shaking_a_fist_at_the_wind dafremen Not sure if I've explored these thoughts publicly, so let's cover them right now regardless. It was a hypothetical windy day that set me to thinking about people and the way that we react to the same circumstances differently when a person is involved, than we do when natural forces are to blame. Who yells at the wind for knocking over their garbage can? No one I know. But let a PERSON knock over that same can and folks will scream bloody murder. (Might even commit it.) Why? Why don't we shake a fist at the wind when it's responsible? (I mean, maybe not responsible enough to borrow the car..er..no..not that..something else.) Or better yet: why don't we behave the way we would if the wind, dogs or an earthquake were responsible? You know, pick up the trash and the can. Maybe even find a solution to the tip-able can equation? Right? No? Yes? Sputnik? It seems that one difference is that when a person does it, we make it personal..mainly because there's an ego involved and we have one of our own which demands defence of its "honor." Another factor involved is laziness. An insidious, not-so-obvious form of laziness I like to call "someone should syndrome." That's when we'd rather the WORLD do the changing, than to change ourselves or our habits (and the ego that formed them.) That way..the world gets to do all of the work. For the record: Same shit + same people + a single revolution of the same planet = Same day, different date. 121211 ... misstree The scorpion stings. The wind blows over trash cans. The monk has a choice whether to carry the scorpion, and the scoundrel has a choice whether to put the scorpion in our shoe. Some natures are mutable. Some are just nature. 121212 ... dafremen In a scoundrel's hand or on a scorpion's legs? Who's to say how it got there when it was found there? All that can be said is what might be done once it is found. Getting out of the habit of putting on our shoes unchecked, might be more productive than beginning a manhunt for scoundrels with scorpions. 130426 what's it to you? who go blather from