The Thwarted Arrow

Progress Continues.

Not quite at the pace I would prefer, but does it ever? To be fair the only person I can blame is myself.

I can allow no excuses.

Meanwhile here's a thought that has bothered fine minds before. How does anything ever get done?

Take for argument an Archer is shooting at a turtle, either because he's a hunter with an irrational fear of turtle bites that must feed his family- or because he's just a jerk picking on one of natures less fortunate creations.

So he lines up a shot, perfectly aimed, and releases an arrow.

To hit that turtle, the arrow must travel halfway to the turtle. Then it must travel half of the remaining distance. It must, in fact, cover half the distance again and again- infinitely.

How then, does it ever actually strike the turtle? Because strike the turtle it must and observably does.

I am led to believe many a philosopher has been inclined to muse over such paradoxes. The Dichotomy Paradox, in this case.

For some reason I am absolutely convinced the truth is thus:

The Archer only thinks the Turtle is the target. What does the Arrow think is the target? According to physics it would be the center of Earth's gravity, would it not?

The arrow isn't perpetually closing half the distance to the turtle, it's perpetually closing half the distance to the center of the earth, only some utter asshole has arranged for a turtle to be in it's way!

But in all fairness to the archer, that arrow was never going to reach the center of the earth. While it perpetually closed the distance between itself and the center, something was always going to get in the way. Dirt, trees, other wildlife, someone the archer hated more than turtles...

Thank goodness arrows are immune to existential ennui born of futility. Our ancestors would have starved.

Now, if only I could put this curiously non-drug-induced revelation to some practical effect...

Also I am considering reducing this blog to being the heavily narrated creative-writing record of Arketer Labs of Tyria's Field Tests. Just as an aside.

#0 never lets me use it to comment on the more interesting things happening around here anyway.

Progress continues!