Chapter 69 Pretending to be fine and "quiet"

There are some ambiguities in life that don’t need to be detailed, such as how many grains of rice you eat every day, how many steps you take every day, etc. If these things are also counted carefully, it will be ridiculous.Pretending to be precise is to use very precise numbers to express where there is no need for precise calculations, or to make precise divisions where it should be vague. A statistician who had never taken care of his own children reluctantly agreed to take care of his four young and active children when his wife was going shopping.When his wife came home, he handed her a note which read:

"Wipe tears 11 times; tie shoelaces 15 times; blow up toy balloons for each child 5 times; average lifespan of each balloon is 10 seconds; warn children not to cross the road 26 times; insist on crossing the road 26 times ; I would like to have another Saturday like this ten times.” A statistician is precise, because without precision his scientific research cannot be carried out.However, "precise" has become his habit and occupational disease. Therefore, it is not only uncoordinated, but also ridiculous to conduct accurate statistics even on "non-scientific issues" such as watching children.

Bill violated the rules and went to get a haircut during working hours, but happened to be discovered by the manager. The manager said, "I saw you getting a haircut during work." "Yes, sir," Bill said quietly, "but the hair grows out at work." "Not all of them," said the manager. "Some hairs don't work long hours." "Sir, you are right." Bill said politely, "so I only cut off the part of the working hours, and left the part of the spare time on the head!" Bill must be a slack and loose person in normal times, but he was very rigorous and delicate in this debate.The manager's eloquence is really not very good.It was a sophistry when Bill said that hair grows during working hours. The manager did not point out the fallacy in time.At this point, Bill caught the conversation. Bill used this reasoning to fine-tune the division: some hairs are long in working hours, and others are long in spare time. Keep it all.

Bill defends himself by dividing hair into those who work long hours and those who have long spare time, and the wit and humor of his argument can be seen in the subtlety. Don't be stubborn and stupid, the more daring and good at talking nonsense, the more likable you are.