Why do we condone violence?

[malthaussen]

51. George MacDonald Fraser

Wrote of his grandmother, who being Scots was a dedicated golfer. Her approach was the opposite of yours: she "strode grimly around the golf course" and diligently recorded each stroke, with a tight-lipped smile. From the description, you'd think she wasn't having any fun at all, although of course she was. It is an interesting contrast of attitudes. You find it in computer game afficianados, one camp of which eschews all "cheating," in the form of, say, character editors or game walkthroughs, and another camp of which thinks that the whole concept of "cheating" in a computer game is ridiculous. Which usually prompts the response, "Yes, but you're cheating yourself." I have a mad theory that what accounts for this difference is that some people evalutate themselves by external opinions, while others evaluate themselves by internal opinions. Problem with that concept is that even "internal" opinions must ultimately have an external source.

Best ball is good, unless everybody drives it into the rough, in which case it's time for some Mulligans. But I really am much to stiff and creaky to even take a swing with anything longer than a 5-iron. I'd need to knock off about 20 years of rust before I could even get around a course.

-- Mal