find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life

23. What’s one thing you know that others in your life don’t? 

     any answer to this question is pure ego

 

24. What’s the most ridiculous thing you secretly believed at some point? 

     that the old adage about work not being work if you love it (see title quotation, by Princeton philosophy professor Arthur Szathmary) is true. Work is always work, and that's why we call it "work" and not "happy fun time."

 

25. Do you know any movie sequels that are better than the original one? 

    True Grit. The 2010 remake (reviewed here) is more nuanced and lyrical than the 1969 original (reviewed here). They're both great and well worth watching; I prefer the second.

 

26. Did you ever have a recurring dream? 

    just the one about being chased by dogs, and being forced to decide whether I will let them maul me to death or instead leap from a high place and die from the fall

 

27. If you ever wrote a book, what genre would it be? 

    "thinly veiled autobiographical novel"—a concept that gives certain people the mega-willies, I'm sure

 

28. Which one of the popular conspiracy theories do you think makes the most sense? 

    I just spent half an hour wandering some "most prevalent conspiracy theories" listicles and found nothing that I actually believe. It's all hooey. Just because I cannot understand something (like the formation of certain sinkholes) or don't have all the facts about it (like historical events, e.g. assassinations) does not mean that inventing a more satisfying answer makes that answer right.

 

1. If our world was a simulation, would you prefer to know? 

     sure, lemme know if that happens

 

2. Is there good and evil? 

    yup

 

3. Why do people binge on stuff? 

    this question was more debatable before COVID hit. I think that the pandemic changed the way people consume, and ultimately made people less interesting. The focus is on consumption, not savoring. Not even tasting, just swallowing whole. Remember anticipation? Remember delayed gratification? Remember looking forward to an event or experience? Now there's just an app on your device that will make it happen before you even have time to be interested.

 

4. What would the world be like without alcohol? 

    better, mostly

 

[from here; the title quotation is explained in #24, above]