About The Dumb
Post 886:
The following is a dumb essay. Here in the preface I’m tempted to say that this is a more appropriate time than any other in the history of the world to write it, but that would be dumb so I’ll avoid that trap, thanks very much. No time gets to be the dumbest time, no matter how special we think things are. Disco, for example. The Roaring Twenties. Sure, great and roaring and all, drink your gin, but there’s a depression coming so stop with all the dancing. You get what I’m saying. I think I’m being pretty clear and level-headed, as is my usual way.
So here we go: To a certain extent, every philosophy comes down to some dumb person trying to figure out the same old stuff in a new and different way. This good-hearted endeavor is itself dumb, because no matter how smart you are, it’s pretty dumb to think no one in the lifespan of the whole dumb world couldn’t or didn’t think of the same dumb thing somewhere along the way.
Just stop. Just don’t. You can’t.
But you won’t. I won’t either. I can’t.
We all do our best I suppose, and even though it’s not good enough, we might as well try. How many people know someone you wouldn’t trust to watch your dog for an hour that makes more money than you and has a huge house selling dumb crap to dummies? I know like four. That’s not a whole lot, so it’s not my best example. I can admit that.
The point is, those four people try. And while they would somehow find a way to introduce chocolate into your precious pup’s environment, they generally give it their best shot. Despite the odds. Despite the endless, churning and charging tide of shiz rushing up their nostrils. Despite the piles of crap going on in their personal lives.
You know what I’d like to say to those four people because it makes sense to me? I’d like to ask them how they could be so dumb, going on about their business and soldiering on in the midst of the horror show reality that we find ourselves in today specifically and most times generally.
They would answer me by asking how I could be so dumb. They’d say that no one has all the answers or any answers at all, but that shouldn’t stop you from living life doing your best to avoid being an asshole.
I would search for a response, because deep down I don’t think I’m dumb. Somehow, I’m the special one. But that’s not true. The four dumb people are not all the way right (how could they be) but they’re more right than me.
The good news is, the world is made for humbling. If the whole deal doesn’t give you a sense of perspective, wow. That’s amazing. Your life is probably awesome and fun, something in the ballpark of the Roaring Twenties. You are dauntless. That is… something.
While I’m clearly still a fool, I think the world is maybe getting smarter. Narcissists on the internet seem pretty confident with their dancing and their lip-synching, so maybe I should stop being dumb and realize that everything is A-OK. Bring on the gin and overbearing trumpet music.
That seems like the smart thing to do.
Cheers and see you after.
