To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Justice is defined in terms of ideals, which change little, but whose interpretation evolves. Citizens may not grasp the ideals, but would know their neighbours' interpretation of these ideals. Trial by jury accommodates geographic and temporal interpretations, while the common ideals enable jurisdictions to learn from each other.

Rationalism is suitable for all ages. Empiricism requires engagement, leading to responsibilities and risks. One can learn to deny inferences, but not facts. In order to learn to withstand facts, one ought to be exposed to empiricism from an early age, notwithstanding the risks.

"Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter (1979)

By means of reason alone, hunger can be traced to a simple source. Complex emotions cannot be. Instead, one must vary a multitude of actions in order to identify each action's impact on the one-dimensional measure of one's well-being. When a simple reason for action is hard to articulate, one tends to favour inaction. This bias can be resisted by developing the habit of indulging into new experiences without a clear rationale.

Zen embraces the paradox as a means for preventing one from drawing conclusions from insufficient data. The circularity of a paradox tires one's mind, and nudges one to stop brooding and to start acting, collecting data. Some data are acknowledged and processed only subconsciously. (Sleep, exposure to beauty, nature, and art generate such data.) Zen reminds one not to overlook the tacit behind the articulable, and highlights the absurdity of the dichotomy between the mind and the body.

Even though sometimes knowledge can be gained by holding hands, holding hands is an inefficient way to transmit that knowledge to future generations. One should interpret and codify, thus preserving---the memories of---civilization.

Campus Starbucks

The music is sourced from someone in touch with the right kind of reality. Students commune with MacBooks or each other. The flux of avocational baristas promises structures of inviting complexity.

The patrons are selected on taste or parental income, conducive to indulging one's taste. Those whose indulgences displease are amended by the décor and generally have a point to make.

Some recurring characters look twenty-first-century scholarly, multitasking and consuming ambient noise. Others are refugees from all scholarly.

The queuing customers converse orally with each other or tactilely with iPhones. One wonders how, in a few years, one shall distinguish a wired customer from an alert one. Perhaps, the wired shall be alert, queues shall parish, and entire campuses shall have the ambiance of a Starbucks.

Wounded when engaged at half capacity; enveloped into the ether of potentiality when nearly empty. A self-effacing host bringing out the best in his guests.