TITLE: In the Spirit of the Weekend
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: November 23, 2012  9:34 AM
DESC: 
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<EM>I am thankful for human beings' capacity to waste time</EM>.

We waste it in the most creative ways.  My life is immeasurably
better because other people have wasted time and created art
and literature.  Even much of the science and technology I
enjoy came from people noodling around in their free time.  The
universe has blessed me, and us.

~~~~

At my house, Thanksgiving lasts the whole weekend.  I don't mind
writing a Thanksgiving blog the day after, even though the rest
of the world has already moved on to Black Friday and the next
season on the calendar.  My family is, I suppose, wasting time.

This note of gratitude was prompted by reading
<A HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/nov/11/brian-eno-ha-joon-chang">
   a recent joint interview with Brian Eno and Ha-Joon Chang</A>,
oddities in their respective disciplines of music and economics.
I am thankful for oddities such as Eno and Chang, who add to the
world in ways that I cannot.  I am also thankful that I live in
a world that provides me access to so much wonderful information
with such ease.  I feel a deep sense of obligation to use my time
in a way that repays these gifts I have been given.
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