GR translation: Presenting too much more than one mean loss

[Mike Jing]

Ah, I see.  Here the word "mean" in "one mean loss" means "of little
importance or consequence".  That makes much more sense now.

Thanks, Paul.


On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 4:47 PM, Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at verizon.net> wrote:

> On 11/2/2012 1:45 AM, Mike Jing wrote:
>
>> P229.28-34  And so, one of them—pen, or empty glass—
>> Is knocked from where it was, perhaps to roll
>> Beyond the blank frontiers of memory . . .
>> Yet this, be clear, is no “senile distraction,”
>> But concentrating, such as younger men
>> Can easily and laughing dodge, their world
>> Presenting too much more than one mean loss—
>>
>> What exactly can "younger men easily dodge" here that older men can't?
>>  Whose world is "their world"?  And what is "one mean loss"?
>>
>>
>
>
> The thing "young men can easily dodge" is having to concentrate fully on a
> single stimulus. Loss of the flower, say, is no big deal for them when
> there is so much else to capture.   "Their world" is the world which young
> men occupy--the world of many stimuli, all of potential relevance but none
> essential.  Old people will apparently find a single thing that it all
> important to them. Then they block out all else.
>
> The reason Pavlov saw this age difference is probably explained in "the
> book" being passed around by the
> survivors.
>
> My guess would be that older people don't NEED, in their daily lives, to
> concentrate on very  much.  Nothing's essential.  They're retired as it
> were. They can go off on anything that takes their momentary fancy.
>
> Or perhaps younger men are better at multi-tasking.
>
> P
>
>
>
>
>
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