EDIT: An important correction was made to this post near the very end. Please scroll down for the full scoop.

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The subtitle of this blog-post is an adaptation of an old, fairly well-known Zen Buddhist koan (profound question): "What is the sound of one-hand clapping?" It's not a real question in the classic sense, but instead is intended as a probing statement. It's meant to stimulate thinking on the part of the listener, to get them to ponder their full state of mind, state of being. True Zen practitioners would take a great while before answering, usually with something equally cryptic.

Since I was a kid though, I have had an immediate answer for this supposedly profound question. (I say "supposedly profound", not because I'm belittling Zen Buddhism, but because I've always been way too literal-minded. The question never struck me as being 'profound' in any sense.) My answer when asked that question? "Pointless."

At first blush, my answer may seem thought-provoking; as if someone had asked me, "How much is 7 minus 3?" and I answered, "Orange." This casual listener, perhaps slightly familiar with Zen Buddhism, might suppose that I was seriously attempting to probe the deeper-meanings of myself, my being, and how I relate to my universal "one-ness". They could be excused for thinking that I was attempting to give a 'profound, meaningful, inner answer' to the 'profound question'.

I hate to disappoint anybody, but here's what actually goes on in my head: