Tag: douglas adams

  • If allowed to choose an author for my biography, I would undoubtedly select Douglas Adams for his unparalleled wit and humor, bringing an entertaining aspect to my life story. Adams’ unique storytelling style resonates with me, and his perspective would add a refreshing and amusing tone to recounting my life’s journey. His ability to infuse mundane events with humor would give an engaging and delightful illustration of my experiences.

    I only want my biography to have a science fiction element because many innovations have made my life dull. I can’t claim to have walked 10 miles to go to school or work in the snow or rain. I live in a modern era where I can grab an Uber or be forced to work remotely. If I’d write something like that for my biography, it would be like this:

    “She got up, sat at her computer, and then went to work.” That’s it.

    Why not have that hyped up by one of the best writers. If that was written by Douglas Adams, it would probably be written like this:

    “Summoning all the grace of a bewildered giraffe, she elevated herself from her resting place, engaged in a fleeting dialogue with her silicon companion, and begrudgingly succumbed to the gravitational forces leading her towards the realm of toil.” That is not boring. Probably very verbose but still funny and entertaining.

    I am proud of my lifestyle, but sometimes I wish it had more whimsy. I enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with being ordinary, but telling it doesn’t have to be simple. It could be more entertaining with an added touch of fantastic storytelling and humor to flesh out the parts of my life and use my digital hermit lifestyle to make people laugh.

  • “The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas-covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

    — Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time

    I love this quote because Douglas Adams writes mainly in a sarcastic, agreeable, and ironic theme. In one section, he summarizes how lucky we are to be in existence while at the same time acknowledging how simple we are and that we can normalize anything. I think of this quote whenever I’m ready to start an argument over frivolous topics that have no substantial value as a reminder that maybe I don’t need to feel strongly about this topic right now. And again, as a reminder to celebrate small little accomplishments.