May 29, 2025 • 13 mins
This week we meet Sock. Every evening Sock and various companions meet at the park to go for a walk and discourse on a variety of lofty topics.
On this particular evening, cold and blustery, it appears it will only be Sock and his faithful hound Sally. But just as they set off, a young lady appears and together the trio ambles up Lyceum Hill.
Soon talk turns to Camus' Four Conditions for Happiness. A lively discussion ensues.
But then, suddenly, this newest member of The Walking Philosopher's Club bids farewell and vanishes into thin air. Was she ever really there? Or had Sock merely conjured her up?
Does it matter? Does such a phenomenon as reality even exist? Join the walk and see what you think.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson,
your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten
minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or
rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to
(00:25):
pack as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human
condition as ten minutes will permit. Mini novels on steroids.
This week we meet Sock. Every evening, Sock and various
companions meet at the park to go for a walk
(00:47):
and discourse on a variety of lofty topics. On this
particular evening, cold and blustery, it appears it will only
be Sock and his faithful hound, Sally, But jes as
they set off, a young lady appears, and together the
trio ambles up Lyceum Hill. Soon talk turns to camus
(01:09):
four conditions for happiness, and a lively discussion ensues. But
then suddenly, this newest member of the Walking Philosopher's Club
bids farewell and vanishes into thin air. Was she ever
really there? Or had Sock merely conjured her up? Does
it matter to such a phenomenon as reality even exists?
(01:31):
Join the walk and see what you think. The Walking
Philosopher's Club. Every evening at seven, the Walking Philosopher's Club
meets at the park to walk and talk. When Soak
dreamed up the club a couple of years ago, the
idea was to walk a few miles while discoursing on
(01:53):
lofty topics like art, beauty, god, the meaning of life,
and of course, the very real possibility that life has
no meaning, just whatever you conjure up in your crazy head,
say making money or doing good deeds, or rooting for
the Yankees or collecting rare bird feathers. Originally, the club
(02:14):
met weekly on Wednesdays, but that quickly turned into twice
a week, and then three times a week, until finally
Sock said, oh hell, let's meet every evening and if
no one shows up, well, so what. Some evenings no
one does show ice bitter cold, heavy rain, NFL playoff games.
But other evenings, especially those first deliciously warm evenings in
(02:38):
early spring, half the town turns out, and as expected,
a pent up yakathon ensues and philosophical gibber jabber abounds.
Sock shows up at least four or five times a week.
He's home from work by six, has eaten dinner with
the family and cleaned up the kitchen, and Sally needs
(03:00):
a walk anyway, so off they go for the short
stroll over to the park. Sock, a striver his whole life,
always pushing, always wanting more, always demanding, and disgruntled, has mellowed.
He actually feels a good deal of the time contented.
(03:20):
Getting outside every day going for a walk has been
a big part of that contentment. Sure, in the early
days of the Walking Philosopher's Club, Sock marched at a
brisk pace and blabbed and blabbed, a real no at
all who never shut up, But no more. He lets
others set the pace now, and when he does speak,
(03:42):
it's typically with brevity and a touch of humor of
the self deprecating variety whenever possible. Tonight is a chilly,
one coldest night since last spring, but Sock believes there's
no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.
He pulls on his lightweight down jacket and stuffs gloves
(04:03):
and wool hat into the pockets just in case. Sally,
a Beagle foxhound mix, waits at the door, leash in
her mouth. She's a first class dog. Knows Sock's moods,
maybe even better than Sock knows his moods himself. And
off they go, old pals. No one is at the park.
(04:26):
Sock is not surprised. It's a Monday, cold, windy, and
it'll be dark in half an hour. Only the diehards,
the true walking philosophers, come out in the dark. Sock
has no problem walking in the dark. He actually kind
of likes it, at least he tells himself he does,
and isn't that half the battle? He takes what comes.
(04:48):
There are sidewalks and street lights, after all, and he
always carries a flashlight for those roots that include unlit
roads and trails. Sock waits a few minutes for any stragglers,
and at ten after seven, he and Sally head across
the park to start the two mile Lyceum Hill loop.
(05:09):
Just you and me tonight, kid, old Buddy, Old pal
Let's roll along. But then, just as they set off,
he hears someone call hello, excuse me, I'm looking for
the folks who walk. Sock turns s he's a young
woman ambling purposely toward them. I think you're looking for
the Walking Philosopher's Club. Yes, I am. I am such
(05:31):
a great name. I probably would have called it the
Philosopher's Walking Club. Hah, sockclass I thought about that. In fact,
I moled over which word to place in front of
the other for like weeks. The woman closes the distance
between them and says, so, then you must be the
walking philosopher. Well, I would never be that presumptuous, but
(05:53):
I most certainly do walk, and I am the founder
and charter member. Well that's splendid. And are you off
with your hound to walk and philosophize? I am, indeed
we are. Would you like to join us? Yes? I would, Well,
I would be honored to join you. Well, then let's
be off and to cross the park and up by
seam Hill they go. I'm sok, says Sock, pleased to
(06:15):
meet you. Soak, that's a fine hound you have there.
Indeed she is, says Sock, and an existentialist, also of
the first order, believes one hundred percent in free will,
and even seven years into her existence, she can't accept
for even a second that anyone, anyone at all, including me,
(06:36):
the human who feeds and walks her, has the right
to inflict their will upon her. Finds the whole notion
of it both maddening and ridiculous. That little hound right
there is the canine version of Jean Paul Sartre. Well.
Three cheers and bravo for the pup, says the newest
(06:56):
member of the Walking Philosopher's Club. She and I could
be soul mates. Show me a creature who does not
seek control over his or her existence, and I will
show you a doormat a Sock nods and laughs and
quotes the Dane. The most common form of despair is
not being who you are, care geguard, says the new member.
(07:19):
None other, says Sock. The only way to deal with
an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that
your very existence becomes an act of rebellion. Ah, says Sock, delighted,
absolutely delighted. That's crazy, Camu, Yes it is, Yes, it is,
she says. Do you recall his first four conditions for happiness? Well?
(07:43):
Think SoC Maybe maybe not all four, but really the
whole idea of the Walking Philosopher's Club came about because
of condition number one. Yes, and which condition would that be?
The need, says Sock, to live as much of one's
life as possible out in the open. Air. Of course,
(08:04):
that's condition number one. We stay too much inside, says Sock,
closed up in small spaces, Yes, our little cells. It's
such a shame. And how about the three other conditions
for happiness, Well, says SoC number two and one, I
have of late finally embraced with all my heart and soul,
(08:25):
for it was beating me down, making me surly, and
turning me old before my time. Yes, freedom, says Sock.
From ambition. Ah, exactly blame the puritan, says Sock. They
inflicted that nonsense on us eons ago. You know what
about these youngsters, says the new member from the generation
(08:47):
near the end of the alphabet. You mean jens, Y
and z. Yes, well, I live with a few of them,
says Sock. They're my offspring. Well, adds Sock's companion, who
has yet to offer her name, as they slow on
the steep part of Lyceum Hill. They just seem to
reject all that ambitious business and all that nonsense out
(09:10):
of hand. It's lifestyle and leisure time first, money grubbing
and striving a distant second to the devil with striving
lament Sock and glad he is, this energetic lass popped
around to stroll. I am so done with striving life,
she sings. Life is just too short to strive. Life
(09:32):
should be a lark ad Sock that, she says, could
be the philosopher's song. Now tell me, Sock, you've knocked
two of Camu's four conditions out of the park. Can
you take a swing at the other two? Sock looks
at her curiously and asks, did someone send you? Oh?
God knows, I don't know. Did they hmm, says Sock.
(09:56):
I hope you can, because I certainly can't. I can't
remember the last two, can't. You can't remember them now?
I remember the first two, but not the second two. Love,
announces Sock. Love. To have any shot at happiness at all,
you must have love, of course, she says, of course,
someone and hopefully something to love. What utter futility is
(10:20):
life without love? Says Sock. Oh, a total drag, she agrees.
Emotional imprisonment. Now all this decided, they walk aways in silence,
up and over l i Cmhill and back down into town.
The creation, she shouts, the silence all gone. Creation. Yes,
that is Kmu's fourth condition for happiness. Creation. Sock, let's
(10:44):
out of hoot, good God. Of course that's it. It
is the one thing humans can do that no other
creature on earth can. You're right, create. Other creatures can procreate,
but they cannot create art, war, religion, philosophy, Yes, philosophy,
the walking Philosopher's Club, She shouts and pounds him on
(11:05):
the back. The four conditions for happiness. Live outside as
much as possible, chuck ambition, love with reckless abandon and
create your world and your image, never ever in anyone else's. Yes,
she sings, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I think we've
got it. And now sock good luck. It's been great,
(11:27):
good fun. But I must be off so soon, Yes,
I must go, I must be off. But wait, you
never told me your name? Oh I'm sorry. I'm Sally,
same as your pup and puff. Sally's gone vanishes practically
into thin air. Sok doesn't think he told Sally Sally's name,
(11:50):
but he's not sure. Can't remember, doesn't know, not with
any absolute certainty. Where did she go? Where did she go?
This lovely last Sally? Where did she go? She has vanished?
Was she ever really here? Or was it just he
and his hound strolling through the lovely Autumn night. Thanks
(12:22):
for listening to this original audio presentation of The Walking
Philosopher's Club. Narrate it of course by the author. If
you enjoyed today's story, please take a few seconds to rate,
or review and subscribe to this podcast, and then go
to Thomas William Simpson dot com for additional information about
(12:43):
the author and to view his extensive cannon. The Ten
Minute Storyteller is produced by Andrew Pigleasi and Josh Klani
and as part of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network in
partnership with iHeart Productions. So until next time, this is
Bill Simpson, your ten Minute Storyteller,
Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson,
your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten
minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or
rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to
(00:25):
pack as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human
condition as ten minutes will permit. Mini novels on steroids.
This week we meet Sock. Every evening, Sock and various
companions meet at the park to go for a walk
(00:47):
and discourse on a variety of lofty topics. On this
particular evening, cold and blustery, it appears it will only
be Sock and his faithful hound, Sally, But jes as
they set off, a young lady appears, and together the
trio ambles up Lyceum Hill. Soon talk turns to camus
(01:09):
four conditions for happiness, and a lively discussion ensues. But
then suddenly, this newest member of the Walking Philosopher's Club
bids farewell and vanishes into thin air. Was she ever
really there? Or had Sock merely conjured her up? Does
it matter to such a phenomenon as reality even exists?
(01:31):
Join the walk and see what you think. The Walking
Philosopher's Club. Every evening at seven, the Walking Philosopher's Club
meets at the park to walk and talk. When Soak
dreamed up the club a couple of years ago, the
idea was to walk a few miles while discoursing on
(01:53):
lofty topics like art, beauty, god, the meaning of life,
and of course, the very real possibility that life has
no meaning, just whatever you conjure up in your crazy head,
say making money or doing good deeds, or rooting for
the Yankees or collecting rare bird feathers. Originally, the club
(02:14):
met weekly on Wednesdays, but that quickly turned into twice
a week, and then three times a week, until finally
Sock said, oh hell, let's meet every evening and if
no one shows up, well, so what. Some evenings no
one does show ice bitter cold, heavy rain, NFL playoff games.
But other evenings, especially those first deliciously warm evenings in
(02:38):
early spring, half the town turns out, and as expected,
a pent up yakathon ensues and philosophical gibber jabber abounds.
Sock shows up at least four or five times a week.
He's home from work by six, has eaten dinner with
the family and cleaned up the kitchen, and Sally needs
(03:00):
a walk anyway, so off they go for the short
stroll over to the park. Sock, a striver his whole life,
always pushing, always wanting more, always demanding, and disgruntled, has mellowed.
He actually feels a good deal of the time contented.
(03:20):
Getting outside every day going for a walk has been
a big part of that contentment. Sure, in the early
days of the Walking Philosopher's Club, Sock marched at a
brisk pace and blabbed and blabbed, a real no at
all who never shut up, But no more. He lets
others set the pace now, and when he does speak,
(03:42):
it's typically with brevity and a touch of humor of
the self deprecating variety whenever possible. Tonight is a chilly,
one coldest night since last spring, but Sock believes there's
no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.
He pulls on his lightweight down jacket and stuffs gloves
(04:03):
and wool hat into the pockets just in case. Sally,
a Beagle foxhound mix, waits at the door, leash in
her mouth. She's a first class dog. Knows Sock's moods,
maybe even better than Sock knows his moods himself. And
off they go, old pals. No one is at the park.
(04:26):
Sock is not surprised. It's a Monday, cold, windy, and
it'll be dark in half an hour. Only the diehards,
the true walking philosophers, come out in the dark. Sock
has no problem walking in the dark. He actually kind
of likes it, at least he tells himself he does,
and isn't that half the battle? He takes what comes.
(04:48):
There are sidewalks and street lights, after all, and he
always carries a flashlight for those roots that include unlit
roads and trails. Sock waits a few minutes for any stragglers,
and at ten after seven, he and Sally head across
the park to start the two mile Lyceum Hill loop.
(05:09):
Just you and me tonight, kid, old Buddy, Old pal
Let's roll along. But then, just as they set off,
he hears someone call hello, excuse me, I'm looking for
the folks who walk. Sock turns s he's a young
woman ambling purposely toward them. I think you're looking for
the Walking Philosopher's Club. Yes, I am. I am such
(05:31):
a great name. I probably would have called it the
Philosopher's Walking Club. Hah, sockclass I thought about that. In fact,
I moled over which word to place in front of
the other for like weeks. The woman closes the distance
between them and says, so, then you must be the
walking philosopher. Well, I would never be that presumptuous, but
(05:53):
I most certainly do walk, and I am the founder
and charter member. Well that's splendid. And are you off
with your hound to walk and philosophize? I am, indeed
we are. Would you like to join us? Yes? I would, Well,
I would be honored to join you. Well, then let's
be off and to cross the park and up by
seam Hill they go. I'm sok, says Sock, pleased to
(06:15):
meet you. Soak, that's a fine hound you have there.
Indeed she is, says Sock, and an existentialist, also of
the first order, believes one hundred percent in free will,
and even seven years into her existence, she can't accept
for even a second that anyone, anyone at all, including me,
(06:36):
the human who feeds and walks her, has the right
to inflict their will upon her. Finds the whole notion
of it both maddening and ridiculous. That little hound right
there is the canine version of Jean Paul Sartre. Well.
Three cheers and bravo for the pup, says the newest
(06:56):
member of the Walking Philosopher's Club. She and I could
be soul mates. Show me a creature who does not
seek control over his or her existence, and I will
show you a doormat a Sock nods and laughs and
quotes the Dane. The most common form of despair is
not being who you are, care geguard, says the new member.
(07:19):
None other, says Sock. The only way to deal with
an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that
your very existence becomes an act of rebellion. Ah, says Sock, delighted,
absolutely delighted. That's crazy, Camu, Yes it is, Yes, it is,
she says. Do you recall his first four conditions for happiness? Well?
(07:43):
Think SoC Maybe maybe not all four, but really the
whole idea of the Walking Philosopher's Club came about because
of condition number one. Yes, and which condition would that be?
The need, says Sock, to live as much of one's
life as possible out in the open. Air. Of course,
(08:04):
that's condition number one. We stay too much inside, says Sock,
closed up in small spaces, Yes, our little cells. It's
such a shame. And how about the three other conditions
for happiness, Well, says SoC number two and one, I
have of late finally embraced with all my heart and soul,
(08:25):
for it was beating me down, making me surly, and
turning me old before my time. Yes, freedom, says Sock.
From ambition. Ah, exactly blame the puritan, says Sock. They
inflicted that nonsense on us eons ago. You know what
about these youngsters, says the new member from the generation
(08:47):
near the end of the alphabet. You mean jens, Y
and z. Yes, well, I live with a few of them,
says Sock. They're my offspring. Well, adds Sock's companion, who
has yet to offer her name, as they slow on
the steep part of Lyceum Hill. They just seem to
reject all that ambitious business and all that nonsense out
(09:10):
of hand. It's lifestyle and leisure time first, money grubbing
and striving a distant second to the devil with striving
lament Sock and glad he is, this energetic lass popped
around to stroll. I am so done with striving life,
she sings. Life is just too short to strive. Life
(09:32):
should be a lark ad Sock that, she says, could
be the philosopher's song. Now tell me, Sock, you've knocked
two of Camu's four conditions out of the park. Can
you take a swing at the other two? Sock looks
at her curiously and asks, did someone send you? Oh?
God knows, I don't know. Did they hmm, says Sock.
(09:56):
I hope you can, because I certainly can't. I can't
remember the last two, can't. You can't remember them now?
I remember the first two, but not the second two. Love,
announces Sock. Love. To have any shot at happiness at all,
you must have love, of course, she says, of course,
someone and hopefully something to love. What utter futility is
(10:20):
life without love? Says Sock. Oh, a total drag, she agrees.
Emotional imprisonment. Now all this decided, they walk aways in silence,
up and over l i Cmhill and back down into town.
The creation, she shouts, the silence all gone. Creation. Yes,
that is Kmu's fourth condition for happiness. Creation. Sock, let's
(10:44):
out of hoot, good God. Of course that's it. It
is the one thing humans can do that no other
creature on earth can. You're right, create. Other creatures can procreate,
but they cannot create art, war, religion, philosophy, Yes, philosophy,
the walking Philosopher's Club, She shouts and pounds him on
(11:05):
the back. The four conditions for happiness. Live outside as
much as possible, chuck ambition, love with reckless abandon and
create your world and your image, never ever in anyone else's. Yes,
she sings, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I think we've
got it. And now sock good luck. It's been great,
(11:27):
good fun. But I must be off so soon, Yes,
I must go, I must be off. But wait, you
never told me your name? Oh I'm sorry. I'm Sally,
same as your pup and puff. Sally's gone vanishes practically
into thin air. Sok doesn't think he told Sally Sally's name,
(11:50):
but he's not sure. Can't remember, doesn't know, not with
any absolute certainty. Where did she go? Where did she go?
This lovely last Sally? Where did she go? She has vanished?
Was she ever really here? Or was it just he
and his hound strolling through the lovely Autumn night. Thanks
(12:22):
for listening to this original audio presentation of The Walking
Philosopher's Club. Narrate it of course by the author. If
you enjoyed today's story, please take a few seconds to rate,
or review and subscribe to this podcast, and then go
to Thomas William Simpson dot com for additional information about
(12:43):
the author and to view his extensive cannon. The Ten
Minute Storyteller is produced by Andrew Pigleasi and Josh Klani
and as part of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network in
partnership with iHeart Productions. So until next time, this is
Bill Simpson, your ten Minute Storyteller,
Host
Bill Simpson
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