<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>335387</docID> <postdate>2024-01-03 04:00:17</postdate> <headline>What if the hokey cokey really is what it’s all about? </headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-335388" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Hockey-Cockey-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>You put your right foot in… people doing the hokey cokey at an annual Wartime Weekend in the UK.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line" style="font-weight: 400;">Why do we dream – and why do we dream what we dream? Why does time seem to fly during happy moments and drag during tedious ones? <strong>CLIVE WILLIAMS </strong> devotes his Whimsy column to pondering the imponderable.</span></p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“No one can ever know for sure what a deserted area looks like.†</span></i><b><i>–George Carlin</i></b></p> <p><b>Imponderables in life refer to the perplexing and unanswerable questions that elude definitive answers, challenging our understanding and often defying logic. </b></p> <p><img class=" wp-image-239837" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Clive-Williams-e1631256405470.jpg" alt="" width="336" height="350" /></p> <caption>Clive Williams.</caption> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These enigmas span various realms, from the philosophical and existential to the mundane. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Questions such as the nature of consciousness, the origins of the universe, and whether “life†exists after death sit at the core of human mysteries, often leading to profound discussions and debates.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In everyday life, imponderables manifest in the form of simpler yet equally puzzling queries: Why do we dream – and why do we dream what we dream? Why does time seem to fly during happy moments and drag during tedious ones? </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These questions, though less grandiose, are just as fascinating because they touch on the everyday aspects of human experience and perception.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Imponderables drive curiosity and inspire continuous exploration and learning. They highlight the limitations of human knowledge and the boundless mysteries that remain. While scientific advancements have unravelled many of nature's secrets, imponderables remind us that there is always more to discover. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Imponderables keep us humble, acknowledging that some aspects of our existence may remain forever beyond our grasp, thus fuelling the quest for knowledge and the innate desire to understand the world and our place within it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before we get too serious, here are a few less profound imponderables for you to think about:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">How come nobody recognises that Clark Kent without his glasses is Superman?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard when he lives in the jungle without a razor? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why do we press harder on a TV remote when we know the batteries are flat? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why do banks charge a fee for 'insufficient funds' when they know you can’t pay?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets and seat belts? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whose idea was it to put an 's' in the word 'lisp'? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">We know about the speed of light, but what’s the speed of darkness? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why do people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up every two hours? And how can you sleep like a log?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Do married people live longer than single ones – or does it just seem longer?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">How come we put a man on the moon before we thought of putting wheels on travel bags? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why does your gynaecologist leave the room when you get undressed? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Can illiterate people really appreciate alphabet soup?  </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why does a dog get mad if you blow on his face but can’t wait to stick his head out from a car window? </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?  </span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Doesn’t expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">How come wrong numbers are never busy?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">How do Scots know when it’s time to tune their bagpipes?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">How do “Get Off the Grass†signs get on the grass?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why isn’t an all-butter croissant all butter?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">If Barbie is so popular, why do we have to buy her friends?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you save time, how can you get it back?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you try to fail – and succeed, which have you done?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">What if the hokey cokey really is what it’s all about?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">How do bankruptcy lawyers get paid?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is the third hand on a watch called the second hand?</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">And why don’t we ever see the headline “Psychic wins lotteryâ€?</span></em></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On a lighter note:</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three engineering students are discussing the human body and what kind of engineer must have designed it. The first one says: “It must have been a mechanical engineer – look at all the movable joints.â€Â </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The second says: “It must have been an electrical engineer, given all the electrical connections.â€Â </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The third says: “You’re both wrong. It was obviously a civil engineer. Who else would have run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?â€</span></p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist</span></i></p> </body>