I used to spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to balance the pursuit of knowledge and experience, particularly in high school and college. At that time, I wasn’t overly concerned with having money to pay bills or acquiring the things that cause bills. Plus, my time was very cheap to potential employers so given the option to have time or money, I often chose time.

Rather than reading John Stuart Mill’s concept of opportunity cost, which would have simplified things and prepared me to become a responsible adult, I found myself in a Plato/Aristotle/Socrates mash-up which clarified so many things so many times in so many ways. Eventually, I equated the modern day philosopher with a Jazz-age writer whose late-night conversations distilled truth without forgoing experience which was then formally translated into writing during a prolonged hang-over.

I wasn’t interested in trade-offs, but I was looking for role models. Besides, it sounded better to me than being part of the Algonquin Round Table. As a result, I went through a short phase where I was disappointed about being born in the seventies after everything cool seemed to happen for writing and everything cool started to happen for American film.