is there a “wrong” side of the net?
“Well… I want to flourish. Doesn’t everyone?” asked the Muse of Many Questions. “And I mean… if Aristotle… one of history’s most prominent thinkers thought it… we should pay attention, dontcha think?”
“Yes, and… you’re the timid one… always shushing us!” Thalia cartwheeled across the deck and raised her arms in the air like Gabby Douglas completing her floor routine. “Just say the word… and Nia and I will commence with our flourishing.”
Legs crossed, hair combed, lips lined and colored in a shade of perfect peach, Urania straightened the neckline of her blouse and added, “Tactfully… we will flourish tactfully by sharing our thoughts… ummm, thoughtfully… we can express our opinions at appropriate times and in appropriate ways so that they might be heard and not fall on emotionally charged deaf ears.” Urania performed a metaphorical dismount of her own… despite one ummm in her declaration.
“What is it that Aristotle said?” asked Thalia.
“Well… I read an article this morning and in a nutshell… the philosopher proposed that for something to flourish… like a well made sharp knife slicing a fresh garden tomato… we have to know it’s function and use it appropriately. He called it ergon.” Sweating in her 1/4 zip, long-sleeved dri-fit pullover Calliope squirmed on her wrought iron chair. After a quick trip to the powder room she continued… “Aristotle believed that since humans possess the faculty of reason… a flourishing human being exercises their mind by practicing the skill — of reasoning — which involves exploring thoughts outside of themselves and their immediate environments. In other words, they seek Truth through hearing other’s points of view.”
“Well… that’s in short supply these days,” Urania muttered.
“The article goes on to say… Good reasoning, then, is much more like a tennis match than like mountain climbing — one can, in principle, do the latter alone, but to become better at tennis, one must find someone else to play with, preferably of a similar skill level.” Calliope turned off her phone. “Perhaps we can practice among ourselves for a while… before taking our show on the road?”
“What on earth do you think we have been practicing Cal?” Thalia huffed — ever the anxious one to put a ball in play.
We have been talking about relationship lately in Problem Solvers a lot. Have you heard about "people need people" project? https://www.peopleneedpeople.online/whatispeopleneedpeople I found it fascinating. Gracias for the link [purple_heart]
“Begging your pardon, ma’am,” asked your reader of many ponderous questions…
Calliope lost me with “taking our show on the road.” As I tend toward literal meanings I began wondering if there is a tour for tennis doubles. Also wondered with which muse you would prefer to double up?
So then I considered a book tour. Book signings now that pandemic precautions are receding. Maybe a strategy to gather raw material for the next book?! Meeting folks from a range including Aristotelian to ponderous to preposterous! Or merely zany! (Yeah, the A-Z spectrum)
You might be picturing the Elephant/Telephone rhyme from back in the day:
Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use a telephant!
No! No! I mean an elephone,
Who tried to use the telephone.
(Dear me I am not certain quite,
That even now I’ve got it right.)
Howe’er it was he got his trunk,
Entangled in the telephunk.
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee.
I fear I better drop this song,
Of elephop and telephong.
Thanks to Laura Elizabeth Richards, “Eletelephony”)
That bit was intended to display the lack of cohesion in my mental processes. Ha ha! I bet you expected “meanderings.”
The original question remains. 🤔