fu·til·i·ty (fy-tl-t)
n. pl. fu·til·i·ties
1. The quality of having no useful result; uselessness.
2. Lack of importance or purpose; frivolousness.
3. A futile act.
Let's use the word in a sentence.
"Believing that your average Wal Mart shopper will ever stop bringing their over flowing carts through the checkouts marked "20 items or less" is an exercise in fultility".
Here's a more intellectual application.
I noticed, earlier today, an exchange between two people on Facebook that started out as a "discussion" of the merits, or lack, of Barack Obama's presidency and, very quickly, degenerated into the text equivilent of a name calling, bitch slapping cat fight.
I had an experience, myself, a few days ago, similar but for a few minor/major differences.
Since my "pen pal" was female, it could hardly be defined as a "catfight".
And, hand to God, I resisted the, admittedly uber-strong, temptation to lower myself to the level of "name calling" my "debate opponent" was employing.
Her final insightful and articulate response to my counterpoint of her point was "screw you, butthead."
Always a pleasure engaging in lively and spirted intellectual dialogues with those Rhodes scholars you just gotta know fit the definition of the aforementioned "20 items or less" transgressors.
For my part, I pretty quickly let it slide and moved on in my search for intelligent life on the planet, this particular political pea brain having offered none of same.
But, here, this morning, I wandered up on these two "ladies" engaged in a raging bout of both issue, and hackle, raising.
And they, unknowingly, reminded me of what I remember was the conclusion I drew from my own brush with bozo-osity.
Which brings us back to the word for today.
Politics may, at the core of it all, may be the most paradoxical of all man's philosophical creations.
Because our better angels want to have us believe that the process can provide a place for opposing points of view to come together, talk, debate, even argue, but, always, in the spirit of working together to eventually find a mutually acceptable, and beneficial, solution to the chalenges and/or problems that spurred us into the talk, debate, etc in the first place.
But the reality of it is that politics will always be a devisive, even corrosive, element in our midst.
If only because of another philosophical truth in that same midst.
Small minded people who like something or someone will always find a reason, justification, rationalization or simple refusal to budge that will allow them to contine liking said something or someone.
And small minded people who don't like something or someone will always find a reason, justification, rationalization or simple refusal to budge that will them to continue disliking said something or someone.
The proof, fellow pudding lovers, is in the all too often inevitable pulling of the name calling trigger.
A tradition of human behavior that begins, at the very latest, shortly after we learn to speak.
"That's my ball"
"Is not".
"Is too".
"Is not".
"Is too".
"Poopy head."
Ah, the arrival of the well argued point.
Those gifted with that particular way with words tend to grow up afflicted with an inability to hear, let alone consider, an opposing point of view.
An affliction whose side effects unarguably include the aforementioned "small mindedness").
Fortunately (or not, depending on your perspective re' the whole 20 items or less thing), the ultimate decision making in our lives is done by quiet, sometimes not even heard, voices of calm, reasonable, dare I blaspheme the word, moderate folks in our midst.
The folks who not only honor the 20 items of less thing but, very likely, do everything they can do to avoid having to go into Wal Mart in the first place.
As for the name callers?
Here's politics in plain English....
Those who like/admire/support___________________ will ALWAYS like/admire/support _____________________________.
Those who do not like/admire/support _____________________will ALWAYS not like/admire/support _________________.
Believing otherwise is, at worst, an undeniable waste of time, energy and/or breath and is, at best, an exercise in....
...say it with me...
...futility.
No comments:
Post a Comment