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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Finding True Meaning

I was feeling philosophical the other day and pondering the meaning of important words.

Words like "justice" and "freedom" and "social responsibility."

Do I really know what those words mean?

Well, yeah, I do. But are my definitions definitive? Are there deeper meanings that I've been missing?

There was only one way to find out: the Hashtag Test.

You may want to try this yourself on words that are important to you. Go to Twitter and do a hashtag search.

If you don't know what that means, ask one of your children. If you don't have children, Google it. If you don't know how to Google, you use your time wisely and should be commended.

When you get your search results, carefully analyze each entry for deeper meaning.

On the day I searched for justice, at the top of the list was a one-word tweet from @cyndiburgess. It said: "Licorice."

I'd never thought to find justice in licorice, yet there it was, with a link to a photo of a kid with some red licorice. There must be a deeper meaning here and I've been pondering it for days.

I think it means that the bratty kid thinks he's mastered the universe but there will be justice - his teeth will eventually rot.

@mordantmui didn't tweet anything except two hashtags. The other one was #theworldneedsmore. Concise, to the point, and completely meaningless.

I liked that one.

Here's an interesting question from @freedomforother: "How would your impact for #justice change if you focused on the successes of contributing through your strengths?"

Well? How would it?

I've been pondering that one too. I got nothing.

Then I noticed another tweet posted two minutes earlier by @freedomforother: "What are some possible factors that could be limiting you from living out your passion for #justice."

Not knowing what they're talking about?

Not having access to Twitter?

Living in prison?

A life of crime?

So many possibilities.

Here's my favorite #justice tweet. It's from @FallingforYA: "My cat was freaking out because a piece of my hair was stuck to him. Ha! Now he knows how it feels! #justice."

The true meaning of justice.

Tweet of Last Resort: Here's a good one to try on any given day: #supremecourt.

At the top of my list when I tried it the other day was a message from @RedneckJournal: "NSA Case: Where Do We Go From Here?"

That sounds like a reasonable question. Now check out the link included in the tweet. Enjoy.

Quick Quiz: Can you guess the context for this quote from a federal appellate ruling?

"(A) closet is not the optimal environment for a tall plant."

Yes, we now have gardening advice from a federal judge.

I offer, for your entertainment pleasure, the 7th Circuit ruling in Medlock v. Trustees of Indiana University. You need to read this one for yourself. It's lots of fun. There are so many highlights, I won't even attempt to summarize.

If you guessed that marijuana was involved, you're correct and I admit that was too easy.

The lesson of the tale recounted in this ruling is an important one: If you get a week's notice of an inspection, clean up your room.

If you don't, you've probably been around marijuana too long.

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