Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Lost in the Cosmos 2.0

C.S Lewis said there is no such thing as original thought in that we are all plagarizing from The Author. So i will continue some thought experiments from Walker Percy’s book about our modern condition..

(5) The Fearful Self: Why the Self is so Afraid of being Stuck with another Self

Johnny Carson, when questioned about his aplomb on the stage before a TV audience of millions replied: “Sure, I’m at ease up here-because I’m in control-but when I’m at a cocktail party and caught in a one-on-one conversation: panic city!”

Question: What do Johnny Carson and toher shy people fear why they are caught in a “one-on-one” conversation at a cocktail party? That is what is the worst case, the worst thing that can happen?

(a) That you can’t think of anything interesting to say and the other person will be bored?
(b) That the other person has nothing to say that you want to hear and you know you will be bored?
(c) That neither of you has anything to say and therefore the world will come to an end, or rather, something worse than the end of the world, or, as Carson would say, panic city- that is a predicament in which all options open to you are more intolerable than the end of the world?
(d) That there are only two means of escape, both of which are intolerable: either you leave, which will hurt the other person’s feelings, or the other person leaves, which will hurt your feelings?
(e) That you will be exposed, that is, that the unique unformulability, the singular nought, which you secretly believe yourself to be, will be exposed at last, the one black hole among a billion other ordinary stars?

(Check one)

Posted by Broun in 15:40:29
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One Response

  1. I m very pleased with your blog,i howp you will update it soon

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