WHICH ISSUES ARE REALLY IMPORTANT IN THIS LIFE?
by OPOVV, ©2015
(Jan. 25, 2015) — When I was a little younger; when I was immensely immature; when I was a little kid; when I didn’t know any better; and when I thought “I knew it all,” exclamation marks used to tick me off. I’ve read a lot, all my life, so when some character in a book yells, “Incoming!” with an exclamation mark, that’s okay; expected; no ticket; no warning; no foul.
But when some writer writes, “It was a quiet and beautiful morning, peaceful beyond belief. The birds were chirping!” See what I mean? Okay, the birds were making bird noises: they were chirping away like they’ve done for eons of mornings, so why the exclamation mark? What’s the point?
Listen to this and you tell me which one you like better: “Obama is nothing but a cheap-suit-lying-bum.” Or: “Obama is an usurper!” Look, we all know Obama is a cheap suit and that he’s not Constitutionally qualified to be POTUS, so we don’t need any exclamation mark after “usurper.” Besides, it’s a given.
But I don’t become unglued whenever I see an exclamation mark that has no business being there where it doesn’t belong. I have no problem with people burning the Bible or placing a plastic rendition of Jesus in a jar of urine. Whatever floats your boat, I say. If it makes you happy, if it makes you a better person, then go for it. I may think you’re off your rocker for wasting your money, time and effort practicing such outlandish, childish behavior, but that’s my prerogative to think and say so.
But then I’m not thin-skinned, not some emotional flake, not immature where the slightest thing sets me off looting and burning, maiming and killing. So someone draws a cartoon or writes a book. So what? Save becoming unglued when the bombs, missiles and mortars are incoming. Save getting emotionally unglued about something of this earth, something physical, and not something that is in the category of not of this earth.
Actually, the last time I was, among others, the target of mortar rounds, we laid a couple of blankets down and took bets on where the next one would land. “$5 to the right,” “A ten spot short,” and so on. They all missed, which is why I’m here telling you all about it now. And here’s the point: if you’re going to go ape, do so with a real reason and not some made-up nonsense.
A cartoon doesn’t cut it, and neither does a book. Nothing to go berserk over. A statue? A painting? Picture? No way. Don’t waste your time, and for sure don’t waste mine for such pettiness. If you’re going to go through life with the disadvantage of being thin-skinned, well, all I got to say is: “Life’s hard. It’s even harder if you’re stupid.”
Very well stated.