etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…

an educated mind, i have realized, is simply a mind that can shop better than others.

this afternoon, in preparation for ramadan, we went shopping. we bought thousands of plates and forks and knives and napkins and…well, stuff, lots of stuff.

but we shopped discerningly; it was enlightened shopping. we made predictions of how much we would need of stuff for the month by formulating projections based on past data and observed trends. we decided to buy plastic plates over the less expensive styrofoam or paper alternatives because we knew that making paper creates twice as much co2 emission as the other two, and styrofoam virtually lasts forever, is almost impossible to recycle, and is a source of global warming and smog. we asked for discounts and used a shoppers card, we went to a wholesale marketer, as people who understood the value of building a loyal customer base and the advantages of cutting overhead costs. it was cool.

later, in sanders theatre, as i returned to the annual freshman a capella jam for the first time since freshman year–this time to cheer on friends who were performing–the keen shopper in me returned. i found myself able both to appreciate greater the better performances but also to appreciate less the weaker performances, a giant leap from my past, freshman self who found an equal brilliance in everything. certainly being able to to find joy in everything is wonderful and i wouldn’t say i necessarily lost that baseline of joy. but as an experienced shopper, i think i can now better tease out the specific moments of beauty, and i find it just a tad bit more enthralling.

aristotle wrote: “it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

well, he probably didn’t write that, likely something very similar in greek. nonetheless, my point, moot now having waited so long to articulate it, is that aristotle was right.

no surprise, of course, but as a sharpened shopper, i just felt the need to justify his assertion to myself. after all, i can’t accept every thought (or purchase every plate) i entertain (and or see at a wholesale grocery store).