be correct in stating “eight” as the answer, the question would need to be phrased as “How many sides does a two-dimensional representation of a stop sign have?”

Another issue is cultural.  Some IQ tests have asked villagers in third world countries to organize food items into like groups.  Instead of organizing them based on vegetable, fruit, and so on, the villagers organized them based on how you ate them- these require the outside to be removed, these can be eaten as is, etc.  Is it fair to proclaim someone has a low IQ because they don’t consider the answer in the same worldview as the question writer? Of course not.  Both are valid answers, yet most IQ tests don’t allow for such leeway in creative answers.

So you determine through some form of testing you’ve got an IQ of 121. You’re smart, right? Well, the average IQ is normally considered to be 100. If you fall in the approximate range of 132-135, you’re a possible Mensa candidate! 170 to 200?  You’re one of the smartest people to ever live. (Next time someone online tells you they have an IQ approaching 200 , feel free to call their bluff. Unless you’re in an IM session with Steven Hawking, they are full of it! IQ is normally not tracked beyond 200- and few people in history have been beyond that level.)

So, with your 121 IQ, you must indeed be a very wise person, no?

Not necessarily. In fact, your IQ has very little direct tie to your level of wisdom. It plays a part, but a small one.

Wisdom is not a measurable concept. It can become evident in hearing someone speak, reading the words they’ve written or in seeing a particular course of action they have taken. Wisdom is a highly generalized concept in comparison to IQ. It is a combination of common sense, logic, gut feeling, mental focus, meditative contemplation, experience, age and a dash of intellect.

Where does wisdom come from then? Is it something that can be learned? Against popular stereotypes, it can be, in some cases. There is a difference between learning information (becoming smarter) and gaining wisdom (becoming wiser). Just because one has learned something, does not mean they are any wiser. Wisdom occurs when the learning that has occurred is applied to the world around us, and allows us to arrive at the core substance of matters. It is a philosophical approach of embracing a topic and seeing it from all sides and eliminating the detritus surrounding the idea.

So is all wisdom obtained through study or actively seeking to become wiser?

No, some wisdom comes from experience- and some experience only comes from action, while other experience comes from age. A very large percentage of the time, the older someone is, the wiser they are. This is why one should keep in mind that one should “respect their elders”- as they often have more insight than someone younger.  And “elder” does not equate to “elderly”.  Someone in their late thirties is more often than not wiser than someone in their late twenties.

It is possible, however, for one who focuses on the art of being wise- seeking to gain wisdom wherever it may be gleaned- to be wiser than their elders. Therefore age is a factor, but not a guaranteed factor. Why does age matter? Wisdom is a process- it requires patience, time, reflection, meditation and open-mindedness. Wisdom cannot be rushed- in fact, attempting to do so often results in the least amount of wisdom being applied to the matter at hand.

It’s time for another “Dream 5″- spotlighting five examples of excellence in their respective element of creativity and imagination.

This week, we’re examining five new offerings on your television that are likely to be great shows.  Keep in mind, though, that in today’s horrifically managed television industry, that does not mean these shows will succeed or have large audience (a few are locks for both, though.)

In the end, great TV is great TV regardless of how they perform on air.  Case in point? Firefly.  Point won.

Let’s start with the first one, next page!