Tuesday, September 08, 2009

The Meaning Of Life In A Waste Paper Bin

There has been some degree of speculation over recent weeks - both on my blog and on others such as Chairman Bill's - on the meaning of life. It reminded me of a project I started a couple of years ago entitled : "The Meaning Of Life And Other Intractable Problems ... in Diagrams". It was part of a submission to a publisher who was looking for an idea for one of those books people keep in their toilets for browsing when there is little else to do. I submitted three projects - none of which I have to say were selected. Because I had been yet again ignored by the great outside world I lost interest in the project and never got past the first page. However, it was quite a first page and revealed the meaning of life in a single diagram.I reproduce it here because it might amuse you, it might interest you, it might annoy you - and too much work went into it for it to stay at the bottom of a publishers' waste bin for ever. Unless you have magnifying eyes you will probably have to click on the image to read it. (Note : It seems that the picture is reluctant to click-and-enlarge and therefore I have added this LINK to an on-line version)

9 comments:

  1. All I can say is that publisher was an idiot--it's brilliant. & the pic did enlarge for me (fwiw).

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  2. Wow..you put a lot of work into that! On the lighter side, love the Homer Simpson clip! But seriously, nice work...took me right back to college when I memorized most of this.

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  3. Alan, this is a brilliant piece. I liked it so much I'm taking a copy with me back to the manor for further perusal. The Shaw quote caught my eye, since I'm into all things George Bernard Shaw right now, reading Michael Holroyd's biography.

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  4. In an attempt to get things done, I haven't had time to look at the document in detail (it did enlarge for me)
    However, a quick glance confirmed that this is in fact a work of genius and hence something I will be returning to later. I agree with John - the publisher needs his head testing.

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  5. Anonymous4:24 PM

    Alan, I had no problem saving the image( for later perusal ). And John Hayes I agree with about the publisher!

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  6. The picture enlarged okay for me, Alan. Goodness me, you were right to publish, it's too good to leave at the bottom of the drawer, or wherever.

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  7. Anonymous6:37 PM

    I think the publisher missed his train. Wow. Impressed me.

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  8. Hmm I think life for me is a mix of the Dalai Lama, Albert Enstein and Camus . .with a little Homer Simpson thrown in. Quite a project that one Alan, I'd read it on the loo! Shakespeare's a bit of a party pooper!

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  9. Paul Simon is one of the most talented singer/songwriters of his generation. He sings with such emotion and you can hear his soul come through the music. He is an amazing musician that deserves more attention. I hope I can see him in concert sometime!

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