rep resent

oh, hello.
thanksgiving break allowed me to slow down my pace a little and actually think.  i miss thinking.  sunday morning, i watched a few too many biographical documentaries about artists and i ended up feeling a little loopy.  and then there was the 9/11 doc that left me with some capital S serious questions- but that's for another time.  hopefully soon, maybe never.

i'd like to articulate a brief quandary that just popped into my head JUST now.  which is no longer now.  you get it.

So one one hand, there's that cliche "to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result is the definition of insanity."  It's been attributed to pretty much everyone- from ol' Benny Franklin to Einstein and probably Betty White for good measure.  It creeps up as hard evidence any time anyone wants to judge others for some sort of stagnation or stubbornness.

but then there's that pesky other hand.

Isn't doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result the cornerstone of all kinds of wonderful and seemingly sane things?  something like lifting weights.  they call them "reps" because they are REPETITIONS of the same thing and expecting a different result doesn't indicate insanity, but the persistence and discipline to work toward a healthier body.

or how about when your mom used to have to call your name 5 times before you would really be cognizant of her voice trying to get your attention?  that's not insanity- it's just recognizing the need to give people a chance to adjust in order to get a response or reaction from them.  (i guess it might feel like insanity from the mom's perspective).

anyway, i could go on and on with everyday examples that seem to suggest that choosing to repeat behavior and expecting a different result can be a very logical and sane course of action.

didn't Jesus Christ himself SUGGEST this kind of persistent behavior?  isn't there a parable that says in essence that if you bug God enough and show enough persistence, He'll eventually pay attention to you?  Persistence even in the face of no seeming results seems to be a requirement of a good disciple.

and we all know how sane the good holy book is.  all truth all the time.  said jesus.  or dionysus.  or zoroaster.  someone important.  at some time.