Tag: random

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RE:

RE: The Law

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about.

I missed the bus yesterday, but it got stuck in traffic and I passed it on foot. Some sleep-deprived, Coca-Cola-animated part of my brain said, “Climb on top of the bus and ride it to the next stop!” And the rest of my brain said: “That’s illegal!”

I’m certain that it is illegal. But it’s weird that I’ve never actually read that law anywhere. This got me wondering. I’ve lived my whole life following the law. (I assume so. I’ve never gotten arrested.) But what does it actually look like? Is it even available to the public?

One day I decided to go find it. That was a fun Google search. “What is the law?” And I found it! It’s actually called The Code, which sounds extremely cult-y. (Specifically, the U. S. Code, Utah Code, etc.) Soon I was knee-deep in the mire of building regulations. I like to think I’m a fairly intelligent guy but I could hardly understand a word. The Latin didn’t help.

As people of letters, we’re prone to giving a hard time to nonliterate cultures who transmit information through oral tradition. Yet even in this highly literate society, the reason I didn’t climb on top of that bus was the oral tradition of “what’s probably illegal” (et amplius my self-preservation instinct). This tradition is both more accessible and more comprehensible than the actual law, which chances are, you probably haven’t read, and probably couldn’t understand if you wanted to. So for those of us who aren’t lawyers—the “literate upper class,” if you will—the entire legal foundation of society is a matter of trust, tradition, and a general assumption that bus-riding is off the table. Strange, right?

What do you think? Have you ever read the law? ∎

“RE:” is a series of essays of 300 words or less about pretty much anything. This is the third installment. Previously:
RE: 1. Parasocial Relationships
RE: 2. Not Knowing

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Random

枕草子: Delightful Things

(Image credit: Myself. Origami credit: Some really cool unknown person.)

The poet Ross Gay came to BYU this month and read some of his work at the English Reading Series. Ross’s skill with the English language is astounding, but what left the biggest impression was his attitude and character. “If you give yourself the task of noticing what you love,” he said, “your life is gonna be more full of what you love.”

I’ve been reading a book by another expert noticer of things. 清少納言 (Sei Shōnagon) recorded her observations and musings in 枕草子, The Pillow Book, a private journal that was leaked and circulated among her contemporaries. The book is full of anecdotes of court life mixed with all kinds of lists. Her observations are often as relatable as they are humorous. Do you relate to any of these?

  • Things About Which One Is Liable to Be Negligent: Preparations for something that is still well in the future.
  • Things That Make One’s Heart Beat Faster: To pass a place where babies are playing.
  • Things That Arouse a Fond Memory of the Past: To pass the time, one starts looking through some old papers and comes across the letters of a man one used to love.
  • Annoying Things: One has sent someone a poem (or a reply to a poem) and, after the messenger has left, thinks of a couple words that ought to be changed.
  • Things That Give a Pleasant Feeling: To throw equal numbers repeatedly in a game of dice.
  • Elegant Things: A pretty child eating strawberries.
  • Embarrassing Things: Parents, convinced that their ugly child is adorable, pet him and repeat the things he has said, imitating their voice.
  • Hateful Things: A man with whom one is having an affair keeps singing the praises of some woman he used to know… Even more hateful if he is still seeing the woman!

It’s a fun and fascinating read! Inspired by 少納言’s lists, and by Ross, here’s my own list of Delightful Things I’ve noticed lately, with pictures.

A paper dragon on campus.

Chalkboard art in the common room.

The light and shadows on the interior of the bus at evening.

This sign near the student center.

A still dragonfly.

An illustration drawn by one of my students while I was teaching.

Fried pickles at Texas Roadhouse.

A heart drawn on the concrete while it was wet.

Have you seen anything delightful lately? ∎

Categories
RE:

RE: Not Knowing

Eric Attica 2023

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about.

In my culture, knowing is a virtue. It’s a symbol of power to know things (presidents and professors and CEOs are expected to be in the know), and an embarrassment to be ignorant.

Have you ever pretended to know something, or have seen something? I’ve said I’ve seen Psych, even though I’ve only seen two episodes all the way through, and I’ve definitely pretended to know the story of Orpheus in Greek mythology. What if I asked you right now why the sky is blue? Do you know? Would you pretend to know?

As a scholar-in-training, it’s my job to know things. But I can only learn things if I admit I don’t know them. Yesterday I realized that I really don’t know how rivers work. Where does the water actually come from? Why doesn’t the water run out? Why is it easier to grow things around rivers? Dumb questions—anyway, I found and read an article for grades 5–12 about how rivers work, and now I think I understand the world a little better.

It’s the ancient question: Why was Socrates wise? The prophetess says there is no man wiser than he, and Socrates decides to try find a wiser person in order to test her words. “I know that I have no wisdom, small or great,” he says. He talks to all occupations of society and discovers that that they are all less wise than they think they are, and realizes that he his wise not because his wisdom is great, but because he accurately knows that he knows nothing.

Ignorance may not be a virtue, but being honest about one’s ignorance is. What do you think? Have you asked any “dumb questions” lately?