"The [animal] is much more content with mere existence than man; the plant is wholly so. . . ." Arthur Schopenhauer
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Plural Blue in Third Person
Once he was diagnosed he understood the arc of his existence for the first time in his his life. With the benefit of hindsight he coupled the diagnosis with his character according to the law of dialectical materialism. He, too, attached the myriad situational facts, or at least the ones implanted so violently into his memory, to the algorithm. The die was cast. The result? Understanding. Alas he understood his station in life and even why he bemoaned it so, especially now that he was deeply within the middle age of his life. Aside from deleting hundreds of question marks from his chronicle, he also realized that with understanding comes wisdom -- a place he'd dropped anchor. Realizing this, he automatically faded back to that familiar plural blue, but only for a Pavlovian moment. This new knowledge and wisdom increased his longevity, but unfortunately that increased his suffering, too. Ecclesiastes nailed it when he, the Preacher, declared that great sorrow and vexation of spirit shadows great wisdom and knowledge. Indeed, Preacher.
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Great cover of Walking on the Moon, by one of my favorite bands, the Police. This is a great song about falling in love.
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NPR did a piece called "This I Believe" a few years back. Listeners were invited to recite their core beliefs about anything...