Oct. 29, 2008 (World News Trust) -- I was
walking down the street when I noticed a man sitting behind the wheel
of a car, cursing and angry. His face was a mask of rage. I stopped
and contemplated the source of his fury and assumed it was the
election. Clearly, this man was fed up with the two-party farce, the
barring of non-corporate candidates from public
debates, the lies, the corruption, and the fact that a vote for
either McCain or Obama is a vote for the same gluttonous, murderous
culture.
Then I
got a little closer and realized the man was upset because someone
had beaten him to a parking spot.
A few steps away, I spied
a woman talking on a cell phone -- looking rather
glum. Her face was a mask of distress. I stopped and
contemplated the source of her sorrow and assumed it was the war in
Iraq. Clearly, this woman was overcome with angst
when contemplating the countless dead, the 50-60 percent
employment rate, the 4.7 million refugees, the depleted
uranium, and the fact that much of the country was still
without electricity.
Then I
got a little closer and overheard her phone conversation. I realized
the woman was upset because she thought her jeans made her look fat.
On the next block, I
passed another woman who
appeared to be consumed with frustration. I stopped and contemplated
the source of her exasperation and assumed it was the meat-based
diet. Clearly, this woman was overcome with irritation when
contemplating the factory farms, the veal calves, the battery
hens, the human health holocaust,
and the fact that rearing cattle
produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars.
Then I
got a little closer and she looked at me sheepishly. I realized the
woman was upset because she had forgotten to charge her iPod.
I was almost home
when I saw a man who appeared to be overwhelmed
with melancholy. I stopped and contemplated the source of his
despondency and assumed it was, well, everything.
Clearly, this man was overcome with depression when contemplating
global poverty, mass animal and plant extinctions, widespread
slavery, gender inequality, and the fact that somewhere on
planet Earth a human being starves to death every two
seconds.
Then I
got a little closer and saw he was reading the sports pages.
I realized the man was bummed because his favorite football team had
lost the day before.
As Gandhi sez:
“Action expresses priorities.”
***
Mickey Z. is the author of two new
books, CPR
for Dummies and No
Innocent Bystanders, and can be found on the Web
here