Corby’s Corner |
Had Any Good Ideas Lately? “Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk other people.” Author: Jack M. Corbin - 1956.
Yeah, I know that my father was really not the original author of the above
famous quote (the actual Author is unknown), but somehow my Dad did pass the
wisdom of this quote on to me at an early age. I still believe that discussing
interesting ideas and concepts with intelligent and engaged people can be the
most stimulating and fun types of conversation possible. Heck, one of the main
reasons I joined Mensa in the first place was to find and make new friends who
felt the same way. I suspect that much the same is true for many of you! Greater
Phoenix Mensa offers you two great vehicles to get immersed in new ideas and
spirited discussion every month!
Monthly Forum Maybe I am a bit biased, but my guess is that
month in and month out, the caliber of the speakers that GPM gets for the monthly
Forums would compare favorably with most any other local group in American Mensa.
In the recent past we have had speakers discuss the Shortages of Electrical
Power, the Human Genome Project, Illegal Immigrants, Relationship Skills, Extraterrestrial
Life, Atomic Energy, Ideas for Effective Living, Artificial Intelligence, Apartheid
in South Africa, and Deep Space Astronomy just to name a few that come quickly
to my mind.
Al last month’s Forum we had a nice crowd of 33 people who learned about the
tricky art of successful negotiations (think used car salesmen or negotiating
for a raise). Not only was the lecture informative (it even came complete with
handouts) but it resulted in a rather spirited give and take discussion for
another 45 minutes. And afterwards, about half of the people, including the
speaker, showed up for the Post-Forum Debriefing at the upscale Uptown Brewery.
Here the spirited discussions continued over good food and drink.
Mike Johnson, our current Forom Speaker Coordinator, has promised to
continue the tradition of finding high caliber speakers for the monthly Forum.
We are looking for some unique speakers from you Mike! If you have any ideas
or suggestions for Forum speakers, please let Mike know.
TV Views
Another GPM activity where ideas run rampant and there are often spirited
discussions and debates is TV Views. Here a topical video is shown (usually
some type of documentary) and the group discusses the topic after the video.
And over the course of the evening Pizza and other snacks are served. Last month
we had one of the largest crowds ever – 15 people. Over the course of the evening
we consumed two large Pizza’s, popcorn, chips, cashews, and over 8 litters of
soda (next month I will have more treats on hand – just in case!).
The video we showed last time was the controversial “Tampering With Nature”
documentary by John Stossel. The resulting discussions afterwards ranged over
a broad range of topics including mankind’s influence on our environment, genetic
research, abortion, the use of stem cells for research plus many others. The
discussions were lively (due in part perhaps to the contributions of a couple
of college professors in attendance) and lasted for well over two hours. Everyone
seemed to have a good time.
You Are Invited!
Both the monthly Forums and the TV Views offer plenty of opportunity
for you to gain knowledge, be exposed to new ideas, and to be challenged with
alternative viewpoints. Aren’t these kinds of activities that most make Mensa
unique and not just another social club? And isn’t that uniqueness a major reason
you joined Mensa in the first place? You are hereby invited to get involved
and join the Mensa fun!