The word pictures of MM

I’ve been reading Michael Marshall books for a few months. They’re a bit dark for my taste and he is prone to going off on tangents, but the man is a keen observer and paints some interesting pictures.

In one book, he compares a venture for the protagonist to a new spouse, job or car. They’re all things you approach with great joy and anticipation. Then, he says, you move into the phase where you have to work to maintain them. Finally, you arrive at the phase where it’s just not worth it to continue.

In another, he draws a demented character who obsesses with grudges and is prone to hateful behavior. He likens him to a mad dog chained to a metal stake in a yard. The dog keeps circling the stake and snarling at it with endless fury, unable to divert his attention to almost anything else. It occupies his every thought and he’s oblivious to what goes on beyond that. By the same token, those outside his circle pay little attention to him and he carries on his futile quarrel in a vacuum.

Elsewhere, he observes that people are immersed in themselves so deeply, that they really just regard others as bit players in their lives. They seldom ponder that these people also have hopes, dreams, relationships, significance or lives of their own. They only exist as a supporting cast.

Many things in life are like beer. The first time you experience it, it's a heady and potent sensation. Later in life, it's just watery.

There are two kinds of decisions or actions in your life that can be illustrated by the difference in numbers. The difference between two and three is the same as the difference between one and two. One. But, it isn't the same as the difference between zero and one, which is infinite. The first example is an increment; more of the same. The second, you become something you weren't before and there is no going back (like losing virginity). It's a life changer from which there is no return. Recognize these before you act.

The reader may or may not agree with his observations. But, he’s not dull.