Weather, Pity, Liars, Weight

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Hi [Melinda].

We got about 7’’ of snow Friday night and yesterday but no sleet however.  This will probably be the last big snow we get, although I have seen snowstorms as late as the end of April.  We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

I’m probably going to take a few days off from writing.  I’ve been participating in a couple debates, besides the one with you about that controversial pity letter, and I’ve written over 15000 words in the past week and a half.  My wrists hurt, and so, I really want to be careful with this career not to become burned out.  I think that’s what happened with software.  I put in so many hours in a short period that eventually my brain just said, “That’s it.  Fort Pitt.  No more.  I refuse,”  and there was no going back.  So with writing, I’m trying very hard to work in moderation.  In addition to the writing, there’s the three daily hours of reading.  This Plato book, The Republic, is really quite taxing. I can follow its arguments okay, but remembering them?  Well, that’s an entirely different matter. 

Memory is a funny thing though, because I often feel like I don’t remember particular ideas, but when situations arise that call for them, they come flooding back into mind with the same clarity as when I first learned them.  I remember when I got mugged in Philly in 1999.  Convinced that my life was in jeopardy as the fellow chased me, cursing under his breath and swearing that he was going to get me, a memory surfaced that I know I hadn’t thought of in at least 20 years.  I recalled a self-defense class that I had taken in 1976, with amazing lucidity.  It was as though I had been transported back in time to 9th grade; more vivid than a dream.  In fact, if it weren’t for my pumping legs as I ran away from the mugger, I’d have sworn that I was reliving the class.  I could smell the wrestling mats on the gymnasium floor, and see the other people standing beside me.  Even little details came back, like the sounds of the peoples’ thighs rubbing together as they raised their legs to do the defense moves.  And, I could hear the teacher’s words as clearly as when she first uttered them.  She said, “If you ever find yourself trapped in a threatening situation, you scream!  Scream as loud as you can.”  Then, she let out this hair-curling yell that echoed for some quarter of a minute in our big old gym.  AS the resonance of her scream died, my mind returned me to the present, to that awful mugger chasing me.  I did as the memory instructed, and screamed so loudly that I set off several car alarms as the mugger and I ran past them.  At that point, fortunately, the assailant gave up and landed a parting blow on top of my head before retreating.  I felt so grateful that I had taken that class, and grew intrigued at the mystery of memory.  My memory often failed me in college, but it’s always been there when I’ve really needed it.  I just hope, getting back to Plato, that I’m remembering what I’ve learned from it and that the lessons will come back in the future, when I’m writing on topics for which they’re relevant. 

I hope, someday, to become a revered philosopher – or at least, someone who effectively argues his positions.  I’m about getting at the truth of all matters, although I tend more to write about love and relationships than anything else currently.  What I fear is that I’ve become intolerant of lies, whether big or small, black or white.  With lying being so commonplace and routine these days, Mom advises that I should find some way of coping with it.  But the more philosophy I read, the less I can accommodate it.  I’m seeking the truth, or at least, to get as close to it as I can, while others, with their lies, interfere with that quest.  I just hope that I don’t become so disgusted with the liars that I become reclusive.  That happens to so many philosophers.  But if that’s the road I’m going to have to follow, than I will do so gladly. 

Now on to the weight discussion, your words [...] produced the thoughts posted in my   Tom’s Views –> What Is Ideal Body Weight?   piece.  By the way, I really liked your 17’’ thighs.  Though you rarely wore shorts, at least you frequently donned tight-fitting jeans that revealed your shape nonetheless.

You sound depressed, especially if you don’t mind the thought of dying 30 years before your time.  So you might find that if you ate more healthfully, that your weight would go down and your depression would fade as well.  

Well, I’ve got to get going and tidy up my bedroom enough so that my sister can come in after while and clean it.  I hope you feel better.

Tom Hesley

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