The Fine Art of Conversation
Whenever I and the good Mr. Libel happen to be in the same neighborhood we have Conversations. These talks are engaged after and during a certain intake of alcohol and have properly been named by whatever brewage that was at hand for the occasion, namely: “The Port Wine Conversations”, “The Beer, Peanut and Cheap Cigar Conversations” and “The Carlsberg Conversations”.
While alcohol is by no means a prerequisite for a good, thorough travel between one’s respective worlds of ideas it does add a twist to it.
As the venerable Mr. Libel concluded is his brilliant ”On a model of the inherent flaws of communication and the critical point at which it breaks down”:
“I consider the communication channels that operate between [me and Mr. Reed] to be perhaps the most well-tuned ones.
One might even say that we are somewhat close to understanding one another.”
With that being said I would like to point out the fact that there is satisfaction to be found in overcoming obstacles and conquering new territories. With our communication channels so finely tuned there is simply not much of a challenge to traverse said channels in a clear state of mind.
It is my hope that some wisdom survived these conversations, along with a few brain cells.
With a starting point in “On a model of the inherent flaws of communication and the critical point at which it breaks down” I would like to claim that when the brain is muddled in alcohol the degree of fuzziness in the world of ideas increase while the filter that encompass it is weakened. This filter is a social construct we – sometimes for better, most times for worse – build and maintain in order to coexist with people outside our own personal sphere, i.e. everyone else. It is the masks we wear to get by in situations where it might not be a good idea to fully express one’s opinion with the words that first come to mind. It is always in effect, mostly by unconscious habit, and to lower it requires a great deal of trust for the recipient or an exhibitionistic mindset. Either that or lots and lots of beer.
“Only children and drunks tell the truth” is a proverb that comes to mind. Children are rarely bothered with the consequences of their statements and do not pay much attention to the underlying message they might convey. After thought comes action, not hindered by the cumbersome process of filtering that which may be seen as inappropriate and/or offending. It is a very direct form of communication, by its nature seemingly excluding an ulterior motive, which makes it prone to be mistaken for innocence. This makes clever children even more dangerous1.
While drinking may reduce your mental capabilities to that of a child it does not bring with it the illusion of innocence. What it does bring, however, is an increased urge for a more direct path towards progression in one’s goals2: “Giev […] now (gods damn it!)” instead of “I would perhaps like […] sometime in the future (if I may)”.
Following this reasoning it is clear that the people who undergo the most dramatic change after drinking are the ones that normally3 suppress their desires in a most unhealthy fashion. Incidentally they seem to be the exact same type of people who fiercely advocate sobriety, abstinence from sexual activities and other things that keep the mind and body “pure”.
There is more to be said on the topic of suppression of desire vis-à-vis mental stress but I will leave that to a possible future post.
For now, let us just conclude that you should nurse your temptations carefully lest you loose them and start thinking that getting a job deciding what's best for others might actually not be such a bad idea.
1I have no children of my own and have only brushed the surface of their evil, but what I have seen frightens me.
2 Since the world of ideas (or mind, if you will) is more distorted than usual and easily distracted in a drunken state the goals may vary from their sober counterparts. For instance, I have yet to meet a person who genuinely thinks it’s a good idea to urinate on an electric fence or to throw up in someone else’s mouth just for fun.
3Assuming that sobriety is the norm, of course.
While alcohol is by no means a prerequisite for a good, thorough travel between one’s respective worlds of ideas it does add a twist to it.
As the venerable Mr. Libel concluded is his brilliant ”On a model of the inherent flaws of communication and the critical point at which it breaks down”:
“I consider the communication channels that operate between [me and Mr. Reed] to be perhaps the most well-tuned ones.
One might even say that we are somewhat close to understanding one another.”
With that being said I would like to point out the fact that there is satisfaction to be found in overcoming obstacles and conquering new territories. With our communication channels so finely tuned there is simply not much of a challenge to traverse said channels in a clear state of mind.
It is my hope that some wisdom survived these conversations, along with a few brain cells.
With a starting point in “On a model of the inherent flaws of communication and the critical point at which it breaks down” I would like to claim that when the brain is muddled in alcohol the degree of fuzziness in the world of ideas increase while the filter that encompass it is weakened. This filter is a social construct we – sometimes for better, most times for worse – build and maintain in order to coexist with people outside our own personal sphere, i.e. everyone else. It is the masks we wear to get by in situations where it might not be a good idea to fully express one’s opinion with the words that first come to mind. It is always in effect, mostly by unconscious habit, and to lower it requires a great deal of trust for the recipient or an exhibitionistic mindset. Either that or lots and lots of beer.
“Only children and drunks tell the truth” is a proverb that comes to mind. Children are rarely bothered with the consequences of their statements and do not pay much attention to the underlying message they might convey. After thought comes action, not hindered by the cumbersome process of filtering that which may be seen as inappropriate and/or offending. It is a very direct form of communication, by its nature seemingly excluding an ulterior motive, which makes it prone to be mistaken for innocence. This makes clever children even more dangerous1.
While drinking may reduce your mental capabilities to that of a child it does not bring with it the illusion of innocence. What it does bring, however, is an increased urge for a more direct path towards progression in one’s goals2: “Giev […] now (gods damn it!)” instead of “I would perhaps like […] sometime in the future (if I may)”.
Following this reasoning it is clear that the people who undergo the most dramatic change after drinking are the ones that normally3 suppress their desires in a most unhealthy fashion. Incidentally they seem to be the exact same type of people who fiercely advocate sobriety, abstinence from sexual activities and other things that keep the mind and body “pure”.
There is more to be said on the topic of suppression of desire vis-à-vis mental stress but I will leave that to a possible future post.
For now, let us just conclude that you should nurse your temptations carefully lest you loose them and start thinking that getting a job deciding what's best for others might actually not be such a bad idea.
1I have no children of my own and have only brushed the surface of their evil, but what I have seen frightens me.
2 Since the world of ideas (or mind, if you will) is more distorted than usual and easily distracted in a drunken state the goals may vary from their sober counterparts. For instance, I have yet to meet a person who genuinely thinks it’s a good idea to urinate on an electric fence or to throw up in someone else’s mouth just for fun.
3Assuming that sobriety is the norm, of course.
posted by J.P. Reed at 05:00
4 Comments:
I feel tempted to reveal it already: My fellow bloggers and readers, the state of the club is... better left to the address.
I suggest the evaluation is to be started in a not so distant future.
a wiser man once said:
"But even though debates can be conducted in a civil tone, and our differences cannot be allowed to harden into anger. To confront the great issues before us, we must act in a spirit of goodwill and respect for one another -- and I will do my part. Tonight the state of our Union is strong -- and together we will make it stronger."
There have been rhetorically better addresses. The coming one will clearly be an example of this.
I certainly don't want to pressure you, but: "Giev address. Go go go!"
Otherwise I will take revenge and make YOUR Internet go down.
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