These are things that have occurred to me at one time or another, some whimsical, some not. Usually I manage to keep such thoughts to myself. But a website is an odd form of modern communication that encourages some experimental self-expression. Or to put it another way: no one's likely to read this anyway.
Further reflection has a way of undermining certainty; I think, therefore I'm not sure.
Tyranny begins when the other side of the coin looks suspiciously like the first side.
The time to get nervous is when you see row after row of heads nodding in agreement. Fervor is especially unattractive in large crowds.
Once you start a thought you should finish it. Don't stop somewhere pleasant along the way or take a detour just to be sociable.
If it's True, it may not be Self-Evident. Be prepared to reason it
out.
Talk softly and carry a big idea.
Morality is what you do with a clear conscience. Immorality is what you resent other people doing with a clear conscience.
Punctuality is most satisfying when the other person is late. It's all in the fuming.
Appearances are deceiving; disappearances are even better.
Sometimes I'm struck by the grandeur of the universe; other times it's just a big demolition derby running low on gas.
Life is pointless; you're free to point it anywhere you want it to go.
People try to make ciphers of themselves in the hopes that some cryptographer will find the challenge irresistable.
If you insist on turning over every rock, you're bound to find something slimy. In Freudian terms, this makes the Superego a better dinner date than the Id.
If civilization is a thin veneer, it doesn't do to go at it with a chainsaw.
A little pain never hurt anyone.
I've seen order; I'll take chaos.
Inertia is unforgiving. If you could stop the world on a dime it would be tough on a lot of people with mobile homes.
Emotion is biology calling the shots. Of course it's irrational; that's why it feels so good.
You know that little tingle up and down your spine you feel when the flag unfurls and the anthem plays? That tingle is distantly related to the way an animal's fur bristles when an intruder threatens. It's part of the heritage of every creature that has had the nerve to stand firm.
Aggression, jealousy -- all these crazy yearnings to wreak havoc and get away with it -- these things are wound into the wires that make us dance, those little spirals of DNA. Tangled up in those same wires are cooperation, altruism, and good old love, tugging us one way, then another. Is it any wonder that history doesn't unfold like a minuet?
Think first, feel second. Once you've thought about it, you'll know how to feel.
Religions are founded on the same needs that create Complaint Departments. There's nothing like a truly stunning grievance to make us want to talk to the one in charge.
"Social justice" is like "home cooking"; it sounds good but has a different taste in every mouth.
No man is an island but you can dig a very handy moat.
The best fashion statement is "no comment."
Irony is when the Easter Bunny gets run over by the Easter parade.
Copyright © 2002 by Rodger Pardee