Are you telling me . . .
This conversation from 40 years ago is burned into my memory. I still remember the incredulity of the tone. Let’s go back in time together.
Are you telling me . . .
Yeah, never a good start. Especially when it’s repeated. From his point of view, he’s giving me fair warning: a chance to recant. An opportunity to climb down from an untenable position. Clearly, in his mind, what I just said was ridiculous.
Are you telling me
that you can create crust
by cutting bread differently?
Well. Put like that, it does sound silly. I forget which grade of school it was, but I know some Science class covered the first three laws of thermodynamics: the conservation of energy, the law of increased entropy, and a law which can’t be summarized neatly so when they need a short form they just refer to it by the name of the scientist who formulated it. My confident challenger is invoking a corollary:
Crust can be destroyed, sure,
but it cannot be created.
Or is he not so much invoking as making up? Let’s take a little side trip for a moment, to colour/color.
Color is a function of the human visual system, and is not an intrinsic property. Objects don’t have a color, they give off light that appears to be a color. Spectral power distributions exist in the physical world, but color exists only in the mind of the beholder. Our perception of color is not an objective measure of anything about the light that enters our eyes, but it correlates pretty well with objective reality. (emphasis in original)
Not an intrinsic property. . . . Color exists only in the mind of the beholder. All right, then. Hold that thought and let’s go back to the bread.
Imagine a baguette. Cut it into rounds. Bite into one of those rounds. Now consider two questions:
- Is there lots of crust in that mouthful?
No. - After you start can you take a bite without getting any crust?
Of course.
Now imagine that same loaf, magically whole again, and cut it horizontally down its length. Bite into one of those halves and consider again:
- Is there lots of crust in that mouthful?
Yes. - After you start can you take a bite without getting any crust?
Of course not.
QED. Cutting the baguette horizontally makes more crust. Or, as a Physics website might say:
Crust is a function of the human tasting system,
and is not an intrinsic property of the bread.
To be fair, I can see how someone might have missed that subtlety.
Our perception of crust is not an objective measure
of anything about the bread that enters our mouths,
but it correlates pretty well with objective reality.
Ah, objective reality: It can be so misleading. That’s why we have Science. But it’s Philosophy which tells us what to do with this insight — beyond the important take-away of cutting bread differently depending on how much crust we want — and here it is.
Fun is a function of the human living system,
and is not an intrinsic property of life.
By including fun in everything I do — even just in tiny amounts — I can have more fun. Or more connection, or affection, or gratitude, or whatever crust I choose to include in every bite of the bread of my life.
Are you telling me
that you can create crust
by cutting bread differently?
Yes. Literally and figuratively. So there.
Isabel
“Crust is a function of the human tasting system,
and is not an intrinsic property of the bread.”
Now, just a cotton-pickin’ minute! I know people who don’t like to eat the crusts. Is that all in their head…I mean their taster?
Tom
Tom – Well, it’s somewhere in that chain. 🙂
Now, now, Isobel, don’t get all crusty. 😀
Yes! Seeing the fun is the secret ingredient in everything we do, see, ear and say. Even hard stuff — if you’re open to it there is humour in any situation and if not exactly at the time, in retrospect there will be. I remember the phrase “Added interest” said to a friend of mine by her husband when she wanted to move to a non-sneaky pew. She nodded with a smile and they didn’t move.
When a young daughter of a friend fell into their icy stream on the first day of spring, she cried and her father said, “Congratulations, Amy! You win the First sSoaker of the Year Award!” and he had her write (well, print) her name on a 12″, beaver-striped, smooth, white little log. That log went on to be filled with the signatures of visiting friends and other “soakers” — all the good memories over the years felt again as we held that smooth little log.
Barbara – 🙂 Others (especially young children) often look to other people to see how to react. Is this a catastrophe or something to laugh about? Again, less an intrinsic property than something we invest in the situation.
Yep. It’s all about one’s reaction to “trouble”.
Friends of ours in England watched with their two small children (from a safe distance) their house burn up late one night. They didn’t want their kids to be scared, even told them to look! see how beautiful it was!
It was all repaired and the mother said it’s now a nice warm house, was always cold! and glad it happened.
And, re above name — also date.
Isabel – a baguette can never have too much crust!!
John – Exactly!
I’ll let my crusty friend Tom deal with the question of crusts, and go instead to your secondary thesis, that “Fun is a function of the human living system,
and is not an intrinsic property of life.” That is a profound assertion, almost equal to the guy who declared, “I think, therefore I think I am,” or something like that. I take the statement as almost credal — if it’s not fun, why I am bothering to do it?
Jim T
Jim – Maybe fun is God’s way of letting us know we’re on the right track. 🙂
Good fun! And a fascinating note in the sidebar about baby laughter that I want to delve into from the standpoint of physical maturation. And now, since I crave some crusty French baguette, I must make some!
Laurna – If you like last week’s laughing baby, you’ll love this week’s! I did not know you’re a breadmaker. I have sourdough-maker sin my family, but I’ve never taken it up. Enjoy!