Call me old-fashioned, but I still use a fountain pen when I write. In fact, I’m so old-fashioned that I still fill my pen from a bottle of ink.

Maybe it’s the ritual that matters. Preparing my pen gives my brain time to order my thoughts so that when words flow onto paper, they already make some sense.

Do you know what qualities make for good pen ink? The ability to flow freely and to dry quickly. Opposites make the ink work. Not either or, but both together.

The same applies to my writing. To produce something of meaning, my thoughts must first flow freely. If my thoughts set too quickly, my output will be blotchy. Too bold in some areas and too feeble in others.

I wonder, could this concept apply to people? Could it be that sometimes we need to deploy opposing qualities to be really effective?

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.