On the Roof

Dear Chris,

This post is over a week old, but here it is. Take your time in responses, for I will continue to post.

Today, I write to you from the roof of Gibbs Laboratory. After first being taken up here by a professor in February, I have always held this place in slight romantic idealization, as a place I would go to to relax and get away from it all. Only I was always to busy to do. Working in Gibbs over the summer, I was always so close. So finally, I have come. I brought a foldable lawn chair, and am sitting overlooking the city, East Rock, and ocean. It is absolutely gorgeous, and offers me a view not often available. It is quite windy here, which helps fight the heat, which I actually can't feel at all at this writing.

I find I am most primed to write late at night, when it is past my reasonable bedtime. I just don't seem to have the drive to write will sitting here peacefully on the roof. It's funny how that works, that we want to write the most when we have the least time to do so.

I think the Quality mentioned in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is very close to the passion after which we strive. Because Passion does make us more interesting people, and someone who lolls around all day (this is a word, no?) is not as interesting as someone who actually does something. But is this then Quality of Life? I mean, they say in the book (I'm sorry that I'm going on about a book that I would assume neither you nor our dear readers (Wizard People, Dear Reader is awesome, for the record. Watched it before going to see the midnight showing of the sixth movie, which was equally awesome) have read, but I think I can explain out the ideas a necessary amount) that you know quality when you see it, and I think it can be agreed to that someone who sits around all day watching TV doesn't have a very high quality life.

Why is it that we judge someone (we = me) much more harshly for spending a day watching TV or watching movies than we judge those who spend the day reading? Is it because reading is more interactive, at more of an individuals pace, leaving time for thought and reflection, while TV shows and films just whip right past us. Or is it the higher quality of books on average to TV shows? Or is it really that if I look closely I'll find that I despise people who spend the whole day doing solely one activity in such a solitary manner as that? Perhaps that is the case.

Back to Quality. You can certainly see this in day to day conversation. I think we call it being earnest, don't we? Or sincere.

But you know what I mean. Some people seem to do everything with the same calm attention and detail, and I feel like we all coalesce around such people.

Love,

Alan