Re: CHAT: relative tense

On Mon, 22 Mar 1999, Nik Taylor wrote:

> dunn patrick w wrote:
> > Perhaps a society that doesn't differentiate between past and future,
> > considering both equally illusory and the present to be the only true,
> > objective reality.
>
> But in that case, why would they need to distinguish distance?
Well, if the present is of vital interest, of course those things that
occurred closer to the present would be of greater interest.  Those
matters of historical interest would be -- oh, feh.  I've spent the whole
day translating Beowulf and can barely see, let alone type and argue about
verb tenses.  Gods, why didn't I just go raise ostriches, rather than go
to grad school?  And Alexander Pope can just go jump off a high balcony
for all I care!

*grumbling*

--Patrick