Self Inflicted Idiocy

There are days when I lament how stupid so many people are. I’m not talking about those who are legitimately intellectually challenged but rather average people acting like morons because they don’t want to see anything except their own distorted version of reality, which is often based on being afraid. Afraid they’ll be seen as stupid or not good enough. Irony anyone? It’s not just for short stories anymore. Meanwhile, their skewed views also seem to grant them permission to be judgmental and cruel. They double down when someone points our their stupid beliefs or faulty premise. I worry for us as a species when I watch all these stupid people complicating simple matters and oversimplifying complex situations. I vacillate between wanting to go live alone in the wilderness and hitting them all on their heads like some real life version of whack-a-mole.

Meanwhile there is grace and joy. And there are still wonderful humans. I saw a woman in the co-op. Her beautiful baby boy, he of the deep, impossibly dark eyes, and big, round healthy head, was wearing the cutest hat with a cupie doll swirl in the back. “Best hat ever,” I said. His young mom laughed and said thank you. Later in line at my favorite checkout person’s counter I noticed a lot of hubbub. I asked what was happening. The little boy’s mom had left her wallet at home. They were trying to figure out what to do with her groceries because she was going to have to go back home to get her wallet. With her child. And then return. I said I’d pay and she could send me the money. “You don’t know me,” she said. I already knew her energy. I told her it was cool. I started to hand her a business card. She said, “Wait, do you have PayPal?” I do. She paid me on the spot. “Oh my god, she said, there really are angels.” It was a simple thing for me to do. She thought I was the angel, but she was. I was simply grateful for finding one more beautiful human walking among us.

Cinse Bonino
2023