The Tao of Wordle

I don't know how many of you recall a book from 1982 by Benjamin Hoff called The Tao of Pooh. It was a best-seller, and in it, the author used the fictional characters from A.A. Milne's beloved "Winnie-the-Pooh" universe to teach about Taoism. Hoff's basic theme was about learning to accept the natural order of things-- in other words, accepting life as it is, rather than fighting against it; being willing to live in the present, rather than feeling obligated to change everything around you. Taoist philosophy speaks about "wu wei," which is often translated as "non-doing," but conveys the idea of going with the flow. Pooh and his friends Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, and Tigger each have a different lesson to teach us. But one lesson that I remember is Pooh's ability to find joy in simple things. The book commends Pooh for that, and advises us to slow down, and to be mindful of what is around us.

And that leads me to Wordle. I have no plans to write a book about this popular word game, but it has often occurred to me that there are lessons we can learn from playing it. So, with apologies to Benjamin Hoff, and to Pooh, may I suggest the Tao of Wordle? Here are some lessons I've learned.

1. You can only play Wordle once a day, and that's okay. Unlike other online games that you can play repeatedly, you have one game of Wordle each day. No more, no less. So, why not enjoy it? 

2. Some days, you will do very well; other days, you won't. There's no way to predict. And however it turns out, that's how it was supposed to turn out that day.

3. Sometimes, you will have a very easy time winning the game. Other times, you will have a very difficult time. There's no predicting that either. I jokingly say that sometimes, the Wordle gods smile on us, and sometimes they seem to be toying with us. (And now and then, you may solve the game on the first try-- it rarely happens, but when it does, it's guaranteed to make you smile.)

4. Sometimes, you will use logic to solve the Wordle. Sometimes, you will use luck. Sometimes, you will wonder why the Wordle gods chose that word, and you will feel like the game wasn't fair. Other times, you will pull out a win on try #6 and feel gratified that you won. But however you feel, that's the score you got and tomorrow is another day. 

5. You may have a long winning streak and suddenly lose it. Or you may only win a couple of games in a row before you lose. In either case, you can always start a new streak next time. My longest streak was 322 wins in a row. And then I lost. I was briefly disappointed, but the next night, I started my new streak. That's what a Wordle player does.

 6. Thanks to social media, you may find that others want to play Wordle with you every night. There are people from all over the world who play and then post their scores. If they do well, they are applauded. If they do poorly, they are encouraged. You're never alone when you're playing Wordle.

 Perhaps you have some lessons you have learned from playing Wordle, but I guess for me, the biggest one is that like the Tao of Pooh, we can find joy in playing this simple game. And even in the midst of difficult times, we know that there are folks who care how we are, and who are waiting for us to post our score. And so, I'll sign off now-- because it's midnight as I am writing this, and the new game of Wordle awaits. Wishing you a good score, and good people to share it with.

Taking a Stand in Dangerous Times

On Saturday morning, Rep. Melissa Hortman, an influential Democratic state legislator from Minneapolis, was shot dead in her home, along with her husband. The killer also attempted to murder another Democratic legislator, state senator John Hoffman, and his wife, in their home-- the two were seriously wounded, but they survived. Threats of violence have become far too common in our politics, and here again, innocent people were paying a terrible price.  

But the president, always on brand, told the press he would not call Minnesota's governor Tim Walz to express his condolences because he thinks Gov. Walz is a terrible governor. And some of Mr Trump's supporters quickly began social media mockery of what had happened to Hortman, one of the most respected Democrats in state government-- a tactic reminiscent of how they reacted when Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul was assaulted in 2022. Meanwhile, Elon Musk and others tried to claim (falsely) that it was someone from the "far-left" who murdered Hortman. That was not true. By all accounts, the killer was someone from the hard-right, and according to some who knew him well, a loyal Trump supporter. 

Meanwhile, in the midst of the fear caused by this shocking political assassination, the president simply doubled down in his criticism of Democrats. He announced a new plan to ease up on enforcement of deportations in red states, and ramp them up in blue states. The goal, he said, is to focus on big cities, because they are "Democratic Power Centers." He went on to accuse Democrats of hating our country, being sick, violent, deviant, and of course, of intentionally bringing in "illegals" and allowing them to vote (you may be familiar with this claim-- it is better known as the "Great Replacement Theory"). 

Normally, I would ignore the usual heated rhetoric from Mr Trump, having heard much of it before. But this time, it seemed especially cruel, given how a Democratic leader was gunned down so recently, and another nearly killed, by someone who seems to have been immersed in exactly that kind of rhetoric. And sad to say, those who spend prolonged periods of time in the right-wing media echo chamber hear this sort of thing over and over. 

I know what some of you are thinking: "But Donna, I can name a Democrat who said X or Y or Z, and that was awful too!" Agreed, there's angry rhetoric on both sides. And of course, not everyone who listens to violent rhetoric will decide to become violent. But some will, and in the case of Mr Trump, the endless hateful rhetoric has certainly created a permission structure. And while we can all point to some dumb thing politicians on both sides have said, these days there is only one side-- the party led by Mr Trump-- that consistently praises political violence.  

There is ample evidence of this. Mr Trump and his supporters believe that the folks who attacked police officers on January 6, 2021 were "patriots" and deserved a presidential pardon. Mr Trump and his party remained silent recently when a Democratic senator was manhandled by officers and taken to the ground, just for trying to ask a question during a press conference. And it is Mr Trump and his supporters who repeatedly refer to Democrats, along with journalists, certain judges, and all undocumented immigrants, as "the enemy."

Again, I am in no way claiming that words alone lead to violence. We all know the old saying from our childhood that claims, "sticks and stones/may break my bones/but names will never hurt me." But in a culture that glorifies being tough, where so many people have easy access to weapons, and where an entire social media ecosystem is devoted to generating anger and outrage at "the other," often by distorting and misrepresenting what is actually happening, that childhood saying may be out of date. If you are immersed in hateful words, hateful images, and hateful media messages, the end result is hatred and distrust, and that could absolutely end up hurting some innocent person, as we have already seen.  

On Saturday afternoon, millions of Americans, in red states and blue states, came out to express their love for the constitution and their support for our democracy. Nearly all of the "No Kings" protests were peaceful, as demonstrators sought to remind Mr Trump that he is not a monarch. It was an impressive example of the importance of the First Amendment, and it gave me a reason for optimism. But now, as the president once again returns to his familiar tactics of intimidation and demonization, it is worth remembering the powerful message so many of us sent: we will continue to defend our democracy. We will stand up against the hate and speak out against the madness. We are not "the enemy." Rather, we are people from all walks of life who want to see America be America again-- a country not ruled by corruption and tyranny, but by compassion and ethics. And we will not be silent. And we are not going away.