RE: make `occur' use word at point as default

[Drew Adams]

        However, you might consider giving access to a list of
        "default values" (more than just 1 or 2) via _different_
        keys from M-n and M-p - the arrow keys, for instance.

    Finding other keys would be difficult.

Why? There is currently a good deal of redundancy in the bindings for
`next-history-element' and `previous-history-element'. These minibuffer
history-list commands are bound to *FOUR PAIRS* of keys: (1) arrows [up] /
[down], (2) C-n / C-p, (3) M-n / M-p, and (4) [next] / [prior]. (Well,
actually, [prior] is then rebound to `switch-to-completions'.)

[Not to mention M-r, and M-s, which also provide access to previous
minibuffer input (and ESC ESC C-x, which provides access to previously
executed commands).]

Could none of those history-list bindings be sacrificed for accessing
"default" values (such as those Juri & Stefan have mentioned, and/or the
values in `minibuffer-completion-table')?