4.08.2010

q&a

a few interesting tidbits from marilyn's book:

Dear Marilyn,
Why does almost every human being feel peaceful when walking through the woods or seeing a lovely landscape?
Valerie

Dear Valerie,
I'd say it's because our instincts have prepared us to feel comfortable with nature, our native environment. We can and do learn to live with things like stereos, subways, and skyscrapers, but they are no more natural to us than an aquarium is to a goldfish.
***
Dear Marilyn,
What do you see as the most important function of the elementary school?
Pat

Dear Pat,
One of the most useful would be to instill motivation.
***
Dear Marilyn,
Are people who hate being alone lacking in understanding?
Gary

Dear Gary,
I'd say instead that they're lacking in self-respect.
***
Dear Marilyn,
What is the biggest room in the world?
Adrienne

Dear Adrienne,
The room for improvement.
***
Dear Marilyn,
To acquire knowledge, one must study. How does one acquire wisdom?
Donald

Dear Donald,
To acquire knowledge, one must study; to acquire wisdom, one must observe.
***
Dear Marilyn,
If there were a Pandora's box in our time, what do you think it would be?
Dorothy

Dear Dorothy,
One good candidate would be television. However, instead of unleashing all the evils on the world, the way Pandora did in Greek mythology, it gathers them together and entertains us with them on the daily news, like a conga line in a floor show.
***
Dear Marilyn,
I can see why painting was so popular before the development of photography. But aren't the master painters now eclipsed by the master photographers?
Joseph

Dear Joseph,
I don't think so. For one thing, an artist can combine the essence of a hundred photographs into one painting. And for another thing, no photographer can capture a unicorn.
p.s. many of her answers are much longer and detailed; i just included a few short ones i found interesting.