He wasn't always this way, but they ripped what he loved most away from him locked him in a dark room and told him to work. So he did, he picked up that needle and thread and sewed until the bones of his nimble fingers were exposed. And when his wedding ring finally had no finger to hold onto it fell on the cold concrete, as the cling of the metal hit the ground a wide smile spread over his features. He had finished his greatest masterpiece and faded away as he watched someone else present it to the world as theirs. His madness brought brilliance and left a mark on this world but that very world will never know the creators name.

I don’t like Aristotle. Aristotle was wordy... he talked too much. One of my many ex-step-fathers’ lived by the credo that if he vomitted enough words, then the law of percentages said that eventually something intelligent sounding must come out of his mouth, so he never shut up. The same is true of Aristotle. It’s true! Look it up! Aristotle had something to say about every... damn... thang.

I will use as an example this quote a friend brought up of Aristotle’s: “No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” Literally taken Aristotle is calling sex and procreation lunacy, but let’s move beyond that. The sentence seems like a simple truth at first glance, but as always with Aristotle, it is too wordy. To prove my point, let’s remove the word “great” from it? “No mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” Doen’t it already make more sense? Is it only the “great” minds which contain a hint of madness, and not all of them? Of course not. A trip to any local Walmart, or a quick flip through Instagram, will easily prove otherwise. Show me the man without a hint of madness, and I’ll show you his corpse.

Aristotle, without mincing words, could have said the exact same thing using half the verbiage... how about: “Madness resides in every mind.” You see? Only 5 words! This is why I am a Socrates man. Aristotle was too wordy. And like Socrates I have questions about everything. For instance, do you think Aristotle threw the word “great” into that sentence because he worked for Alexander, and thought it a good way to call out the boss without getting canned?”

Hmmm... maybe Aristotle was smarter than I think? Or perhaps I’m crazy for thinking otherwise? Damn! If I am a touch madder, does that by extension make me great? Or at least greater?

Hey! You seem a bit crazy yourself! What say you?

Oh, nevermind. Maybe it would be a good question for Plato...

"What now?"

"Let's take it from the top, shall we?"

"Well it all started when I was in class I could feel it, crawling and moving around inside of me. Like a...Like a parasite that I just couldn't get rid of....It was disgusting."

"So you felt the intense need to get it out?"

"Yes! exactly dr. and people find that so hard to understand. If something was clawing at you from the inside trying to get out you'd want to get it out too right? Right!?"

"Well most people aren't disgusted by their 8-month-old moving around in their belly Mrs. Potts. That's why the...the um...-"

"Display"

"Yes, Mrs. Potts. That's why the display you put on in front of that room full of kids was so shocking and its exactly why the court sided with your husband to put you in here."

"I could feel it sucking the life out of me..."

"Its honestly a miracle you survived such a traumatic event, self-inflicted or not."

"I'd be dammed if I let that thing kill me..."

"Mrs. Potts I'm afraid you'll be stuck here until you admit what you did was wrong and horrific."

"But I wasn't wrong, and I'll never admit too it."

"Well then, I guess that's that."

"So..."

"So?"

"What now?"

"Let's take it from the top, shall we?"