Re: poem


Subject: Re: poem
From: Mattis Fishman (mattis@argoscomp.com)
Date: Tue Apr 18 2000 - 11:27:50 EDT


Dear Scottie,

I have been sitting for too much time trying to think of a compliment
that would be both kind and witty. I have given up on the wit, having
only got half of one today, and will have to say simply that I enjoyed
your "poem" as well as the previous post, about goodness versus art.

You, of course, see through my attempts at being self-deprecating,
witty, and "wise", and I intend them to be transparent, but it was
so hard to pass up such a leading question. Still my answer was leaning
in the direction that it doesn't really make much of a difference what
we call those building blocks of character, as long as one builds.

I liked how you wrote that:
        'Wisdom' or 'understanding' or 'insight' are two a penny - & will come
        to most people whether they like it or not, in modest
        quantities, if they live long enough. Keep your nose clean,
        keep smiling, avoid any positive action that might look
        a bit dodgy & 'goodness' will be added as the cherry to put
        on top.
but am afraid that you are extrapolating from your extraordinary self
to an unknown percentage of what is called humanity. Most people's
wisdom seems to consist on picking football games or stocks, and their
insight is most likely to focus on the opposite sex.

What really surprises me, though, is that I would imagine that
a person in your profession would be working to bring a person back in
touch with the real world by concentrating on the mundane and letting
the person get a satisfying, if unexhilirating, picture of himself, as
opposed to focusing on the genius, so often unstable or unpredictable.
This would seem more in the line of "self-help", yoga style, than
artistic brilliance. Yes, a Mozart is a rare, brillant meteor, shining
briefly for our delight and enlightenment, but do you resent the fact that
the rest of us have to be more concerned with singing lullabies to our
children or spouses?

all the best,
Mattis
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