Catch-22

"Where were you born?
On a battlefield.
No, no. In what state were you born?
In a state of innocence."

I think this is the 4th or 5th time i've read this book. And i still don't tire of the same ol' jokes. They make me laugh just as hard now as they did back in high school.

So what is Catch-22?

"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle. 'That's some catch, that Catch-22,' he observed. 'It's the best there is,' Doc Daneeka agreed."

But Catch-22 is much more than just the Air Force rule, it's used to explain the randomness and paradoxes of life and how the "elliptical precision" of it's circular logic governs all. I think of it as the comedic and ironic supplement to Newton's third law of motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

I think the best part of Catch-22 is how i can draw parallels between the book and my work environment. For example, "The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likable. In three days no one could stand him." And that's just from page ten!

Well maybe now you're curious enough to read the book. If not, then you can go ahead and eat your liver. Houb, that was for you.