The Joys Of Pointless Behaviour

The riders are strung out on the road.

Baby Pierre is in front, carefree, whizzing along on his green fluoroelastane O-rings.

Gaius is next, on Schopenhauer's custom made bicycle.

He is testing the theory that whoever rides Schopenhauer's bicycle may at some point spout one of Schopenhauer's philosophical pronouncements.

So far, nothing has come into his head. At least not of that nature.

Perhaps that is because he is already thinking of fossils in rich sedimentary layers.

Lastly, pedalling quite slowly, comes Professor Xu Xing, dinkying Margaret on the back of Gaius's bicycle.

A hill looms ahead of them.

Shall I get off? asks Margaret.

Please, says Professor Xu Xing.

Margaret gets off. Professor Xu Xing also gets off, and starts wheeling the bike up the hill.

Look at Gaius, says Margaret. I bet he hasn't even noticed he's going uphill.

Why do you say that? asks Professor Xu Xing.

He'll be miles away, says Margaret. Inside his own head. Following some thread or other.

Is he a genius? asks Professor Xu Xing.

I don't think so, says Margaret. Just reasonably talented at wool-gathering. Why do you ask?

I don't know, says Professor Xu Xing, scratching his head. I feel like coming out with a statement ......but......it's not coming.

It will be one of Schopenhauer's aphorisms, says Margaret. And it's not coming because you're on Gaius's bicycle.

Ah, says Professor Xu Xing. You are perspicacious, Margaret, but wrong, for now I feel it is coming.

They stop on the road, and Professor Xu Xing says :

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see.

That's Gaius, says Margaret.

They continue walking up hill.

Gaius has caught up with Baby Pierre who has stopped at the summit to gaze down at the Blanche Point Formation.

Gaius finds himself saying:

Once you are over the hill you begin to pick up speed.

Neither Gaius nor Baby Pierre know this statement is Schopenhauer's.

Goody, says Baby Pierre. I'll go even faster.

And so it happens sometimes that significant things go right past us.

Margaret and Professor Xu Xing are still out of earshot.

Therefore, as promised, Gaius explains to Baby Pierre what was in it for the male redback spider.

The sacrifice confers certain advantages to the species, says Gaius. The longer period of copulation results in more cases of fertilisation. Furthermore, females who have mated and eaten their partners are more likely to reject subsequent males.

Baby Pierre does not like to say that the whole system seems rather pointless.