A couple of cute quotes from Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters:

"Bore that I am, I mentioned R. H. Blyth's definition of sentimentality: that we are being sentimental when we give to a thing more tenderness than God gives to it. I said (sententiously?) that God undoubtedly loves kittens, but not, in all probability, with Technicolor bootees on their paws. He leaves that creative touch to scriptwriters."

Think that's true. It makes me wonder whether i'm holding too dear certain things that I hold dear in life. It's like, i'd be quite embarrassed to admit to God that i have an obsessive interest in, say, men in uniforms (this is just an example; it has nothing to do with the reality =p).

"Much talk from him, and quite intelligent, on the virtues of living the imperfect life, of accepting one's own and other's weaknesses. I agree with him, but only in theory. I'll champion indiscrimination till doomsday, on the ground that it leads to health and a kind of very real, enviable happiness.... But for a discriminating man to dispossess himself of poetry, go beyond poetry. That is, he couldn't possibly learn or drive himself to like bad poetry in the abstract, let alone equate it with good poetry. He would have to drop poetry altogether. I said it would be no easy thing to do."

Totally agree. It sounds like our favourite art-is-subjective-or-objective and morality-vs-relativism arguments. Life is happier and easier when one doesn't blow a coronary each time one encounters bad art or bad morals, but that means that one cannot judge art or morals at all, and thus will have to give both up. That's kinda hard. Can you remain indifferent when old ladies get mugged or when someone slaps you, for no reason at all, hard in the face? Unless you have a schizoid personality, i don't think so.

I love J.D. Salinger =3