A sense of perspective: why (and how) I write this blog
Okay, so I talk a lot. I mean a lot . All my family, friends and students know this. Reading this blog, you would also know this because I write as I speak. So we (my friends and I) laugh about it. That's the way I am, and I cannot change, any more than a leopard can change its spots. Nor do I believe I should try. As John Fowles' character "Conchis" said in "The Magus" : "Be true to yourself". I used to wonder what that expression meant, but in recent years I've come to understand what Fowles (speaking though his character) was trying to say: you can't be somebody you aren't. Not only would this be futile (because, logically, you can't be someone else ), but it would also constitute an attempt to lie to yourself (which is also, ultimately, impossible). That's not to say that you shouldn't try to improve yourself, the quality of your work and/or your general behaviour; we should all strive to do this. But you shoul...