Brevity is the Soul of Wit

The blogger received the following email from Dr JB Lim in response to the earlier posting of his thoughts on the universe on October 5 and the blogger replied accordingly. Reproduced below is the exchange of correspondence.

Saturday, 6 October, 2012 1:12 AM

From: lim juboo

Dear Sifu Ir. TO Lau,

I am not sure if I feel honored, humored, amused, unexpected, strange, weird, or hilarious to find some of the things I casually write to friends in exchange, find the same entering into your blog. They were all casual thoughts and remarks, nothing more.

I spend an hour or two of my leisure time each day after housework reading all kinds of ‘rubbish’ mails people ‘forcefully’ send to me by the dozens. If there is anything interesting, I merely add my casual comment.

Unfortunately, my daughter told me the other day some of her friends whom I do not even know receiving some of my comments about education in this country.

I think this is very dangerous should we unintentionally write something politically undesirable. Freedom of speech or thoughts becomes restricted these days.

Anyway, I steer clear from political, racial, or religious ideology.

You can share just about anybody's thoughts if you wish. But I tend to write a lot of rubbish thoughts myself. It is not worth two cents. There is no intellectual property right or commercial value once it goes into cyberspace.

Anyway, your blog is very illustrative with music, color and pictures, compared with my bland and boring thoughts. This, in a way is also a blessing in disguise for me to pen a few words, else no one will even want to read past my first sentence.

Thanks a lot for that!

jb

(A Hobbyist Commentator)

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Sunday, 7 October, 2012 8:15 AM

From: Tai Onn Lau

To: lim juboo

Dear Great Sifu Dr JB Lim,

I must tell you once again, as I have expressed before, that many of your ‘casual thoughts or remarks’ carry as much weight, if not more, as any deliberately written lecture notes of thousands of words. These thoughts or remarks are so witty and stimulating that after reading I cannot resist the eagerness to post into my blog and share with other readers.

To quote from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Act 2, scene 2:

This business is well ended.

My liege, and madam, to expostulate

What majesty should be, what duty is,

Why day is day, night night, and time is time,

Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.

Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,

And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,

I will be brief: your noble son is mad:

Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,

What is't but to be nothing else but mad?

But let that go.

In today’s hurrying world, I believe articulate and intelligent communication, be it speech or writing, should be made as brief and efficient as possible, as long as it hits the bull’s-eye.

Please allow me to continue to post your ‘casual thoughts or remarks’ in the future as and when suitable (definitely not related to political, racial or religious ideology) so as to let the light of your wisdom shine on all of us.

Thank you.

Regards,

Tai Onn