“There’s never two of anything.” This is my favorite line from Truman Capote’s autobiographical short story, A Christmas Memory. To pick a single favorite from a book where almost every sentence could be a contender, isn’t easy. But I’m unwavering. This is the line where the lump in my throat cannot be ignored, no matter how many times I read this story.
Maybe a scientist can refute the claim that there’s never two of anything, but I’m sticking with the much simpler notion that people and things- natural and manmade, are unique. Snowflakes, identical twins, even clones- no two are exactly alike. Quite similar, yes. But they aren’t exactly the same if for no reasons other than having been created at different times and occupying different spaces in the universe.
Sharing a name and a function makes two objects related. Such is the case with the simple mechanical devices pictured here. They’re both named ‘stapler’ and they’re both used to fasten loose pages together using thin, bendable bits of metal that are dispensed one at a time with a firm hand press.
I love to staple because I loathe loose sheets of paper. When multiple pages come out of their envelope, they’re in for a stapling. One missing page can spoil the entire thing, unless it’s “this page left intentionally blank”. But that’s seldom the escapee.
Most everyone owns at least one stapler. I now have two, but not for long.
Simplifying means getting rid of the not just the things you used to like, but of getting rid of the ones you’ve never liked. That would be the stapler on the right. It is flimsy, functions poorly and looks best in a drawer. The one on the left is everything a stapler should be. Solid and reliable. Satisfying in both form and function. It feels good in the hand and never misfires. It even sounds good- deep, not hollow or tinny.
Hierarchical classification is commonly associated with plants and animals. Imagine an inverted pyramid with the broadest category on top and each underlying layer becoming more exclusive. Playing taxonomy a bit fast and loose: tools, desk accessories, paper fasteners, staplers, El Casco or Bostitch. When you get to the very bottom, whether daisies, dachshunds or staplers, there’s never two of anything.