Olga Tokarczuk is one of Poland’s most celebrated contemporary authors; her most recent novel – Flights – won the Man Booker International Prize. At once quirky and engrossing, one of the themes running through the book’s sketches is time and its connection to travel. I’m a big fan of both time and travel (but not yet time travel), and here I extend – and likely twist – a couple of Olga’s points.

I lost a superpower. With my right eye distractedly veering 20 degrees to the right, my peripheral vision – at least on the right side – provided me a power few can claim. A long way from 20/20, the eye contributed shapes, shadows and movement to my immediate awareness. Now that my eyes are newly realigned, I’m a mere mortal.  

I was casually reading an article on witchcraft in Africa when suddenly, the lights went on! (That was Alexa turning them on, not a real witch.) In just a few paragraphs, I was forced to confront my denial of the obvious truth to one of Trump’s most frequently repeated claims, a truth that of course the liberal media refuses to acknowledge.

Responsibility. It’s a good trait, right? Of course it is! The word itself has an authoritative sound. Its connotations are smothered in virtue. As children, we probably associated it with chores, timely homework, maybe the promise of an allowance. Perhaps it was also the subject of a parental “talking to,” the lesson intended by a punishment. For adults, it’s a characteristic that helps smooth participation in the “real world.” Relationships thrive on shared responsibilities. We hire people in part by judging them by how they managed previous responsibilities, and expect that the people we work with and do business with are, like us, responsible.

Adding the word “personal” in front doesn’t, on the surface, change this;