Wednesday, July 29, 2009

#42

Paradox. This word alone is interesting in this life, the Universe, and everything. This is what http://dictionary.reference.com/ has to say about this word:

–noun
1.a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
2.a self-contradictory and false proposition.
3.any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.
4.an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.

This princess thinks the above definition is a paradox! A paradoxical statement is intrinsically funny. Here are some examples:
  • Nobody shops at that store. It's too crowded.
  • Oscar Wilde said, "I can resist anything except temptation."
  • It's raining cats and dogs. Oh wait, that's a metaphor! Or is it? Back in the day of the thatched roof small animals would gather in the thatch for warmth, but when it rained heavily water seeped in and the poor critters would lose their grip and fall; thus, "it's raining cats and dogs" happened quite literally. Maybe it is a paradox because it was literally true then, but isn't now (certainly not in certain parts of the world anyway). It just may qualify under meaning #1 re: absurd and being a possible truth in parts of the world that have thatched roofing, warm rooms, cats and dogs in the house, and heavy rains.

This princess enjoys the amusing aspect of paradox. Though mind-boggling and head-spinning to think too much about, this brief foray has been interesting and fun. For the most part though, this princess will stick to her daily routine of coffee with cream and no paradox thank you.

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