Motivation

A friend asked an odd question by email: Do I like Leonard Cohen, or am I putting him on my blog for some inscrutable and contrary Hilary-reason the rest of the world can't understand. (I paraphrase).

It made me pause for a moment. What a funny question.

I replied,

As a rule, I only put poetry on the blog that I really like. In what way I like it, and for what reasons, are matters left open to discussion.

In fact, I think I only put anything on the blog that I like. Whether because it gives me a thrill of outrage and horror, or a glow of vicarious sanctity, I like nearly everything I blog about.

It was a question put to me once by a headshrinker: do you like what you do? Answer, yes. But I only know this because all my school life my teachers complained that I would excel in all subjects if only I would put as much effort into the things I didn't like so much as I did into the things I liked. Lesson: When not being forced to do something, humans tend to do only what they really want to do. An important axiom when examining the motives of pro-abortion politicians, (and Churchmen).

Saves a lot of puzzle.

You'd think this revelatory insight (if that's not a contradiction) would be one of the most obvious things about human behaviour, but apparently the rule, "People mostly only do what they want to do," is suprisingly un-regarded.

But more specifically.

Yes.

Big Leonard Cohen fan.