Miscellaneous Rambling
Amen to that Nassim Taleb quote a posted yesterday. "[A]ny argument (such as the one now used for illegal immigration) that is supported by pictures/narratives of children is called PEDOPHRASTY. Actually, use of children should weaken an argument." I strongly agree. I'm not sure what Taleb's reasoning is, but from my perspective: (1) The government has undertaken great mischief in the name of "the children," and (2) If you need to invoke "the children," you must not have a complete argument.
It kind of reminds me a conversation about a Ted Nugent concert one of my friends saw in high school. He said The Nuge ran across a catwalk a hundred feet above the audience then jumped off the catwalk onto the stage . . . by wearing a harness, which gave the illusion that he was flying over the top of the arena. My friend thought it was great. Another friend observed, "A truly great guitarist doesn't need to do those stunts." That's how I feel about political arguments that invoke the children. IF you need to appeal to that type of strong emotional reaction, your argument can't be that good. And, in fact, once you use that tact, there should be a strong presumption against your position, since you've now clouded it with emotion.
Good Father's Day yesterday. Man, it was hot: heat index 100. Marie and the kids came to the produce site first thing in the morning in honor of The Great Day, but it was just too brutally hot to work much longer than an hour. I stuck around for almost three hours, but I was absolutely drenched with sweat, and it was only 10:30 AM when I knocked off. I then jumped in the pool, dried off, and put on my pajamas for the day.
Random Blurb from the Notebooks: From time to time (amidst duties), briefly stop what you are doing. Relax. Observe your pace and your posture. Watch the depth and length of your breathing. Unknot any body tensions. 'Rest, rest, perturbed spirit' (Hamlet, I v). Recommit yourself ”“ your current work and your entire life ”“ to God. R. Daniels, The Virgin Eye.
