Words & Language: November 2004 Archives

I have been mulling over this phrase for some time.

Life appears to me to be composed primarily of objects, desires for objects and methods for obtaining the objects. For instance, there is an object called an iPod. If I want an iPod I use some methodology to get one. I may have money for an iPod in which case I exchange money for the iPod. I might not have money for an iPod in which case I would have to save my money or perhaps I would steal one.

The interesting part to me is not the method used for obtaining an object, like an iPod, and it's not the desire for the object itself, instead it is what I refer to as "the meaning".

I think about the desire for an object as being inextricably intertwined with the object. You can’t separate them or analyze them properly without changing each in some way. I would suggest it’s like quantum entanglement.

Like the atoms which are entangled, there is space between the entangled atoms. In fact in actuality the atoms are composed more of space than they are of matter anyway, no matter the distance. So what is the space between the desire for the object and the object? In my way of thinking that is where the meaning exists.

So what is the meaning, of my desire for an iPod?

It’s like the Counting Crows lyrics for the song "Mr. Jones".

“I want to be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody loves you, son, that's just about as funky as you can be”
--Counting Crows

The meaning implicit in my desire for an iPod is that I wish I was a Mac loving , funky, hipster, listening to cool tunes, possessing both the ability to dance and the desire to dance.

Who do I make so many errors in my grammar and speling when I type up a blog entry?

Is it because I am a looser?

A Collection of Internet related quotations.

I was looking for the authorship of the following quote.

Every statement is a kind of question, and every question is a kind of statement.

[via The Writers Almanac]

I have always been aware of the fact that there are things running through my head that I don't generally say out loud. Someone, who shall remain nameless, has been cajoling me to think about this approach to life.

So why do I censor myself?

There are legitimate reasons for one to censor themselves. There is no reason to tell everyone every thought that flits through your mind. In fact I am convinced that this would cause one to be a social outcast if they said everything they thought. It would cause immeasurable difficulty if one were to take this approach and hope to live in a social setting. Having an active internal censor is a virtue.

However, sometimes I keep the wall up a little too high. Even for good friends I keep my cards so close to the vest that i don't allow them to really know me. I think this is the behavior that I need to adjust a little. In fact I think this blog is a little "cry for help". Part of me wants to be very open and honest. (Of course, anyone who thinks blogging necessarily implies honesty needs to have their head examined.)

When does self-censorship move from being a social nicety to an outright lie? When does this conceit, of internal censorship, become deceit?

When speaking with a co-worker who was working from home this morning, I was inspired to write this short haiku.

 co-workers jammies
cottton or silk or flannel
I don't want to know