Want A Little Mental Exercise With Some Minimalist Musings?

Question

Should you see anything here worth elaborating on or discounting or tossing in the trash please feel free to do so.

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A. He chose not to see not because he could not.

B. Although she should not she would not because she could not.

C. He would not believe that he should not believe what he could not believe. (here is the mind of a visionary, an inventor, a scientist or deep thinker)

D. If life were what it should have been it would never become what it was meant to be.

E. She never gave love a second thought until it no longer mattered.

(And a question to ponder or pulverize:)

F. Which is really more restrictive: the limitations of no or the expectations of yes?

Yes, James. These are actually lines, abridged to post here, from some very short minimalist poems I was coming up with several years ago. The idea was to convey as much as possible while saying as lttle as possible.

There are many very thought-out and clever replies here, several of which are outstanding and I SIMPLY CAN'T PICK A BEST ANSWER. So you guys will have to.

But thank you for getting into the spirit of this.

Answer 1

Okay, I'll have a go at it.
a) He chose not to see because he WOULD not; closed mind
b) She chose, there's no SHOULD about it
c) Here we have "should" again--some visionary!
d) Ambiguous "should" have, & "meant" to be; if it should have, it would have
e) If it no longer mattered, why would she have given thought to something that didn't matter?
f) Limitations don't allow the potential of expectations; more restrictive
This IS philosophy, isn't it? Logical reasoning???

Answer 2

I'm having a little problem with the answers to "F." The more I try to understand their meaning, the more I see apparent confusion in words, & in analogies.
The questrion is which is more RESTRICTIVE.
a) Limitations of no
The very definition of limitation is RESTRICTED, & confined. Limitations place boundaries, perimeters; "no" is a negative.
Both LIMITATIONS & NO are RESTRICTIVE
b) Expectations of yes
Expectation refers to the likelihood of events or conditions taking place, the probability with which the awaited can be presumed to to happen; "yes" is a positive.

I wonder how the first answer concludes that expectations are limiting (convoluting the question), "self- imposed parameters" of imprisonment?

The third answer uses anaolgies that confirm, not deny, that expectations are LESS restrictive:
1) Prisoners are "subdued" & if they grow dependent, it's due to the RESTRICTIONS of their lives.
2) Military personnel? Regulations & rules aren't restrictive as much as they exist to direct, manage a system or organization.
3) The disabled are reconciled to certain disabilities, yet with certain adjustments, aren't necessarily "restricted."
The "reasoning" is that "Human being [sic] except [sic] the limitations of NO." Assumption.
The question didn't ask about LIMITATIONS of EXPECTATIONS. As I wrote above, expectations are based on probability. (They aren't idle wishes or dreams that devastate us if they don't come to fruition.) Referring to certain types of individuals & variations, is irrelevant to the question.

I feel like the very precise words you used, have been rather jumbled up. (???)

Answer 3

My applause for your above phrases/titles and or thoughts.
I shall post some of mine for all to critique in the near future.

My answer to (F); I feel that it is the expectations of YES.
Human being except the limitations of NO.
A few examples below;:
1) - Long term prison inmates, live and cope with restrictions until they become docile and ultimately dependant.

2) - Military personnel.

3) - The disabled. (obvious reasons)

The limitations of YES create expectations,
making the difference between (imagining) and meaning one thing or something quite different.

For some this can be can be devastating when their expectations do not come to fruition. At times they have exceeded rational thought , it can defined by the emptiness they feel when their expectations have not been met.

Example;
Certain individuals feel the need more possessions, more concepts, more sensations, more emotions....
from all the things our ego-minds have already internalized into our space, all the identity attachments, sensory illusions, conceptual limitations, and energetic barriers... we are rarely able to see the bigger picture of our lives and what we really need.

Human beings need to be cautious when tyring to determine and manage their expectations.

Answer 4

A) Sounds like the mind of an ignorant or arrogant man
B) Sounds to me like she would if she could weather or not she should
C) Sounds more like a man of faith to me.
D) If the first sin did not occur (should have been). The would be no need for a savior (meant to be).
E) Must be nice to fall in love the first time you think of it.
F) The limitations of no because it is final but with yes you still have a choice not to anyway.

Answer 5

Hi Nance, this so filled in some of my thoughts about Gekos and Cats. My cat hunts everythin that comes in, maybe it's her itch? She dashes to death the way big bugs, but enjoys more playin with the wee lizards till they escape with no tails. I try when I can to rescue em, tellin em don't go on the floor, but some don't listen I guess cuz the cat leaves em wrigglin in my shower. Play is a most good thing. Hugs

Answer 6

My feedback is:

A. when energy allows the will will follow.

B. yeah that sounds like some people I know ("you know the ones I mean...not so good, not so bad, only know what they have, and they have only what they've seen"-Jack Johnson)

C.I never give up, take no for an answer or listen to the ney sayers either ☺

D. Oh yeah! you little taoist you...

E.ooops! too bad

F.Ouch brain freeze......

Two additional thoughts....you really are a night person! and I finally see the wisdom in grouping these profound ponderings in one place.......only cost you five points!

Answer 7

the expectations of yes are far more limiting since these expectations are almost certainly imprisoned by the self-imposed parameters of supposed want/need/desire and a dose of subjectivity.
Better to move away and back since the view from above brings clarity and you can see beyond those self-imposed borders that the grass in not greener on the other side. Objectivity clarifies the mind.

Answer 8

A. Ignorant Fool.

B. She has trust issues.

C. Serious Skeptic.

D. Nobody really knows unless they have super duper powers of seeing what could of happened and its outcome.

E. She has been used and abused too many times to forgive the pain of heart ache and break.


F. The high-hoped expectations.

Answer 9

Excellent! are these yours?

C. So he concluded that in the vision of an invention he simply must believe. The sun is your symbol, in there I have placed all my inventions for anyone who can see.

F: It depends, no, there are few but in yes I see many.

Answer 10

Looks like exercises in circuitous thinking.