Rob's Blog

There’s no place like home.
Mar 16th 2007 18:03

I just got back in from a run. There's nothing unusual about that – it's one of the reasons that I love working from a home office. I can schedule in a 30 minute post-lunch jog. It's good. Unfortunately what isn't always so good is the way that Philosophy can equip you with the tools to destroy some of life's simple pleasures. As I was stood in the kitchen after quite a tough run and flicked the kettle on I idly though: “Ah, there's no place like home”. I've always quite liked that saying and it seemed rather a suitable thought. But did my mind stop there? Oh no. I had to go and think “well... actually...is there?”. Which led me to the sad realization that “there's no place like home” is actually a tautology, and I'd just never realized it before. 'Home' is such a fuzzy definition that if it turned out there in fact was some other place like home... well... that would be home too... Maybe I'm the last person in the world to realize it but that doesn't stop the world outside my window looking a little bit more gray. Until now every time someone said “there's no place like home” I warmly thought “I like that”. Now I'm inevitably going to think “duh - that's just silly”. Where's the fun in that?! Bloody philosophy.