>
> Anyway, my reason for this question comes from my
> second operating axiom: To travel is better than
> to arrive. I have no desire to be given a point
> blank answer without a struggle -- I enjoy the
> *process* of learning, not the knowledge itself!
>
> ERiC
This is interesting because one of my operating axioms is to curse
the lesson but bless the knowledge....which I got from the title of a short
story I read years ago. Perhaps its just me, but I can't think of many
skills I've acquired where it was fun picking up the fundamentals. Does
anyone really love playing scales, hitting their thumb with a hammer,
breaking up with a S.O., having a loved one die?
Your axiom reminds me of a visit Quentin Crisp paid to Dayton. He
played Queen Elizabeth in Orlando. He said that the reason he played Queen
Elizabeth and the reason he came to Dayton was that he made it a policy
never to say No. He was a wonderful speaker and seemed like a wonderful
gentleman <in the 19th century sense of the word>... he referred to everyone
as Mr., Miss or Mrs.. In his autobiography "Diary of a Naked Civil Servant"
I didn't get the feeling that he was having a wonderful time learning ...
but rather that learning was better than the alternatives.
I'm pedantic on this point for two reasons: First its my nature,
and second, I would suggest that if you're not experiencing some painful
losses at the table I'd suggest your wagers are too small.