More than half a lifetime ago I was a student at a very expensive liberal arts college called Reed. I was not a good student. The college is in Portland Oregon and the city was beautiful at the time. I could wander freely because I was also in the military and looked more dangerous than I actually was. I spent a lot of time exploring the city instead of going to classes. Reed had two other things that distracted me from doing my work. There was a computer lab with top of the line Apples. I beat Dungeon of Doom during my nights in the basement of the library.
And then there were the comic books. I fell in love with a series called Lone Wolf and Cub, but never got to read the end of it. There were fun titles like Groo and The Badger. And occasionally some philosophical stuff made its way to the comic lounge. This was where I was first introduced to Taoism. There was a fascinating comic book of stories from Chuang Tzu. Reading it was the perfect way to experience the virtue of uselessness for the first time. I still remember seeing a beautifully drawn tree that lived a long life because the carpenters couldn’t work with it. There was a picture of lame men escaping conscription to the Army because they were no good as soldiers. I took comfort from that story when I was discharged from the US Army for depression.
Perhaps I will live a long life because I am hardly any use to anyone.
Latter Day Sinner 