What it isWhat it is
“Total freedom is both the dream of every artist and a promise of catastrophe.” — Anthony Lane, “Wives’ Tales”
Month: May 2011
A matter of facilityA matter of facility
“The words of the man who has a proper regard for his fellows are uttered with difficulty.” — The Analects of Confucius, Book XII (trans. Jennings)
Survival of the cleanestSurvival of the cleanest
“If a cat walks around smelling like yesterday’s lunch it is much more likely to attract the unwanted attention of both what it is hunting and what is hunting it.” — Dodman, The Cat Who Cried for Help
The Dunning-Kruger effectThe Dunning-Kruger effect
“People who don’t know much tend not to recognize their ignorance, and so fail to seek better information.” — James Surowiecki, “Greater Fools”
ApprehensionApprehension
“Learn, as if never overtaking your object, and yet as if apprehensive of losing it.” — The Analects of Confucius, Book VIII (trans. Jennings)
I am not an attorneyI am not an attorney
Twenty years ago I began working in legal support, first as a data entry clerk and soon after that as a paralegal. The story I’m posting this week, “Legal Advice”, is written from my experiences in the trade. It was first published a half-dozen years ago in Ontario Review.
SufficiencySufficiency
“Ki Wan was one who thought three times over a thing before he acted. The Master hearing this of him, observed, ‘Twice would have been enough.'” — The Analects of Confucius, Book V (trans. Jennings)
Yin meets yangYin meets yang
“Learning, without thought, is a snare; thought, without learning, is a danger.” — The Analects of Confucius, Book II (trans. Jennings)
AnalecticalAnalectical
“To govern simply by statute, and to reduce all to order by means of pains and penalties, is to render the people evasive, and devoid of any sense of shame.” — The Analects of Confucius, Book II (trans. Jennings)
Taking flightTaking flight
“Words give wings to the mind and make a man soar to heaven.” — Aristophanes, The Birds (trans. unknown)
Light the candleLight the candle
“Every part of this ship was built by the low bidder.” — Alan Shepard, pilot of Freedom 7, May 5, 1961
In case there’s any misunderstandingIn case there’s any misunderstanding
“Weak mortals, chained to the earth, creatures of clay as frail as the foliage of the woods, you unfortunate race, whose life is but darkness, as unreal as a shadow, the illusion of a dream.” — Aristophanes, The Birds (trans. unknown)
Once we’re all ill, think how rich we’ll beOnce we’re all ill, think how rich we’ll be
“There is no sufficiency principle, no ability to say ‘enough.’ Every last scrap of material, every last inch of earth, every last iota of human attention and experience, must become a commodity in order to feed the market maw. There is no other option. A system that supposedly embodies ‘choice’ in the end doesn’t give us any. The mechanism grinds on, out of synch with both the natural systems that sustain it and the needs of the humans who comprise it. ‘Prosperity’ becomes another word for ecological and social dysfunction, and a staggering increase in illth. This dysfunction is a daily experience for most of us. Yet for most economists it does not exist. In their view an increase of expenditure is by definition an increase in well-being, so there is no need to inquire further. To the contrary, problems make the GDP go up. Cancer begets costly cancer treatments; stress leads to the consumption of prescription drugs, and on and on.” — Bollier and Rowe, “The ‘Illth’ of Nations” (http://www.bostonreview.net/BR36.2/jonathan_rowe_david_bollier_economy_commons.php)
Putting things in perspectivePutting things in perspective
“Play is never taken seriously by the players–that’s one of its hallmarks. If it does become serious, it ceases to be play.” — Dodman, The Cat Who Cried for Help