Chapter 24 8 of Clubs...if only our minds were simple enough for us to understand it...

During breakfast, our father and son chatted about philosophical issues.Dad jokingly suggested that we hijack the ship and question all the passengers to see if any of them knew the secrets of life. "This is a rare opportunity!" Dad said. "This ship is a microcosm of human society. There are more than a thousand passengers on board, from all corners of the world. By chance, we took the same boat and sailed in the sea..." He stretched out his hand, pointed to the guests in the restaurant, and continued: "Someone in this group must know something that we don't. Such a good hand of cards must have at least one buffoon card in it!"

"At least two." I looked at him and said.From the smile on Dad's face, I could tell he knew who I was referring to. "We should really gather all the passengers on the ship together and ask them one by one if they know what they live for," said Pa. "Those who can't answer, we will throw them into the sea to feed the fish." "What about the kids?" I asked. "They all passed, all passed the exam." I decided to use the morning to engage in some philosophical investigations.Dad was reading a German newspaper.After I had my fill of the pool, I climbed out on the deck, sat down, and started observing the people around me.

Some held a can of sunscreen in their hands and kept applying it to themselves. Some held a paperback book in French, English, Japanese or Italian and read it with gusto. Other passengers sat scattered on the deck, chatting vigorously over beer or red drinks with ice.There are also some children on board: the older ones sit with the adults in the sun; the younger ones run around on the deck, tripping over other guests’ travel bags and canes from time to time; On the knee, just keep crying.I saw a little baby cuddled in its mother's arms, sucking at its mother's nipple.The mother and son seemed very at ease, as if they were sitting in their own homes in France or Germany.

Who are these people? Where do they come from? What I am most interested in is: Is there anyone on the boat who is asking these kinds of questions besides us and my son? I sat on the deck and watched everyone carefully to see what happened Is there a god manipulating their behavior.I thought, upon close inspection, that I might be able to find some answers. I'm in a good position.Once I found the ideal subject to observe, I could observe him as much as I wanted until the ship arrived in the Greek port of Patras.In some ways, it's easier to watch people on board than it is to watch insects or cockroaches running around.

The passengers on the deck stretched their arms from time to time; some stood up from their chairs, stretched and kicked their legs.In one minute, an old gentleman puts on and takes off his glasses four or five times in succession. Obviously, these people were not aware of their behavior.Every little action is made subconsciously.In some ways, these actions simply show that these people are still alive. I think it's more interesting to watch the movement of people's eyelids.Of course, everyone blinks, but the frequency of blinking varies from person to person.I have a strange feeling in my heart when I see the little thin piece of skin on people's eyes beating constantly.I once saw a bird wink.Looking at it, it seems that there is some mechanism in its body that controls the blinking action.

Now I see that the men on board blink their eyes in the same mechanical way. There were a few Germans with big bellies on board.When I saw them, I thought of walruses, lying on deck chairs with their white hats pulled down low. All morning, these Germans doze off and rub sunscreen on their bodies.Dad called them the Bratwurst Germans.I thought Brettwurst was the name of a place in Germany, but Dad explained that these Germans got fat from eating too much fatty sausage, which in German is called " Brett Wuster". I wondered what was going on in the mind of a "Brettuster German" as he lay on deck basking in the sun.After careful observation, I judged that he was thinking about sausage, because there was no sign that he was thinking about anything else.

All morning, I continued my philosophical exploration.We, father and son, have an agreement that today we will do our separate activities and play our own games.So I wandered about the prow and stern, free and easy.But I have to promise my father not to jump into the sea. I borrowed my dad's binoculars and spied on some of the passengers on the ship.This kind of play is very exciting, because I have to watch out from time to time to get caught. One of the worst things I did that morning was stalk an American woman.This bitch is very spooky, let me be right.A deeper understanding of human nature.

She stood in a corner of the hall, looking back to make sure no one was spying on her.I hid behind a sofa to avoid being seen by her.I felt my heart pounding wildly, but I wasn't afraid.I was nervous about her.What on earth is this woman trying to do? After waiting for a long time, I finally saw her open her handbag and take out a green cosmetic bag.There is a mirror in the bag.She held up the mirror, looked left and right, and then began to apply lipstick. I intuitively felt that the scene in front of me must help me explore the nature of human beings. But the fun is yet to come.After putting on her makeup, she smiled at herself in the mirror.It's not over yet.Before putting the mirror back into her makeup bag, she actually raised a hand and waved at herself in the mirror.At the same time, she blinked and a charming smile appeared on her face.

After she walked out of the hall, I slumped behind the sofa. Why was she waving at herself? After some philosophical reflection, I concluded that this woman was a freak, maybe a buffoon! She was clearly aware of the fact that I waved so I existed.In a way, she's actually two people—a woman standing in the lobby putting on lipstick, and a woman waving at herself in the mirror. I know that it is not completely legal to use a living person as an experiment, so after observing this woman, I temporarily stopped my exploration.When we met at a bridge game in the afternoon, I walked straight up and asked her in English if she could give me the buffoon card.

"Take it!" She handed me the buffoon card. Walking away from her, I waved her a hand and gave her a wink.She was so startled that she nearly fell off her chair.She may wonder how I know her little secret.Maybe, sitting at home in the United States at the moment, she still feels uneasy in her heart. For the first time in my life, I got a buffoon card on my own. Our father and son made an appointment to meet in the cabin before dinner.I told him only that I had made some important observations on board the ship this morning, but kept the details to him.Over dinner, we chatted about the nature of being human.This conversation was very interesting.

I said we humans are strange things, very intelligent in many ways - explored space and the atom - but don't know much about ourselves.Then, Dad said a very interesting sentence, which I still remember clearly. "If our minds are so simple that we can understand them, then we will be so stupid that we cannot understand our minds." This sentence made me think for a long time.In the end, I had to admit that my father had no choice but to answer the question I just asked. "Other animals have much simpler minds than we do," Dad continued. "For example, we understand how an earthworm's mind works—at least roughly. But the earthworm itself doesn't understand its mind, because its mind is so simple." "Maybe, there is a God who understands us." I had an idea. Dad jumped up from his chair.I can't help but feel complacent, thinking that my father was moved by my intelligence and wisdom. "You may be right," he said. "But then this god's mind is so complicated that he can't understand himself." He beckoned to the waiter to bring him a bottle of beer.Dad went on talking about his philosophies until the beer arrived. "There's one thing I've never understood, and that's why Anita left us." Dad said suddenly when the waiter was pouring his drink. Dad surprised me by suddenly mentioning my mother's name.Usually he calls her "Mom", like me. I get impatient when Dad starts blah blah about Mom.I miss her as much as Dad, but I don't like to talk about it, to talk about it with Dad. "I can understand the structure of outer space," Dad said, "but I don't understand why that woman suddenly ran away from home and left without saying goodbye." "Perhaps it's because she doesn't know herself," I replied. Our father and son stopped talking and just ate dinner in silence.I don't think Papa nor I have any chance of finding Mama in Athens. After dinner, we walked around the boat.Dad pointed to the crew and officers we encountered and explained to me what the stripes on their armbands represented.Somehow they remind me of those cards in playing cards. That night, it was getting late, but Dad said he wanted to go to the bar for a drink or two. I don't want to stop him.I said, I want to go back to the cabin and read comic books. Dad thought I wanted to be alone for a while.In fact, I was eager to open the bun book and read on.I wondered what Frod would tell Hans when they sat on the hill overlooking the dwarf village. Needless to say, I didn't read those comic books at all.Maybe, this summer I've grown up -- grown to the point where I don't want to read comic books anymore. After what happened today, I finally realized that Dad was not the only philosopher in our family.With my own efforts, I also began to show a little bit of philosophical talent.