And, now that we've covered the one that's pretty much hopeless, let's go on to the set of people who have a chance of straightening themselves out and who are actually worth a damn: the Spock people (a.k.a., the no-hard-on people).
Now, we all probably know at least one of these people. Maybe you work with somebody like this, maybe your high school teacher or your college professor suffers from this ailment (which I doubt, since reason is the last thing mentioned in classrooms), or maybe you've only seen this person sitting by themselves. In any case, these people get our respect, especially since it's an accomplishment in just using reason when people like Oprah are spoon-feeding literature to the masses that literally numbs the mind.
However, we both know how annoying it can be to be around these people: they have the social skills of a freakin' donkey. For example, if you crack a joke about having sex, they'll get all pissed off and start whining about how inappropriate it is, regurgitating quotes from their copy of "Topics to Be Offended By: A Handbook for People with Redwood Trees Up Their Asses".
Of course, your natural reaction to the situation is: Fuck 'em. Trust me, I know how it easily it just rolls off the tongue. After all, these are the kind of people that make people of reason look bad, with their Puritan ways and with how they make non-artist fields of occupation (like businessmen) look so passionless and boring. But, think about the alternative. What if you took them under your wing? How cool would it be if you took a smart, stable person...and you added on the extra layers of a sense of humor and how to have a good time? I mean, that's what best friends should be made of! It'd be a fantastic victory for the both of you!
So, diagnosis for ailment: liquor, strip clubs, and punk rock. After just a few weeks of that, you're little pocket-protector friend will be strutting around like Johnny Rotten...but with a much, much, much sharper mind. Much sharper.
Which now brings me to my point: this whole dichotomy scenario of mind versus body is costing all of us, even those who have rejected it long ago. It is because of this dichotomy that I (and you, the rational reader) can't hang out with people for whom I have the utmost respect. It is also because of this dichotomy that I sometimes find myself in the company of people who I can envision killing on the field of battle if we had lived during a more dramatic era.
We shouldn't have to accept this kind of choice.
