Is it madness?
On rare occasions books are lent to me (a quick note to my brother-in-law is appropriate here - thanks, man, your tastes in literature are exquisite) which I somehow forget to return until I own a copy of my own. I know this is a small character flaw of sorts, but it is a fact I can deal quite adequately with.
On even rarer occasions I lend books to friends (the ones who have demonstrated the ability, I lack, to return them) and during their absence I long for them. I sometimes envision a lent book as a lost child in the middle of all sorts of horrible trouble and I am quietly ecstatic when it finally finds its way home to me.
So, I freely admit that there are books in my collection which I am not, technically, the owner of. This may be the case for many people, but I rationalize it well - for God’s sake, I did not steal these books, they were given to me - ok, lent to me - and the person lending them wants me to read them, and damn it I plan to, eventually - just in case, I have all sorts of excuses ready when spending time with a person whose book(s) I am in possession of - the simplest and easiest to use “Sorry, haven’t read it yet, it is next on my list”.
….
He who lends a book is an idiot. He who returns the book is more of an idiot. ~Arabic Proverb
1 comments:
Good. Maybe you can return my book on the history of Rolex chump.
Post a Comment