4170
Pt. 1
There's so much chatter going on in political circles at this time regarding the two elderly men, both incumbents of the White House, running for President of the United States; one of which is likely to win the 2024 election.
Granted, there's plenty to be concerned about. The current office holder has to be led around like a lost child, and loses his way getting on and off the stage, reads the self-help verbiage aloud off the teleprompter, (such as "Pause" and "End"), mumbles incoherently when responding to a reporter's question, and seems overly friendly with little girls. The previous occupant of the White House is threatening to rip up the U.S. Constitution if he is reelected, execute military generals he doesn't like, ban certain national television networks, and who has been indicted in four different jurisdictions with a grand total of almost 100 separate charges.
But, in spite of these significant concerns, I find myself more anxious about the mentality and sensibilities of the common, every day, run of the mill, salt of the earth men and women, and boys and girls of this country.
A couple of examples.
I pedal. I pedal a lot. I pedal 10-20 miles a day, 6-7 days a week. Sometimes, I go out at night. Sometimes, I go out just before daylight. Sometimes, I do both. And in the course of my daily trek(s), I have often come up on adolescent boys and girls who are waiting for their school buses. And being the friendly, gum-chewing, decent sort of guy that I am, I always greet them with, "Hey guys. What's happening?"
And almost without fail, when I enunciate those four words, not a sound comes wafting back to me. It's like I'm invisible. Did I mention I pedal on the sidewalk. Well, I do. (You can get yourself killed pedaling on the road). And speaking of these young kiddos, featured in the previous paragraph, in the course of my travels, they are most often sitting on the sidewalk. I have long since learned they are oblivious of oncoming bike traffic; (well, of oncoming anything traffic). They will literally sit there, and allow you to run over them, "if you're a mind to."
There's a cartoon of a boy and girl packing up their towels and picnic supplies on the beach. They have obviously forgotten to apply sunscreen since they are sunburned badly. Across their mid-drifts you see a pale area in the shape of their hands and arms and... a smart phone! (The implication is obvious).
It almost goes without saying, the children seated on the sidewalk waiting for their school buses are fixated on their smart phones, and simply don't have the time or interest to respond to my greeting, or get the heck out of the way of a moving vehicle, albeit a two-wheeled one.
Pt. 2
The idiocy prevalent in our society is by no means limited to minors. Au contraire. In the course of my two-wheeled travels, I was pedaling in a residential area, and suddenly I came upon a small, non-descript dog in the middle of the road. He began barking at me. And now, a late model sedan approached me, and stopped. The driver looked at the dog, and shouted, "Go home!"
And with this, I asked, "Is that your dog?"
He responded with,
"Well, yes. I let him wander around the neighborhood."
And I think,
"What's wrong with this picture?"
(and)
"He's going to wander away one too many times one day, and you'll never see him again."
(And, interestingly enough, I experienced this almost same scenario just a few days later).
And speaking of humanoid and canine idiocy of the two legged kind, (mostly the former, rather than the latter), I was pedaling through a county park recently, and noticed a yellow Lab wandering along a sidewalk that borders the picnic tables. Suddenly, he charged my bicycle, and, with this, I dismounted, and put my conveyance between myself and the dog. And now, I noticed a middle-aged man round the corner. I spoke,
"Is that your dog?"
Looking up, he gave me a less than cordial look, and said,
"Yep."
(And, after almost being eaten alive by his four legged creature, I thought my plight deserved more than a "Yep").
I responded with,
"Well, you need to keep him on a leash!"
Now, calling Rover to himself, they walked towards a distant car together.
Afterward
Yes, my friends, it goes without saying, I am concerned about the two most likely nominees for the presidential election of 2024; so much so that I wrote my own name in on the ballot in the last two elections! (I didn't win though).
But, given the examples of doubled down dumbness of those with whom I have to do on a daily basis, I am bit more anxious about the choices, and with the mentality of those in my own little sphere of influence.
by William McDonald, PhD
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