Stupidity

Human beings are stupid.

I remember a wise man once saying that, if he sees someone about to fall into a “ditch” in their life, he will never ever stop them. If he does, the person will simply not realise the pain that they’ve been saved and be resentful for the change in his path - not to mention the likelihood of shooting the messenger!

Instead, the wise man will watch, allow said person to fall into the ditch, and then unceremoniously help them back out. In this way, his efforts are actually appreciated.

Like I said, human beings are stupid.

Even if we do indeed see the ditch, I think we believe that we can’t, or won’t, fall in. That we are smarter than that. I think this a lot. Then I fall in.

Ego. Ugh.

So what if you had the good fortune of having a wise man warn you beforehand and you believed him?

You would then:

A. Walk in a different direction, or

B. Get ready for the ditch

After ALL this time, this is what I am starting to do: to take good advice and not care in the least, that I wasn’t clever enough to figure it myself.

It sounds like humility. It’s not. Rather, it’s the fact that I’ve had my ass handed to me more times than I’ve have hot dinners. It would now be prudent for me to take the (better) road less travelled.

Doesn’t it get boring then, straight roads, no ditches, sunny skies? After all, human beings would rather suffer than be bored.

I hate being bored. I hate suffering too, but only when I can remember what that feels like. Like childbirth, everything gets forgotten, memories modified. It is said that a mere 50% of what we remember is “true”.

So I have to keep remembering that boring is good, that uneventful is healthy, and that skating along on a smooth road is perfectly normal.

If I think it’s normal, I will create more of the same. I’m not going to go looking for a rollercoaster.

Or I would certainly hope not.

I’m gonna go put on my wellies.