I read a Vonnegut quote the other day worth sharing. This is from A Man Without a Country (Random House, 2005):
I have to say this in defense of humankind: In no matter what era in history, including the Garden of Eden, everybody just got here. And, except for the Garden of Eden, there were already all these games going on that could make you act crazy to begin with.
And I’m not sure it was meant that way, but I find this idea comforting, the image of all us hopefully doing the best we can, but still basically looking around, trying to figure things out, once in a while going: “Sooooo…you’re saying if I push that lever, it makes the whoosie go off? Every time? Crazy!”
It reminded me of some advice I got from a friend way back in high school. At the time I was sweet on a girl who lived across the world. And I was bemoaning her across-the-worldness to him, and he said, “It’s not like she’s going anywhere.” By which he meant, mortality aside, she wasn’t about to jump the planet. She was still going to be here, looking up at the same moon, gripped by the same gravity. So what was the big deal?
OK. So (1) no matter our age, we basically just got here. And (2) until we die, here is pretty much where we’ll stay.
That works for me.
And yet, so many of those who just got here insist on the same methods of problem-solving of the “prior management” of 50, 250, 1,000 years ago, etc.
It would be nice to break some of those old patterns.
yeah, like that feeling of getting to the hotel at the beginning of your vacation, knowing there is so much to do, but just hitting the bed and hanging with your own drool and a “wait a minute”, glad ya made it, so much to see, yeah, yeah but happy to just plunk down. I think that’s enough, until we get home.
And yet, so many of those who just got here insist on the same methods of problem-solving of the “prior management” of 50, 250, 1,000 years ago, etc.
It would be nice to break some of those old patterns.
yeah, like that feeling of getting to the hotel at the beginning of your vacation, knowing there is so much to do, but just hitting the bed and hanging with your own drool and a “wait a minute”, glad ya made it, so much to see, yeah, yeah but happy to just plunk down. I think that’s enough, until we get home.
and then room service sends a snake up with an apple….