Monday, May 25, 2009

Nothing and thus something?

A new approach.
I am going to start writing with the intention of saying nothing, thus lowering expectations to zero and relieving myself of any responsibility to produce something. In fact, I may have to delete this if it accidentally becomes something, which would mean I had failed yet again.
Of course, 'something' has to be defined before that decision can be made.

Something: a certain undetermined or unspecified thing

Now wait. Does that make sense to you?

How can I know if this blog has morphed from nothing to something, if 'something' is undetermined or unspecified? By that definition, it is already something, and must be deleted.
Hang on, there's a second definition.

a person or thing of some value or consequence: He is really something! This writer has something to say and she says it well.

Well, exactly. But that is the question, not the answer. Who says she wrote something of value? I may think this is becoming something and you may think it is absolutely nothing. You may already know the meaning of something, and have no need of this pithy and profound examination of the word.

Luckily, I am the only one reading this, and I have decided it is unequivocally 'nothing', and thus may be posted. If at some future date, someone protests that it is indeed something, even if of dubious value, I will reconsider-- unless I determine that they are no one.

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