Friday, May 10, 2013

You didn’t ask but….

I’m having an attack of the dreaded Monkey Brain today –and my mind is hoping around completely irrelevant stuff. Stand back, Monkey Brain is highly contagious….

Graduation. I have always had a question about graduation ceremonies. Just where did those robes and funny hats with the flat square top and tassel come from? I am a bit of an armature historian and I have seen thousands and thousands of pictures and drawings from history –everything from cave drawings to Greek statues to Roman art to medieval tapestries –and I can’t remember ever seeing people running around wearing those silly looking clothes things (except in academia…..) I just don’t understand why, after studying for years to achieve some academic degree, they make you dress up in those funny hats in order to receive your diploma….

Suicide. You didn’t ask but I think suicide should be legal. Don’t get me wrong. I do not approve of it and in most cases I think it is just plain wrong. But there are times when it is understandable. For instance: When a person is in pain, suffering from a terminal condition and there is no hope of a cure or improvement…. Whatever the situation, the decision to end your life is yours. It is your ultimate right -and the government has no business making  it (or the attempt) illegal. It would be far better (and humane) to make it safe and as painless as possible.--To say nothing about saving everyone else the trouble and expense of recovering the body, cleaning up afterwards and investigating it as a possible homicide….

Cell Phones. When did we become so damned dependent on cell phones? When I was growing up (No, it wasn’t THAT long ago…) everyone had the requisite “kitchen phone” hanging on the wall with a long cord on the handset. If you were lucky, you had an extension or two around the house (and had to tell everyone else to get off the line). If you went out you always took some change in case you needed to make a call at a phone booth on the corner. Now days even kids going to grammer school (oximoron alert) have their own cell phones. If we forget our cell phone when we leave home  you’d think the world was coming to an end. “My God, I might miss a call….”  -- I sometimes sit and stare in amazement at news clips of third world countries with people who can’t afford indoor plumbing running around texting and talking on cell phones…  I wonder if we realize what wimps we've become.

I have more stupid stuff to spout off about but I’ll stop for now –before I infect some of you with my ‘Monkey Brain’ (and wind up with a bunch of you on my door step with torches and pitchforks)…. Have a great day

 
 
Live Long and Prosper....

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