Haruki Murakami says it best.
"When I had slept with three or four girls this way, I asked Nagasawa, "After you've done this 70 times, doesn't it begin to seem kind of pointless?"
"That proves you're a decent human being," he said. "Congratulations. There is absolutely nothng to be gained from sleeping with one strange woman after another. It just tires you out and makes you disgusted with yourself. It's the same for me."
"So why the hell do your keep it up?"
"Hard to say. Hey, you know that thing Dostoevsky wrote on gambling? It's like that. When you're surrounded by endless possibilities, one of the hardest things you can do is pass them up. See what I mean?"
"Sort of."
"Look. The sun goes down. The girls come out and drink. They wander around, looking for something. I can give them that something. It's the easiest thing in the world, like drinking water from a tap. Before you know it, I've got 'em down. It's what they expect. That's what I mean by possibility. It's all around you. How can you ignore it? You have a certain ability and the opportunity to use it: can you keep your mouth shut and let it pass?"
"I don't know, I've never been in a situation like that," I said with a smile. "I can't imagine what it's like."
"Count your blessings," Nagasawa said.
Xx
"That proves you're a decent human being," he said. "Congratulations. There is absolutely nothng to be gained from sleeping with one strange woman after another. It just tires you out and makes you disgusted with yourself. It's the same for me."
"So why the hell do your keep it up?"
"Hard to say. Hey, you know that thing Dostoevsky wrote on gambling? It's like that. When you're surrounded by endless possibilities, one of the hardest things you can do is pass them up. See what I mean?"
"Sort of."
"Look. The sun goes down. The girls come out and drink. They wander around, looking for something. I can give them that something. It's the easiest thing in the world, like drinking water from a tap. Before you know it, I've got 'em down. It's what they expect. That's what I mean by possibility. It's all around you. How can you ignore it? You have a certain ability and the opportunity to use it: can you keep your mouth shut and let it pass?"
"I don't know, I've never been in a situation like that," I said with a smile. "I can't imagine what it's like."
"Count your blessings," Nagasawa said.
Xx