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November 06, 2002 COFFEE PHILOSOPHY It is hard some times... coming to grips with this world and this century in which we all live. What has happened to people? What has happened to manners and intelligence, and even the rare kind of wisdom that comes from knowing you do not know everything?I've always said I am not the brightest star in the night sky. I have had many, many friends who were far more smarter than I, and still... why do I feel like a scholar among dullards? Could it be arrogance? Possibly. But I really doubt it. Thankfully, I think partly due to my ability to retain life lessons and partly because of two of the best Goddamn parents in this infested hive of a world, I have and can appreciate the art of humility. Maybe it's my job? Working the blistering bellows of the Service Industry, seeing the lowest form of surface dwellers known to man, and woman, suffering, day in and day out, week after week, year after year, a stagnant, rotting slew of miscreants, malcontents, and morons, tends to wear down the armor around ones humanity and positivism. Yet, I don't think so. I could get a new job, one just as bad, maybe a little better, or even worse. I think things have changed. I think life and humanity at its core essence is changing. And I do not think it is for the betterment of Mankind. Shame no longer exists. No one ever feels bad for doing things that hurt people. No one feels bad for being a moron. We grandiose and idolize television shows, sports stars, and actors who do everything wrong. Why? I have no clue. Part of me doesn't want to know, almost as if knowing would then in turn part some of this countries mass idiocy on to me, or worse into me, like some third-world viral infection impervious to all forms of antibiotic's. I have made my grand share of mistakes, and have dealt with the heavy, lingering guilt, which comes after committing those heinous errors of either character or judgment. Moreover, I'm here to tell you one thing. Shame is a good thing. Now, I'm not talking about shame in any biblical or theological sense. It is absolutely asinine and ridiculous to feel shame because of some latent sensation that you are going against the doctrines, and or dogma, of some medieval religion or that you are in direct contradiction to a deity that may, or may not, even exist. Rather, I'm talking shame in a very human manner, with human consequences. It is correct to feel stupid when we do dumb things, or ask stupid questions. I got news for some of you. There is such a thing as a "stupid question". I myself have been in the "shampoo aisle", and asked an employee where the shampoo was. Now is that stupid? Yes. Emphatically yes. Did I get angry? No. What I did was apologize for my own stupidity, grab the shampoo that was in front of my frickin' nose, and got the hell out of there. Here are a few examples of stupid questions I've experienced. However, the majority of these "people" responded to me, as would some five-year-old infant, with a petulance born of ignorance and arrogance. I remember a woman coming screeching up to me waving a copy in my face that was made with blue ink on our blue, spot color copier. She said to me, "does this print in blue?" A man once removed the "temporarily out of service" sign off a copier which was malfunctioning, pointed to the machine, and said, "is this working?" Frantically, a woman approached me and asked, "is it all right if I park in the no parking zone?" This next one was more humorous than repugnant. A woman, daughter in tow proceeded to ask me, "do I need your help?" four times. I replied to her each time, "I don't know." Until finally I said, "I don't know... do you?" [Add Comment] 0 Comments |
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