Questions

Want an honest answer to life’s most philosophical (some would say “personal”) questions? Ask it around the campfire to get the real story. | Our hosts | Our venues | Our topics

Buck and Paste
And how it compares to other great inventions

by

In the great debate …

Of humanities greatest invention:

Buck gives a short tutorial on “Cut and Pasting”

It probably varies according to who you ask. Going back to the beginning, many would say the wheel, or any of the other six simple tools (wedge, screw, lever, pulley, inclined plane and the wheel and axle). From a more contemporary viewpoint, others might say the microwave oven, the automobile, the computer, the mobile phone, and probably not the toaster, although I would give it a vote (I toast all my bread). The camera, moving pictures, the airplane and the printing press probably also rank high. And for that matter, whoever invented writing in general, has to get a vote. Speaking of writing, AM Radio host Buck Buckner from In The Bunker is solidly of the mindset that the fine art of “cut and paste” ranks high on the list of the greatest inventions of the modern age.

To be sure, it’s as good a campfire question as there is: What tops your list as the greatest invention of all time?

Share article with friends

PinLinkedIn

My Top 5: (5) ball point pen, (4) the clock, (3) duct tape, (2) car radio, (1) the toaster.

Campfire Questions
And why the answers don't matter

by

Some questions are best asked …

Around the campfire.

The answer may surprise you

The reason why depends on a number of things. What’s said around the campfire stays around the campfire has to be high on the list. Part truth serum and part ring of trust, there’s an unspoken rule around the campfire that whatever you say there is between the people present and the crackling embers, and rendered in the end to a pile of flakey ash. Another reason may be the ambiguous nature of the answer, or its complexity, or a general acknowledgement that whatever was asked could never be fully solved or understood, just pondered out loud around the popping embers and flame. Maybe, too, it’s the relaxation reflex that kicks in, allowing the conversation to twist and turn in any number of directions without care or concern if the question gets fully explored, or maybe instead opens doors to new questions or quandaries that weren’t directly asked. The truth about the campfire: It has a mysterious way. It lends itself to nonlinear thinking and pregnant pauses of saying nothing at all.

A campfire question is less about the answer than allowing the mind wander to wherever it needs to go.