And is it not strange most strange that one says of a thing that it is full, when it is not full at all, but not of a thing that is empty, if it is not empty? And perhaps the reason for that is this, that when one fills, one seldom fills quite full, for that would not be convenient, whereas when one empties one empties completely, holding the vessel upside down, and rinsing it out with boiling water if necessary, with a kind of fury.
In Samuel Beckett's "Watt," the author reflects on the oddity of how we perceive fullness and emptiness. He suggests that people often describe something as full, even when it isn't genuinely full, while they rarely say something is empty unless it is entirely devoid of content. This distinction highlights the complexities of our language and perceptions regarding states of being.
Beckett further elaborates that when filling a vessel, the act rarely results in perfect fullness, as overfilling can lead to inconvenience. In contrast, emptying a container is usually a thorough process, one that can involve vigorous actions to ensure it is completely void of its contents. His observations offer insight into the nuances of how we define and interact with physical states, emphasizing the differences in our approaches to filling and emptying.
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