NIETZSCHE; DEAD PHILOSOPHERS' INBOX

[explosivecombat]

[TEXT; LOCKED TO doitrockapella]

The offer for conversation is always open, should you desire to take me up on it; I can't guarantee that I'll respond immediately, nor will it necessarily be the response you want, but I'll always respond in some way.

In the name of enlightened discourse.

Comments

[doitrockapella]

Am I?

He was not.

[explosivecombat]

Well, that depends, doesn't it - was the second person alive at the time that the man was recovered?

[doitrockapella]

Yes, they were.

[explosivecombat]

That does change things a bit; I can see why you required a more specific answer earlier, given the ambiguity presented by "killing himself" - assuming, that is, that it wasn't suicide but rather an attempted rescue that wasn't carried through. But that can wait for a moment - I want to verify something about the entire seaweed business first.

The second person - they weren't long-haired, by any chance, were they?

[doitrockapella]

They were.

The way I first heard it, she had long dark hair, in fact.

[explosivecombat]

And if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say she also can't swim worth a damn.

Whether she could or not, however - she ended up in the water and got dragged under by the current, given that this is the sea we're talking about; at that point, our rather unfortunate hero dove in to save her but was unable to find her properly. At one point he grabbed something, but thought it was seaweed and released it immediately; he only realized after the fact that it may have been the woman's hair.

Once he had it confirmed that it wasn't seaweed at all, he went back to try to find her and ended up drowning himself. Is that it?

[doitrockapella]

It's a less morbid deduction than the one I was told. Regardless, you've got the key elements right; the scenario that follows from the way they're retold is usually subject to the imagination of the detective.

In the version given me, the man gets in over his head in attempting to find the woman, and from weariness starts to sink under himself. He spots the fishing boat, summons one last burst of strength, and starts propelling himself toward safety — when seaweed ensnares his ankle and nearly drags him under.

Fortunately for the man, he frees himself with a kick.

[explosivecombat]

[...CARMEN.]

And here I was, trying not to be morbid for once by avoiding the suggestion that he kicked his companion in the head due to being ensnared.

[doitrockapella]

I never said the man who told me these riddles was a nice one. He wasn't so thoughtful about sparing me the morbidity.

[explosivecombat]

Fair enough, and I'll keep that in mind, should you have any others.

Was this person someone you knew back home?

[doitrockapella]

That's right. I don't know what it was that brought him to mind today. The heat, maybe. It was hot like this the last time I saw him.

[explosivecombat]

Who was he, in relation to you? If I can ask.

[doitrockapella]

I suppose you could call him a nemesis. He would've used a different term, I think. But maybe the best way of putting it is, "Someone I'd like to forget, but shouldn't."

[explosivecombat]

I understand that rather well, actually - wanting to forget someone but knowing you shouldn't, that is. In my case the "wanting" is a bit of a moot point anyway.

What sort of term would he have used?

[doitrockapella]

He would've called me "student".

[explosivecombat]

And was it a matter of that having never been the case, or did something go sour at some point?

[doitrockapella]

A scholar once said, "There is no education like adversity." From that perspective, you could say he gave me a very thorough education.

[explosivecombat]

I can't say that I'm disinclined to agree with the quote, really; you can take that as you will.

[doitrockapella]

The puzzles I've been telling you were just one of the many forms of adversity he offered me.

You don't have the benefit of context, to appreciate the many layers of implication that came with them. But that's fine, for the moment.

[explosivecombat]

It's likely for the best that way, if I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. At least for the moment.

[doitrockapella]

I'm not about to let you in on all my secrets. Particularly not with how easily you arrived at the gruesome answers to some of those riddles.

Would you like one more?

[explosivecombat]

I would, actually. And I'll try not to tone down my conclusions this time.

[doitrockapella]

A young student was selected to train with a wise and renowned Zen master. He was beside himself with eagerness and anticipation about this, because the master was very selective in taking on students, and for weeks before he met the man, he pondered and fretted over how best to make a good impression and appear bright before him.

On the day they met, the master began by asking if he might pose the student a simple question; eager to please, the student readily agreed.

"Which is greater: that which has no beginning, or that which has no end?" the master asked.

Much dismayed, the student tried valiantly to answer, but all of his best efforts failed. Eventually, the master asked if he might pose a different question instead, and again the student agreed, hoping that this one might be easier.

"When can a pebble hold back the sea?" the master asked. But again, no matter how he racked his brain, the student found he couldn't produce a correct answer.

Finally, frustrated almost to tears after an afternoon's worth of "simple" questions and wrong answers, the student at last dried his eyes and spoke a single sentence that led the Zen master, who had been considering sending the student away, to proclaim him wise enough to continue his studies as the master's student.

What did he say?

[explosivecombat]

"If I truly want to learn, it is I who should be asking questions."

[doitrockapella]

Fitting, don't you think?