Waste of Time.—What a deal of cold business doth a man misspend
the better part of life in! In scattering compliments, tendering visits,
gathering and venting news, following feasts and plays, making
a little winter-love in a dark corner.
— Ben Jonson, (1572–1637)
My college roommate Ben cracked about History, specifically History 3001X , with professor (and ex-Senator) Walter Johnson: “it’s a waste of time.” But then, and now, you could argue that history with anyone is a waste of time — certainly, for an American with technological know-how who believes in computers and artificial intelligence. Then you think you’ve found a definition of history: a waste of time. Then you read Ben Jonson, who believes that life itself is largely a waste of time. Then you think of the oceanic whispers, the gusts of wind that announce the changing of the guard, as fall loses its colors and winter arrives in white. — from Sal Ramada, “Hilton, Thou Shouldst be Living at this Hour.” See also Mark Gardner, The Dying Fall.
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Author: The Best American Poetry
