[b]Jonathan Nolan
Not too many professions out there that value forgetfulness. Prostitution, maybe. Politics, of course.[/b]
At least until we reelect you.
Everybody else needs mirrors to remind themselves who they are. You’re no different.
I know what you’re thinking: do I?
Every man is a mob, a chain gang of idiots. The only way out of this mess, of course, is to take steps to ensure that you control the idiots that you become. To take your chain gang, hand in hand, and lead them. The best way to do this is with a list.
So, Kids, how do you control your own gang of idiots?.
For a few moments, the secrets of the universe are opened to us. Life is a cheap parlor trick. That’s the miserable truth.
He means this: “A practiced skill with very limited purpose or functionality. Used primarily to impress people, but usually only once.”
We used to look up in the sky and wonder at our place in the stars; now, we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.
If not the quicksand.
If time and fear aren’t enough to dissuade people from their revenge, then there’s always authority, softly shaking its head and saying, ‘We understand, but you’re the better man for letting it go. For rising above it. For not sinking to their level. And besides,’ says authority, ‘if you try anything stupid, we’ll lock you up in a little room’.
That’ll do it. You know, for most of us.