gentle scoops and harsh blows

"The sea's only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the chance to feel strong. Now, I don't know much about the sea but I do know that that's the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once, to find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions, facing the blind, deaf stone alone with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head."

-Into the Wild

While waiting for the lift today, I wonder if people's experiences sharpen them so much that they become numb to emotions. I'm also incredibly tired tonight, more somber and less trigger happy than the previous. Watching throngs of people appear from the train station and walking to their Friday evening destination is therapeutic. I’m not sure why people often search for answers. Increasingly, I like discussions with no conclusions; I like it that it can be either this or that, or this and that. But I guess the appeal for me is that an intellectual stimulus doesn’t drain away as much energy as an emotional one.