P, maybe too obvious for words--and too tenuous for connection

Paul Mackin mackin.paul at verizon.net
Sun Feb 28 09:51:24 CST 2010


--------------------------------------------------
From: "Ian Livingston" <igrlivingston at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 2:24 PM
To: "Paul Mackin" <mackin.paul at verizon.net>; "pynchon -l" 
<pynchon-l at waste.org>
Subject: Re: P, maybe too obvious for words--and too tenuous for connection

> It ain't about what you get for free, it's what you give that matters.
> Leave all pecuniary matters out of the formula and it becomes
> interesting.

What matters even more is the need of the recipient.  In my experience 
freely given help to persons in need is quite common.

An example in my own life comes out of the recent succession of severe 
storms on the Eastern (US) seaboard.  I have a much above average frontage 
to shovel and was far too old to deal the the 30 or so inches of snow 
accumulation. .  Most of the neighboring households are much younger than 
ours and without our requesting several good souls pitched in to get the job 
done.  I could of course easily pay for this help and usually do.  But this 
was between neighbors so a different code quite naturally applied.

Such things are entirely different from the ordinary payments we make for 
goods and services we require. This latter is where the "no free lunch" 
saying quite appropriately applies.

P.


 On Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 12:35 PM, Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at verizon.net> 
wrote:
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> From: "Mark Kohut" <markekohut at yahoo.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 8:08 AM
>> To: "pynchon -l" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>> Subject: P, maybe too obvious for words--and too tenuous for connection
>>
>>> In IV, we have in that fine ending the clear statement
>>> of one theme: the vanishing time when people helped each other
>>> for free, without wanting something for it. That echo of it
>>> in the cars jostling in the fog.
>>>
>>> In AtD we have the time and person of Nikola Tesla who wanted
>>> free electic power for everyone. Ridiculed and defeated by Scarsdale 
>>> Vibe.
>>
>>
>> Don't he know they ain't no free lunch?
>>
>> P
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>
> -- 
> "liber enim librum aperit." 




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