Had it not been required to graduate, I would never have taken the class titled simply “Philosophy.” Abstract thinking makes my head hurt. That’s why I felt a headache coming on when I heard television psychologist Dr. Phil say on his show, “There is no reality, only perception.” In a flash, I was back in class wanting to ask this professor to expand on that thought. Did he mean there are no absolutes? That everything is only as we perceive it to be? Of course, Dr. Phil went to a commercial and closed the show long before I could let go of the thought.
I’m sure it was that lingering thought that drew my eyes to a big sign announcing the current price of “petrol” in the famed coastal town of Blackpool in Lancashire County, England, on one of my book tours years ago. I could hardly remember gas prices so low—just 78.9 cents. But before I could enjoy even a moment of self-pity, the driver (reading my American mind) pointed out that it was 78.9 pence per liter.
