Everyone talks about the weather but no one does anything about the weather. Only thing is, this is probably the safest thing to “talk about” and not be blamed for not doing anything about it. I belong to an association whose members write “for the fun of it” and that could be one of the reasons it is called the American Amateur Press Association*. Incidentally there are some in this organization who should really write for a living, they’re good at it! I secretly wonder if the reason some prefer to write under such terms is they don’t really expect their words to change much after all, but they just enjoy writing.
At least a poet writes believing his readers are apt to get something out of their writings. It is a given that people read poetry because they like poetry. They know meter in a way a crossword puzzle addict knows unusual words. Mystery books are not likely to be read by people who have no interest in solving situations, unraveling facts or circumstances. History is of little interest to the masses or why are there so many history books on the bargain table in the big bookstores. Forgive me if my generalization is too generalized!
Where I want to go with my words today is to say those who forward words like they are “the gospel” (and are gullible enough to believe anything they read) are frustrating. Ever since I became a part of the electronic mail mass I have often wondered how could a thinking person believe the stuff they forward to others? You know the tripe. “If you read this and forward it to ten friends within the next ten minutes you will be blessed tenfold.” What about the poor folks who don’t know how to boot a computer or what color the boot is if they were to look for it? I would almost guess Bill Gates would be a poor man indeed if he really gave away his money the way these “forwarding folks” talk about. Let’s face it, we’re dealing with millions of readers (aren’t we?). Then there are those who already don’t like the present administration, or the Red Cross, or the folks who bottle some popular soft drink and anything they read that agrees with their logic (?) they can’t get to the “Forward” window quick enough! And all this makes it true?
People believe what they want to believe. At least most wives would agree to that if we change one word, “believe”. Change the word “believe” to “hear” and you describe the frustration wives experience with their spouses who have developed selective hearing. We turn off our receptors when we either filter out a word or misinterpret a sale price or a job offer. Consider the sales promotion line, “Save up to $75.” The only thing is you have to buy a product that costs $750.00. The $150 suits are still $150. Or, “Earn up to $25.00 an hour.” The poor chap quits his old job only to find out he has to start at $9.50 an hour and the new job only gives 3% performance raises yearly and you could be transferred to their branch office 3,000 miles from where you are located.
I hope my thoughts today are not too discouraging. I want to encourage people to do something and not just think about it. I want to see people forward facts not idle frivolous or questionable messages. If I am sent a picture of a person who is supposed to have worn something improperly and later discover the negative was doctored or the image was flopped, I consider that lying. Jokes are one thing but falsifying a photo or text is not being truthful.
So, if you want to charge (or condemn) the present administration, have some good ideas, not just criticism to offer. If you want to change our society, begin with yourself. If you start out with, “Something needs to be done…” follow your statement with what you plan to do. But don’t complain in general because that is a bit like talking about changing the weather. I have confidence in the Creator to have “created a system” that is pretty decent and fit for all. I am glad the government or a committee of human beings is not in charge of the weather or seasons. People can be fickle or sometimes downright partial and even prejudiced and I want no part of such an arrangement. Unfortunately we can see the dangers of such thinking in our country. The democrats and republications alike are composed of human beings and I do not expect perfection from either group. Truth is what I expect and the axiom, “The first casualty in war is the truth” is a pretty good example of what I see and tend to believe when some politician is touting his plans when he gets into office. Any elected official will only be able to do what he is “allowed to do”, that is, once all the back scratching, compromising and favors are paid off. Then, if any time is left, the politician might not have time to do anything else except run his re-election campaign.
*American Amateur Press Association
THE WORDWRIGHT