Upon Consideration

O Avid Fan, I struggle with perception.

I always wondered since a child whether the world I see through my eyes and experience through my other senses is the same as the one you do.

The simplest example of this disconnect is surely colour. Have you ever thought that perhaps we perceive colour completely differently?

That is, when presented with a visible wavelength of light that corresponds to what we refer to as "red", do you believe the colour you see is the same as the one I see?

As far as I can tell there is no way to know. If, when we both see the same wavelength of light, we agree to call it by the same name, then the colour I see could be the colour you call "blue". But if by convention we agree to refer to said colour as "red" then we can talk about "red" without ever noticing the difference.

In a similar vein I believe that I was perhaps born just a fraction too sober. We know that the human animal contains alcohol, and passes it through the bloodstream. We also know that human perception is altered by alcohol.

I believe that the level of natural alcohol present in a person's bloodstream varies between individuals. And that many of the most noteably depressed and "disagreeable" people were quite simply born a couple of drinks short.

So it is with myself. I believe that I am one of the unfortunates who is always short a drink or two. So that to attain the normal level of sobriety of the average person-in-the-street, I must imbide slightly.

That is: To become completely sober, I have to have a couple of drinks.

This evening I am bypassing sober in favour of more rarified territory.