On the Other Hand

   Fictionists, Linguists,

    Transcendentalists

 "The Damned Human Race" 

                                (Twain)

"Ideas can hurt people, he
would say.  Ideas are damaging.
I would rather have a man come
at me with an ax than a Big Idea."

Edward Abbey,
A Fool's Progress

The damage done. Some

of you know the etymology

of “damn” is “damage”

Damaged & damaging, damnit:

who isn’t?  Moving violations.

Say  wounded or vulnerable if

you like, it’s  the damage done

if I do or if I don’t do.,

My good old man said people

are more important  than ideas. 

He's right.. Most would agree.

Still: I prefer ideas:  In school

mode, at least, if not in church

and state modes.  

Gamechangers.

      On the Other Hand:

Muddle, mess, confusion,

indeterminacy, unpredictability,

inarticulateness, lack of purpose,

aim, goals, fooling with margins

of error and rooms for play.

     On the One Hand:

Consistency, coherence. clarity,

agenda, protocol, focus, purpose

policy, articulate precision,

measureable outcomes, rate and

assess: getting stuff done.

The dominant set of values and

pair of dimes = On the One Hand,

yes?

On the Other Hand: forget about it.

The sound of one hand clapping.

School.  .