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289 The Infinite Sophistication of Human Needs Instinctively we garb and shield our nakedness with clothes. But no one stops at that. Color and flare must add panache, or else we feel no more than nondescript. No one can deny that water ladled from a well would taste the same from mugs or Waterford crystal. But Waterford wins because it upgrades drinking into drinking with class. We do the same with everything from fame to lifetimes. Equating fame with notoriety, we give the infamous as much attention as the worthy. Assuming that longevity and true fulfillment are synonymous, we measure life by adding up our years. I’ve had enough of that. I favor anything that’s perfect for its purpose as it is. A spoon. A baseball. Lincoln’s brevities at Gettysburg. Why else do I prefer the work of those who whittle out of wood 290 or words what’s like no other? They work from less to little to littler to lesser to least. The carver cuts and sands until he bares the clear finality of grain. The poet writes and pares, re-writes and pares again to find what says the most with just enough. ...

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