THOSE questions.

We've all been presented with them, either in person, on line, in a letter or e-mail. The ones that are supposed to provoke deep thoughts and existentialist musings, I suppose, as we ponder the importance or necessity of various objects in our lives. I've answered them- and be honest, you have, too. But do we really think them through? Example:

"What is the ONE THING that you could not live without?" I really can't answer that and be truthful. None of us can. There are at a bare minimum THREE things I can't live without, those being a breathable atmosphere, water, and a food source. So from this point, the question becomes nothing but an exercise in sentimentality, and I really doubt it's ever answered in a way that has been thought out and clearly determined as correct. Ask me today, when it's twenty degrees and snowing, and I'd be pretty stupid to not answer by saying I need clothing. If I had chronic asthma, I would have to honestly include my inhaler, or insulin if I was diabetic. I truthfully think we're facing a question here that can't be answered- but it is continually asked. I think next time, I'll answer with "the power to critically and logically dissect questions". That might cover the bases.

There's also the variant: "If you were stranded on a deserted island (if I was there, it wouldn't be deserted, would it?) what 5 things would you take with you?"

I tend to cheat on this one. My answers run along the lines of "A Zodiac inflatable raft, an outboard engine, a large refinery storage tank of gas, a fully stocked grocery store, and Jessica Alba". Very illogical, all in all, because with the boat the grocery store would be pretty much not needed. And I suppose I'd have to hope that Jessica was a great navigator. And that the grocery store was one with self-checkout lanes, since I didn't include employees in my list- I don't want to raise the crime rate on the island to 50% or more.

I know, I'm missing the point, and these are just fun thought experiment-like questions. But sometimes I can't help but turn the burning eye of logic on things and see what it sees, which usually results in the realization that even when I try to apply every logical and objective standard to something, I can't resist having a little bit of fun with it. And with the world full of bad news (well, not full of, but it does sometimes seem that way, even to an eternal optimist) a little distraction might not be an unhealthy thing. Look around, find the humour and lighter side in things. You don't even have to share. The laughs we keep to ourselves are sometimes the best ones, and it's never worsened a situation or hurt anyone.

Maybe I should consider trading the boat, motor, and fuel in for a volleyball set, a library, and a nice chessboard.....