There is a story about a great philosopher who noticed that, often in his dreams, he had the distinct feeling that he had discovered The ANSWER. The principle which would explain everything, the purpose and order of the Cosmos. Yet, when he awoke, he could never remember what that ANSWER was! Most frustrating!

So he put a notebook and pencil beside his bed, and tried a bit of self-hypnosis, telling himself that when this feeling came on him in his sleep, he should immediately wake up and write down what had been revealed to him, so that he might bring it to the world.

So that night, toward the wee, small hours of the morning, in his dream state, he had the feeling again—the principle which fully explains the Order of the Cosmos. His attempt at self-hypnosis kicked in. He roused from his sleep, grabbed the notebook and pencil, and wrote down The Principle of Cosmic Order. Then fell back and went into a deep slumber.

In the morning when he woke up, he reached eagerly for the notebook. He had written

My little fingers perfectly fit my nostrils.

Well . . . back to the old drawing board. . . .

Don Firth