31–40 of 41 posts
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What is the benefit of not being "a bit socially deviant"?
Yours ? Not being regarded as "odd". Society's ? Not having to deal with the friction created by eccentrics.
I call shenanigans on Dr Einstein. “Sheep May Safely Graze" is as pop-ish as Bach can get and it would not have been surprising if Bing Crosby put lyrics to it and sang it.
Now if only our nation's science and math teachers could open their students' eyes to the beauties of understanding the world.
My favorite part of this story is actually where the author admits that he categorically loathes any music that doesn't have a catchy hook and someone singing words he can follow. A pet peeve of mine has always been how _everyone_ claims to like music. When there are people who dislike ice cream, people who dislike movies, people who dislike sports, people who dislike dancing...why is it that you never meet anyone wh…
Also consider that if you're a musician, people are less likely to say that they dislike music to your face, out of politeness. I don't think it's so much cultural pressure as it is unusual. It's like meeting somebody who doesn't like art. It is so common and there are so many kinds out there that categorically disliking it entirely is strange. Most people probably do not want to be seen as strange. It's also possibl…
I am touched by this story. Any chance of it being true? (not that it matters, truth being beauty an' all).
One of my academic advisors was Professor Robert Borkenstein (he invented the breathalyzer, among other things.) Before he got into academia, he had worked as a police captain and forensics advisor to various organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police. I was visiting Borkenstein's office once, long after he became a Professor Emeritus, and I commented on some artwork he had on the wall. I was really just making small-talk out of nervousness, and I hadn't really even looked at the drawings beyond a quick glance. Borkenstein perked up and asked me to really examine the drawings, and tell him what I thought about them. They were just sketches and doodles, mostly...nothing elaborate. I was going to just say they were 'nice" out of courtesy, when I realized a few of them were signed...by Albert Einstein.
It turned out that Borkenstein had worked as a guard for Einstein and some of the other scientists involved in the US nuclear efforts when he was younger. He wasn't supposed to interact with any of them, he was just there to help insure their protection. One day, Bob was so curious about the mechanics of something they were discussing that he forgot his place and asked a question. Einstein apparently spent quite a bit of time explaining the confusing concept, and became fond of Bob and his curiosity. He recognized that Bob had a very inventive mind and apparently wanted to encourage it, so whenever Bob worked a shift, Einstein would chat with him. Einstein had drawn most of the sketches on the wall to explain various concepts, although some of them were just absent-minded sketches. He let Bob keep them when the protection detail ended.
The sketches meant a great deal to Bob, and I think he had kept them somewhere in his office for his entire career. I also think the sketches (and personal attention from Einstein) helped provide some of the impetus for Bob's inventing career. Unfortunately, I don't recall all of the details Bob gave when telling his story about the Einstein discussions, but I remember that he was very reverential, awed that Einstein had taken the time to discuss important things with a guard. I think Einstein was genuinely fascinated with how other people view the world...and they say a new perspective is worth XXX IQ points, right?
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Virtually everyone likes food, but not everyone is a gourmand. I think it's mostly the same way with music. People may not like the music you like, but they still like music.
People don't need music to live, like they do with food. It's a different situation. My assertion is that if there are people who don't "do" art and people who don't "do" theater, then there must be people who don't "do" music. Yet I've never met anyone who will say this aloud.
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People don't need music to live, like they do with food. It's a different situation. My assertion is that if there are people who don't "do" art and people who don't "do" theater, then there must be people who don't "do" music. Yet I've never met anyone who will say this aloud.
People don't need to like food to live, and yet they do.
feels made up.
The table of contents are highlighted in this eBay posting, corroborating the byline.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Readers-Digest~November-1955_W0QQitemZ12...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yours ? Not being regarded as "odd". Society's ? Not having to deal with the friction created by eccentrics.
Heaven forbid society should have to deal with something different! Do you actually believe this or are you just playing the advocate?
Cool story, but what Einstein does here--escorting a stranger out of a concert for a private music listening training session--is downright strange and socially odd, by most standards. Did he feel he had a license to do this because he was one of the most famous people in the world? Or was he so wrapped up in his own brilliance that he didn't even notice what was a bit socially deviant?
My grandmother met Einstein in Germany before the war. He was outside doing some gardening and she was visiting a friend at the house.