When Kurt Vonnegut passed away last week, I was in the midst of traveling up the coast to Bethlehem and then New York. I wanted to reflect on it a bit, but still haven’t had the time. I do wish I had the time for proper reflection, because I remember well Vonnegut’s speech at graduation a few years ago.
I’ve always wished Vonnegut would have shared the text of his graduation speech with the world. But, things being what they are, I think this quote sums up both his attitude and one he wished more people shared:
“Oh, she says well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I’m going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babes. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don’t know. The moral of the story is, is we’re here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don’t realize, or they don’t care, is we’re dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we’re not supposed to dance at all anymore.â€? – Kurt Vonnegut, 2005
(source)
Greg Palmer 