Ptolemy Problem

Ptolemy Problem names a difficulty you have already met, probably this week. Naming it is half the repair.

The problem persists because it is usually treated as someone else's. Once you accept that the naming of it includes you, solutions stop being exotic and start being obvious.

It is worth keeping in your pocket not because it is always right, but because it is always available. A tool you carry beats a perfect tool you left at home.

During the monsoon, one clogged drain teaches the whole lane about the commons. Everyone kept it clean, everyone assumed someone else owned it, everyone waded home together.

Society is a long conversation; the only question is whether you are listening or merely waiting to speak. And when you forget it — you will — the world will remind you. It is a faithful tutor.