Dance with the Tiger

Let's assume that the "purpose" of a thing is it's primary use. A knife is a tool comprised of a variety of elements. Objectively it would be silly to say the purpose of steel is to create cutting tools, but the purpose of a knife is to cut. I suppose the real purpose in knife manufacturing is to make money, but let's not split hairs. My knife isn't sharp enough anyway.

Language is a use of symbols to express complicated ideas such as objects, emotions, locations and traits. The word for "dog" is much less complex than the dog itself, though cat admirers may disagree. The best language use then is concise without loss of expression. Powerful and brief, like when your girlfriend visits you at your mothers house and you decide to watch a movie. It also follows that excellence is simple.

As your expectations for me lower, so do the stars and from this angle, they look much more like lightbulbs. I reject this model because it has never quenched my hunger for celestial excellence. I will make my own.

"Those whose words are inconsistent and whose acts are inconsistent are small people.
Those who observe one thing and understand one art are mediocre people.
Those with a comprehensive purview and inclusive grasp of things, who assess abilities and employ them judiciously, are sages."
The Taoist Classics, Thomas Cleary, Volume I