Naming this blog The Tall Skinny Latte Philosopher is an acknowledgement that I am no philosopher at all. Real philosophers are very clever people – the cleverest person I know, cleverer than the rest of us by some distance, is a philosopher and what a good thing this is. If we elect people to muse on the moral and ethical dilemmas that life throws at us daily, wouldn’t we want them to intellectually as sharp as samurai’s sword? I certainly would.
If the Tall Skinny Latte Philosopher is anything it’s about the kind of wisdom that comes from five and a bit decades of living, running a business, marrying, unmarrying, marrying again, having children, travelling, gardening, cycling, shopping, learning new tricks, listening to music, going to the cinema, the theatre, the opera, renting and buying houses, being up, being down, being jealous, envious, proud, being amused, being depressed, being angry, being frustrated, being misunderstood, being in love, falling out of love, thinking you’re in love and finding you’re not, having brain surgery (really) and three knee operations, having a friend die from a ridiculous accident, having friends commit suicide, having close relations die too soon, walking away from a bad car accident, being in a Boeing 707 at 20,000′ with a burning engine, nearly going bankrupt, being sued for £3m (really again), having some money, having no money and a ton of debt (mostly).
Through all of this I have been cursed and blessed with two things – both pathological I believe – firstly a tendency to see the other side of the argument and secondly a fear of absolute certainty. A teacher once accused me of being mercurial – it sounded grand and, until I looked it up, I felt quite proud. He didn’t mean it as a compliment. Now a days it’s what drives my wife nuts as I change my views on a daily basis. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s part of me that’s jealous of those who are certain; whether it be following a football team or a political party. It’s admirable but I just can’t do it – what if I’m wrong and Liverpool really are a better team than Chelsea?
So this blog strives to give a balanced view of life. If it had an editorial brief it would be to try to find a different angle, to avoid cliché and the bleedin obvious and not to be didactic but to stimulate discussion. Please join in.
Martin Roberts
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