Today is the late Douglas Adams Birthday. Had he not died, sadly and suddenly, in 2001 , he would have turned 53 years old today. I believe that Douglas Adams was the greatest British writter in all history, possibly the greatest writer period. A lot of people would dissagree with me on this, and sometimes even I would disagree with me on this. But none the less, I love his writing, and in honor of hisa birthday, I give you a bit of his writing from the Book, The Salmon of Doubt, a compilation of Douglas Adams writing published after his death.

Y
By Douglas Adams

"Why" is the only question that bothers people enough to have an entire letter of the alphabet named after it.
The alphabet does not go "A B C D What? When? How?" but it does go "V W X Why? Z."
"Why?" is always the most difficult question to answer. You where you are when someone asks you "what's the time?" or "When was the battle of 1066?" or "How do these seatbelts work that go tight when you slam the brakes on, Daddy?" These questions are easy and are, respectivly, "Seven-thirty-five in the evening," "Ten-fifteen in the morning," and "Don't ask stupid questions."
But when you hear the word "Why," you know you've got one of the biggest unanswerables on your hands, such as "Why are born?" or "Why do we die?" and "Why do we spend so much of the intervening time reciving junk mail?"
Or try this one:
"Will you go to bed with me?"
"Why?"
There's only ever been one good answer to that question "Why" and perhaps we should have that in the alphabet as well. There's room for it. "Why?" doesn't have to be the last word, it isn't even the last letter. How would it be if the alphabet ended "V W X Why? Z," but "V W X Why not?"
Don't ask stupid questions.

-dee

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