From nicholas@uci.edu Fri Aug 24 01:27:34 2001 Return-Path: X-Sender: nicholas@uci.edu X-Apparently-To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_3_2); 24 Aug 2001 08:27:34 -0000 Received: (qmail 12982 invoked from network); 24 Aug 2001 08:27:33 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.26) by l8.egroups.com with QMQP; 24 Aug 2001 08:27:33 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO e4e.oac.uci.edu) (128.200.222.10) by mta1 with SMTP; 24 Aug 2001 08:27:33 -0000 Received: from [128.195.186.34] (dialin53a-24.ppp.uci.edu [128.195.186.34]) by e4e.oac.uci.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id BAA20318 for ; Fri, 24 Aug 2001 01:27:32 -0700 (PDT) X-Sender: nicholas@e4e.oac.uci.edu Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 01:30:38 -0700 To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Subject: A parable From: Nick Nicholas X-Yahoo-Message-Num: 10029 (1) "I am thinking," said Confucius, "that I am wise." .i mi pensi sei la konfucius.* cusku se'u ledu'u mi prije "Are you wise about strategy? About philosophy? About love? About the ways of the butterfly?" Confucius smirked. "Perhaps it is the butterfly. Perhaps strategy. Perhaps all of these. Perhaps none of these. I have not told you, and it is for you to divine. It matters naught; I am thinking," said Confucius, "that I am wise." *Sorry, I didn't look up the proper Chinese form. (2) "I am seeking," said Diogenes, "someone wise." .i mi sisku sei la diogenes. cusku se'u leka ce'u prije "It is someone wise about strategy you seek? Is it someone wise about philosophy? Someone wise in the ways of love? Perchance one wise in the orations of men?" Diogenes scowled. "I will be happy if you bring me one wise on strategy. If you bring me one wise in the ways of love, I will be astounded. If you bring me one wise in rhetoric, I will think you a liar. But it matters naught; whatever he claims wisdom in, just bring me that man who truly is wise." (3) "Like, I'm thinking," said Surfer Dude, "about like the concept of, like, being *wise*, man." .i .iepei mi pensi sei la serferDUD. cusku se'u le si'o .iepei ce'u ba'e prije ju'i do'u "Wise about what, dude?" "Wha?" "You know. Like, what's your special subject? What will you take on Jeopardy for $200? Is it, like, strategery? Or, philosophy? Or, like, babes? Or how to catch, like, a totally tubular wave, dude?" "Like, what is *wrong* with you, dude? I'm just thinking about the concept, you know. Like, in the abstract? Philosophical, like. Just... being *wise*, dude." "Like, totally." **** This is an irreverent counterpart to a posting I sent out earlier this evening (and which I meant much more seriously.) Those of you that have been following should recognise what I'm referring to, and what I'm advocating. (I know the rebuttal to doing things this way, btw, and I think I've addressed it in that earlier posting.) Nick Nicholas, TLG, UCI, USA. nicholas@uci.edu www.opoudjis.net "Most Byzantine historians felt they knew enough to use the optatives correctly; some of them were right." --- Harry Turtledove.