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Feel free to skip this as you won't miss much. But every time I say that, people say the post is truly amazing. Oy.
Yet another post I made on FB got me to thinking several thinks at once. Not things, thinks. So in no particular order:
Before you decide to run off at the mouth or keyboard about someone and what they did, why doncha try to understand why they did it? By you, I mean everybody. You, me, the guy hiding in the bushes outside your bedroom window, the clown in the closet, the crackhead presently laying unconscious in the ditch at the railroad track across the road.
Item the first: In my bidnez, I hear a substantial amount of complaining about how much people pay in taxes. At a meeting some years ago a local gent proceeded to rip the County Commissioners apart because his taxes were too high, he couldn't get his dirt road scraped, there were too many deputies and he never saw a deputy patrolling and so on.
This went beyond cognitive dissonance. When I attempted to asked him what all he meant, he quickly cut me off and told me "I know what you're going to say." I was only slightly amazed at his precognitive capabilities. I've found that when I show up, everyone within hearing distance is an immediate expert on me and can predict the future. Everyone but me knows what I'm going to do and say and everyone knows where I'm going.
I interrupted his interruption and asked him what he knew about the County budget. Aside from his taxes being too high and he couldn't get the services he felt he deserved, he knew nothing. Furthermore, by his express stated opinion he did not want to know.
That's a special kind of stupid.
Item the second: What makes you an expert on someone else? (See above definition of you). A good example: I have no idea what it's like to give birth to a child from a pain perspective. Or do I? I have far too much experience with what kidney stone pain is like. The nurse who took care of me when I had my first kidney stone said she'd had both kinds of pain. She said it was exactly the same. Kidney stones were worse. Labor pain came and went but the kidney stone pain hung around.
I can't experience labor pains, for which I am glad.
There are many many many many many (add many until you feel there's enough) things you cannot experience and will not experience. So what makes you an expert on them? There is no difference, in my mind, to an ill-informed opinion and stupidity.
Item the third: Our folks in public safety catch all kinds of hell when something goes wrong. Some of 'em catch hell when things go right. Firefighters are routinely complained at because "they used too much water to put the fire out and now everything is ruined." Ahhhh, what? You'd rather have fire damage than water damage?
The great majority in folks in law enforcement are there because they want to help. Yes, there are a few screwups who give the rest a bad name. But think about your own profession. Do you want to be judged based on what a few idiots have done in the same job you have? Idiots abound and can be found everywhere.
Item the fourth: I need to kill a deer. I am not kidding.
Item the fifth: If something is so wrong, what are you doing to change it? I suggest that if you are not resisting or attempting to change things with all your abilities and might, then you are complicit in the wrongness continuing. Put up or shut up, in other words.
Item the sixth: I do not support any of the current wars the United States is engaged in: Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, various S. American countries etc etc. I no longer know how many wars the US is currently fighting. In case you wonder, if we have US troops in a country and they are shooting other people, that's my definition of war. The US has been at war my entire life.
I do not support the wars. I do support the troops. You may see this as a disconnect. Refer back to point 2. I also say bring all our troops home. This does not need Congressional approval. Bring 'em home. Blow up everything that can't be brought home or loaded on a plane with 24 hours.
I do not believe that the wars on most of these fronts is necessary for the security of the United States. However, I then refer myself back to point 1. To wit: Those in leadership positions may have information I am not privy to. However, as our elected leaders I also believe they have a responsibility to share this information with us to convince us of the need for military intervention.
They have not. They will not. I must therefore conclude there is not legitimate reason for these wars.
Item the last: As posted on my FB feed just a bit ago by Wyatt's mom:
Nope. My plan to take over the world by creating minions in the new generation is proceeding apace.
Wyatt is 3, I think. I thought y'all needed to know how I am influencing the next generation.
Conclusion: I really believe that if we take the time to understand each other, this world will be a much better place.
The views in this blog are not those of people who can't think for themselves and rely on others to think for them. For that matter, the views expressed here may not be those of people who CAN think for themselves, but it comes extremely close.
Not quite 3, but close enough :)
ReplyDeleteI like venison and do hereby endorse you getting more of it as long as you are willing to share. As for the rest of it, I have found from decades of experience that a huge section of people are absolute experts on subjects and are always willing to say so. The fact they are experts without having any real knowledge on the subject still astounds me to this day.
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