Ohio State Student Interviews Local Sage

12.August.2005 | Mark Derian

[markderian]

Mark Derian Interviews a Local, Anonymous Sage

Mark Derian: Sage, you have mentioned before the importance of reading both fiction and nonfiction. Which one, do you think, is more important?

Sage: I don’t know that.

MD: But most writers stick to one format, as if the one they choose is the most important.

Sage: Yeah, most writers do that. I think when those writers were younger, they experienced a stronger emotional reaction to one or the other, and that’s the one they stuck with. But that’s just speculation, I could be wrong.

MD: So both formats are equally valid as far as you’re concerned?

Sage: Not necessarily. It’s important not to drop context when addressing these sorts of questions.

MD: How so?

Sage: Well, fiction serves better to inspire, and nonfiction serves better to inform. Some people need to be inspired more than they need to be informed, and vice versa.

MD: So it depends on the reader?

Sage: Right, of course, writers can inform with fiction and inspire with nonfiction, but to a much lesser degree. Let’s take Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables as an example example. One finishes that book with a much better understanding of political ideas and social problems developing in France at the beginning of the 19th century. And that book will inspire the crap out of you too. Hugo is an extreme example, though. He’s the best at what he does. Most writers can’t inform and inspire at the same time to the degree that Hugo can, but my point is that it is possible.

MD: You have said before that this is what makes you a sage. Could you elaborate on that?

Sage: Sure, my sagacious nature arises from the fact that I can recognize the importance of fiction and nonfiction and apply them both to my life. The recognition that there is truth arises from devotion to nonfiction, and the recognition that the truth matters arises from devotion to fiction. Many people know of truth and that it is a definite truth, but they don’t see the spread of that truth as a concern, possibly from laziness. Many others approximate truth, but would do almost anything to fight for this approximation. The sage, however, knows the importance of both: he discovers truth and fights for it.

MD: Are you referring to the age-old Apollo vs. Dionysus battle; the battle between our reason and our passions?

Sage: (Nods off)

MD: Um, did you hear what I said?

Sage: Oh, I’m sorry did you say something? I wasn’t really paying attention.

MD: Yeah, I asked if the split you made between discovering truth and the realization that the truth matters reflects the ancient battle of Apollo and Dionysus, or the idea that our passions and our reason are constantly at odds.

Sage: No, the whole idea that our passions are fighting against our reason and our reason against our passions is a false dichotomy. Done right, our passions and reasons are one; both propitiating each other fighting for the same idea.

MD: How so?

Sage: Well, true passions come from our reason and our ability to think, or rather, our deepest convictions. The more certain we are of these convictions, the stronger our passions will be, and the less likely we will be to back down from a cause or a fight. And if our passions come from this thinking, without any significant logic gaps, then they won’t be at odds with each other, plain and simple. The most passionate people are the clearest, most devout thinkers.

MD: Okay, I just want clear up a point that you made earlier. It’s easy to imagine somebody who discovers truth but is uninspired to the point of laziness. But I’m having a hard time picturing somebody fighting, nearly to the death, over a mere approximation of the truth.

Sage: Well, we could take any election as an example, but more specifically, the latest presidential election. Neither Bush nor Kerry represented truth, but rather an approximation of the truth. Yet we saw the masses come out and defend or campaign for one or the other wholeheartedly.

MD: Are you saying that the election didn’t matter?

Sage: Yes, that is what I’m saying. Change arises from ideas, not elections.

MD: Okay, thank you for your time. It has been a great talk, and I hope you have a nice day.

Sage: What? Did you just say something?

MD: No.

[Alexander Rubin]

Clever...