Yesterday I met with a Chinese herbalist/Tibetan doctor who showed me her house full of energy crystals and images of Bodhisattvas.

She told me of her encounters with enlightened masters who can fly and bend reality with their words and beliefs. She told me of her encounter with a dragon in a cave that came to save her from danger.

Her basement is filled with 50 lb rocks, all very pretty and full of crystals.

However the most amazing interaction was when I was trying to explain the connections between argumentation and debate training and Buddhist training. She said, “This is right. You need to practice because I can see that many people need you.”

Before I left she thanked me for not thinking she was crazy. I said, “To believe is a human act. You clearly believe in all of this. The only crazy people are the ones which believe nothing.”

Then she said, “All of this is an illusion, an illusion which makes all things.” And bowed to me smiling.

Indeed, for 2 days I’ve been trying to type out a cogent definition of rhetoric, but now I can stop and delete that file.

And furthermore, related but not really, is my favorite music video of all time, full of memories of my great Syracuse apartment and typing away on my thesis watching mtv2 at 3AM. I hope you enjoy it.