You have seen it on many news outlets, and especially now that the political ads have started. A terrible disease is sweeping the nation. It is not some mysterious African pathogen. It is the culture of distrust and fear. I am thankful that I am apparently immune. I guess when the Bible says that you reap what you sow, it hit my nail on the head. How many people do you know who Dont trust the government ? How many are suspect of the motives of everyone around them? How many people in your circle think everyone around them is out to get them? I am so fortunate that I dont think that way. Today, I can go about my business not worrying about Ebola, which is as difficult to catch as AIDS. I pity the distrusters, especially as we enter flu season, who will spend all their time asking, But what are they NOT telling us? They will spend their fall and winter isolating themselves from everyone, wearing masks, carrying sanitary wipes and treating ALL their fellow human beings like we all carry the plague. They will claim Better safe than sorry! I claim such irrational distrust is pretty sorry in and of itself. Barely related topic: Today, the City of Boston begins honoring one of the greatest historical pranks of all time. The Harvard Bridge will have new street lights installed, carefully placed 30 Smoots apart. For those who dont know, a Smoot is 5 feet, 7 inches. The Harvard Bridge is 364.4 smoots and one ear long, according to todays Boston Globe. In 1958, as part of an MIT fraternity initiation, Oliver Smoot was required to lay down on the bridge and the bridge was marked with his body length...head to heel, over and over again, 364.4 times (+one ear). It has remained so marked in a glorious display of Bostonian/MIT sub-culture humor for years, and this week the unit of measurement will be officially recognized, by the installation of street lights at 30-smoot intervals. Let us jump ahead to todays mindset of distrust and paranoia. Today, Olivers parents would be suing the school and fraternity for damages caused by the traumatization of her son. The entire fraternity membership, the Dean of Students and the administration of MIT would all be subject to arrest for violating the states Hazing laws. Every local news station would have some psychiatric experts airing special segments on the lasting mental damage and deep social stigma attached to being so victimized. Universities across America would, once again, hold special education sessions, instructing people as to what constitutes hazing, how to recognize the signs, how to report suspected incidents, how to handle the victims, etc. Todays society would not have the perspective that we do, of the same Oliver Smoot, at various reunions he has attended, posing for pictures, signing autographs and belying any signs of mental or emotional trauma from his experience. I know one thing for sure, from experience...fear and paranoia have no perspective and no sense of humor. I am thankful I have never sown such.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 15:13:21 +0000
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