Nope. Not even a little.
Tag Archives: dailyprompt
PROMPT: Before the Internet
Yes, yes. We read these things called books. They hurt much worse when you dropped one on your toe (but much less than the stone tablets of the preceding generation,) but at least you wouldn’t be out $1,200 (USD) if they took a bad bounce.
PROMPT: All
Health, food, air, water, love, and thought… that about covers it.
Sure, why not?
PROMPT: Talk
I’d like to be able to talk to anyone in Mandarin soon, unfortunately my pace of learning is so glacial as to preclude talking “soon” — at least on broad and undefined topics. [Note: When I say “anyone” I mean anyone who speaks Mandarin and has interesting things to say.]
PROMPT: Belongings
I do have a jō (short wooden staff) of which I’m fond. I crave books, but since I could care less whether I read them as paper or on a screen and gladly give any but those with long-term reference value away after reading, I don’t think they count.
Being fonder of ideas than anything material, I like the story about Diogenes the Cynic who, upon seeing a boy drink from cupped hands, threw away his cup in self-anger for being such a hoarder.
PROMPT: Collections
I collect experiences, but they are very slippery and will not stay in a row on a shelf to be displayed.
PROMPT: Legacy
If “legacy” is defined as something left behind that serves to keep one’s memory alive, then I don’t. I think that goal is futile, illusory, and a bit narcissistic. Even those who are “remembered” long after their deaths are not truly remembered. For example, the Alexander the Great who is remembered to this day likely bears little resemblance to the one who was flesh and blood. What we remember are products of imagination. [Which is fine, but then why tie them to people who lived as opposed to purely fictional ones?]
If I could leave behind some configuration of knowledge of the art of human living that would be helpful to anyone (without it being tied to my identity or memory) that would be a fine thing.
PROMPT: Cold Weather
How do you feel about cold weather?
In the abstract, sitting here in the tropics, I’m fond of the idea of winter. When I’m in cold weather, I’d prefer not to be.
PROMPT: Broken Bone
Have you ever broken a bone?
To the best of my knowledge, I have never broken a bone — neither mine nor anyone else’s.
But it’s not been for a lack of trying.
PROMPT: Sacrifices
What sacrifices have you made in life?
I’ve thrown coins in a fountain, and I once went to a pig roast where someone prayed out loud before we ate, but I’ve never pushed anyone into a volcano — if that’s what you’re getting at.
