#bokononism

“No wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat's cradle is nothing but a bunch of X's between somebody's hands, and little kids look and look and look at all those X's . . ."

"And?"

"No damn cat, and no damn cradle.”

"Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr

“You, I take it,” I said to the mosiacist, “are Philip Castle, son of Julian Castle.”

“That happiness is mine.”

“Are you an aspirin salesman?”

“No.”

“Too bad. Father’s low on aspirin. How about miracle drugs? Father enjoys pulling off a miracle now and then.”

“I’m not a drug salesman. I’m a writer.”

“What makes you think a writer isn’t a drug salesman?”

“I’ll accept that. Guilty as charged.”

“Father needs some kind of book to read to people who are dying or in terrible pain. I don’t suppose you’ve written anything like that.”

“Not yet.”

“I think there’d be money in it. There’s another valuable tip for you.”

“I suppose I could overhaul the ‘Twenty-third Psalm,’ switch it around a little so nobody would realize it wasn’t original with me.”

“Bokonon tried to overhaul it,” he told me. “Bokonon found out he couldn’t change a word.”

“You know him, too?”

“That happiness is mine. He was my tutor when I was a little boy.” He gestured sentimentally at the mosiac. “He was Mona’s tutor too.”

“Was he a good teacher?”

“Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.”

Grad School Vonnegut #11: CAT’S CRADLE! (with Patrick Iber)

Like boko-maru for your ears, it’s episode 11 of Grad School Vonnegut, on Cat’s Cradle, with @PatrickIber!

https://twitter.com/gradschoolvonn/status/1297253255412682753