I would bet the majority of you have heard of Murphy’s Law. Specifically, it states…”things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance,” or more commonly, “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”
I prefer a more balanced approach called O’Toole’s Rule.
That simply states….Murphy is an optimist!
Where have manners and consideration gone? While there are countless examples I could provide, I will go with the most recent. I thoroughly enjoy attending Broadway shows and go in hoping the cell phone checking, soda slurping, popcorn munching, ice eating, candy crunching, wrapper wranglers have come to their senses and finally realize how they are impacting others around them.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand selling outrageously priced snack foods substantially adds to overall revenue to help pay the bills. However, is it too much to ask that all noise generating wrappers and food be consumed BEFORE entering the seating areas?
I guess I need different seats as it seems I always end up surrounded by people who have the incessant need to constantly eat, jiggle ice cubes and/ or mangle the popcorn bag or candy wrappers. What is interesting is they appear totally oblivious to how sound amplifies. Particularly in a venue suited for good acoustics.
While it is certainly within the rights of any paying customer to enjoy the various treats offered by the venue, isn’t it also a right for the other paying customers to enjoy the show with minimal distractions? A recent play and the lead actress is in the middle of the aria. The audience is captivated. She pauses and just as she is about to finish the song, some moron slurps the last bit of soda from his cup then shakes the ice to try and free up more liquid. Really? Can someone actually be that ignorant. Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding Yes.
So to those who attend the theater, cinema or any social event that may require a quiet environment or moment during a performance, and you fall into the ISG (incessant snacking group), please show some consideration for those around you. If not, then it is a good bet the side looks, head turns, evil eyes and throat clearing ahems are probably directed at you.
P.S. Shut your phone OFF! The vibrate feature is just as annoying as the ringing.
One day I was watching a news show reporting on extremist groups and the question was raised….”why do people knowingly join extremist groups focused on hurting others?” That got me wondering….is religion and racism born out of the same context and perhaps both early forms of brainwashing?
I raise this question not to offend or attack the values and beliefs of others. Rather, to explore the concept if people are not born with a hereditary predisposition toward a particular belief or value, their actions therefore appear to be learned behaviours. The most obvious examples that came to mind were centered around spiritual affiliation or participation in hate groups. These both appear to be learned behaviors.
Similar to how people are taught to talk, read and write, they are also taught love, hate, faith, etc. Therefore, it does not really matter where a person is born as that person will be exposed to, and raised with beliefs and values very close to ones parents, guardians or caregivers.
In some cases, we don’t have a choice as we are taught not to question the teachings of our parents. After all, they are the ones who clothe, house and feed us during our formative years. In some societies questioning your parents/elders can result in disciplinary actions including banishment from the family. Since we are sometimes taught not to question beliefs and values, we have no choice but to become “brainwashed” to the teachings…right or wrong. For the most part, our parents teach us what they were taught. Therefore, the initial beliefs and values we learn are largely based on where and how you were raised.
However, that does not necessarily mean you will adopt and strictly adhere to the teachings from your parents. There are clear examples of people converting from one religion to another, choosing science based evidence over theological teachings, and/or abandoning what they were taught by their parents. While I have no scientific proof, I can only surmise the reason people are dedicated to a particular religion, spend their lives helping others or join extremist groups is first rooted in early exposure and second, based on formative, life events. Otherwise, how does one explain suicide bombing?
So I guess the message here is, right or wrong to the viewpoint and opinion of others, we make decisions based on what we believe to be truth…..no matter the consequence.
“You were involved in a motor vehicle accident on March 6, 1979 at 5:53pm. You were alone in the vehicle, no one in other vehicle was injured…” This is the note that was on my chest when I awoke in a hospital bed at Millard Fillmore Hospital in Amherst, NY on March 8, 1979. Suffering from short term memory loss, I could not recall the accident or how I ended up in the hospital. That took close to three years. What I came to remember is I was a junior at the University of Buffalo and was helping coach winter track at Williamsville East High School. That evening I was heading to the awards dinner and sitting at a light when I was hit from behind.
I remember looking up at my rear view mirror and saw a car coming at me at a very high rate of speed. The next thing I know my car is in the intersection and I have blood streaming from my forehead. I get out of the car in a daze and amazingly, an Amherst police officer was on the scene immediately. He came up to me and asked to see my license, registration and insurance card. Honestly, I don’t remember if I ever produced those documents. The woman who hit me came walking up and the officer asked her what happened. She said “I guess I wasn’t paying attention”.
Side note, she was intoxicated and not a scratch on her. That could have been because she was driving an El Dorado and I was in a ’69 Chevelle. Both were solid cars and she put my bumper in my back seat. With a stroke of luck the head rest was up which probably saved my life. When she struck my vehicle my forehead hit the steering wheel and the recoil was so great my head snapped back against the head rest which save me from breaking my neck. It didn’t hurt that I had a 19 inch neck at the time.
The office told me to have a seat in his squad car. I was surprised by this and responded “I didn’t do anything wrong, she hit me.” He was extremely patient and responded “I think you may have a concussion”. I started to say I was fine and remember beginning to fall. The office caught me and while I was in and out of consciousness I remember him putting me in the back of his squad car and the sound of the sirens as he rushed me to Millard Fillmore Hospital. Immediately upon arrival the ER Staff put me on a gurney and started checking me for injuries. Laying on the gurney with the ER as a backdrop, I recall seeing a beautiful nurse who looked like an angel with her long blonde hair and bright light around her head. That was the last thing I remember before waking up.
Within seconds of my awakening, the staff rushed in and started checking vital signs. I was in a daze and kept looking at the note on my chest and asking what happened. But because of the short term memory, I kept forgetting what I had just been told. I was frustrating one of the nurses because I kept asking what time it was and she kept responding “I just told you”.
Later that day a young man walked into the room and started talking to me. After about 15 minutes he asked me if I knew who he was and I responded not a clue. Turns out he was my roommate (Ed). What I also didn’t remember at the time was Ed and I had a pretty intense argument just before I left the dorm for the banquet. It was about the amount of time his girlfriend was spending in our room. Pretty silly.
I was eventually released and returned to the dorm. I tried to resume with my classes but everything from the semester was lost. The professors were extremely supportive of my situation and went above and beyond to help me succeed.
Eventually the details of the accident returned and I began thinking about that angelic, blonde nurse working in the ER. It just so happens our team doctor was on staff at the hospital and I asked him if he could find out who that nurse was in the ER. He did some investigating and said he spoke with everyone who was on duty in the ER and they did not have a blonde nurse on duty that evening and I must have been dreaming. To this day I believe she was my guardian angel.
On this 40th anniversary of my rebirth day, a shout out to the Amherst police officer who was first on the scene (I apologize I do not know his name), the ER and hospital staff who were nothing short than amazing, my professors at UB, and of course, my guardian angel.
Thank you all for your incredible support!
