For this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, Linda G. Hill wants us to use the word “contrast” in our posts.
I can remember when I was in high school and college receiving writing assignments asking me to “compare and contrast” two or more somethings, like items, opinions, beliefs, or philosophies. My first reaction to such an assignment was typically something like, “Well, which do you want me to do, compare them or contrast them?”
After all, while “compare” and “contrast” are similar in that you’re looking at and evaluating things, they are not synonymous. To contrast something is to look for differences among two or more elements, but to compare something is to do the opposite, to look for similarities.
Let me give you a quick and simple illustration of “compare and contrast” by doing so with dogs and cats.
How dogs and cats compare (or are similar): both are household pets that are furry.
How dogs and cats contrast (or are different): A dog looks at you and thinks to himself, “You feed me, you shelter me, you love me. YOU must be God!” A cat looks at you and thinks to himself, “You feed me, you shelter me, you love me. I must be God!”
I hope that helps.
This, That, and the Other 
Apt! And familiar… I think I’ve heard that somewhere before. Maybe it was my cats…. 😉
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Yes, cats can be quite clear about how much you need them.
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But I know I really AM God, at least to the dogs because they poor beasties NEED me 🙂
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The ancient Egyptians thought that cats were gods.
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They KNEW cats were gods.
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Agreed
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I don’t like animals in my house. But for my friends pet I’m more of a Devil. They are pulled out of the house whenever I come. Remember that Sensei whenever you decide to invite me.
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Now that my kids are grown and out on their own, my four-legged pets are my family. They don’t get pulled out of the house for anybody.
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Yikes! So we should meet at Jim’s. And don’t worry Sensei I never ask anybody to pull them out. They do it on their own. I guess out of concern for my safety.
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