-The Commander
Yours Truly enjoys the penultimate scene from Don Giovanni for two reasons. Firstly, Giovanni knows that if he accepts the invitation, then this acceptance will result in his punishment, not mortal revenge, but celestial justice. Yet, Don Giovanni is aware that he cannot change either his cosmopolitan worldview or the behavior that necessarily flows from that particular understanding of the world. Although Giovanni has avoided serious repercussions from his behavior, he is cognizant that his adventures have reached their culmination and their termination in this fateful moment. Secondly, although the listener is explicitly told that Giovanni’s conquests number in the thousands, during the performance the careful observer should realize that Don Giovanni is unable to seduce anyone. This contradiction between the ultimate seducer and the dismal performance as seducer must be resolved by the thoughtful Gentle Listener. We should not be surprised that Don Giovanni falls short of meeting social conventions, however, throughout the opera, he also misses the mark of his own personal goal. We are uncertain if Giovanni is a failure, for he exceeds the limitations imposed by society, but he does not achieve his own self imposed goals. In this respect, Giovanni is exactly like the cat in the box. Just as Socrates is always seeking, yet never finding, the nature of justice, so we are unable to understand the nature of responsibility. We suggest that our inability to comprehend responsibility is not due to our indolence, but due entirely to the plastic nature of responsibility.
In 1952, the initial DSM listed homosexuality and alcoholism under the heading of sociopathic personality disorder. Who could foresee that within twenty years, homosexuality would be permanently removed from subsequent editions? Just as homosexuality was recognized as one minor aspect along the spectrum of human behavior, so we expect that in the fullness of time, the mists that obscure the objective facts regarding sociopathic personality disorder, so called, will dissipate for the same reason.
Yours Truly is aware that nature has designed a select minority of people to suffer from the malady known as incessant curiosity. Analyzations and attempts at understanding are extensions of this natural curiosity. It is clear that there is no challenge to behave as nature intended individuals to behave. Yet, to mentally place oneself outside of nature’s design is an act of the will that results in various difficulties. These difficulties are self imposed and mental. Yours Truly has written one work of allegorical fiction, a children's story, Goat and Crab, and while the final incarnation of the concept is, admittedly, a fluff piece, as is all fiction, the long and arduous process of its coming into being remains unknown to all but the creator. A second attempt at writing fiction began as a surreal and eclectic idea that, like Goat and Crab, was personal and, therefore, unique. The basic concept was to incorporate all motifs and images that, regardless of the reason, appeal to my psyche. I placed myself in the role of scriptwriter and director for a short movie. If the final product was somewhat incoherent, like a dream or fantasy, then I was willing to accept this outcome, as a work of fiction has its own subjective constraints that are unaffected by reality, or the waking state.
One multiple occasions, i have lamented my inadequacies to Apprentice Tyler regarding the correct understanding of Saint Paul’s writings. I've been known to say that his statements are so obscure and so difficult to understand, that one may discover that Saint Paul’s actual topic is not theology, but a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. The Gentle Researcher would do well to separate and remove the common wisdom and popular exhortations from the text. The remaining statements, when rationally arranged, will form the correct Pauline doctrine. If the Gentle Baker renders an exceptional recipe, then do not hesitate to contact Apprentice Tyler.
Over the years, ideas for potential subtitles for the website have included “Caution: only for young men who like to think” and “Oh, Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood”. While neither subtitle has been explicitly rejected, it should be presumed that both are applicable for various reasons.