I am becoming more of a recluse than I thought I could. When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a teacher who described himself as a misanthrope. Of course I didn't know what it meant, so I had to consult the dictionary. A misanthrope hates and/or distrusts humankind. The older I get, the more I think he was justified and I am at the intersection of staying on my path of kindness because everyone struggles, or taking the less traveled path of the misanthropic hermit.
It seems that every time I venture into the general 'public', whether to do errands in support of local commerce, or to splurge and have lunch out [instead of making do at home], I come away feeling that misanthropes have it right, and muttering to myself how much I detest stupid humans, as opposed to humans who are only ignorant.
Stupid is senseless, lacking intelligence; ignorant, on the other hand, is uneducated. The difference lies in whether or not humans are teachable, or beyond help.
Recently, when I drove through a fast-food place, I ordered the bacon clubhouse burger, and a smoothie. At the end of the transaction, the nameless, faceless clerk on the other end of the speaker, asked: 'Do you want the burger or the chicken?' I replied, "I said BURGER." To which the person said, "I was just checking." Right. What they meant was, "I wasn't listening."
I drove away with an aversion to people who just 'don't listen.' And there are multitudes of them out there. I seem to be a magnet for them every time I venture away from home. After that encounter, I decided to try to be more specific, and stress BURGER when ordering, and to go to different fast-food places and order the same thing. Three out of four times, I endured the same experience: "Do you want the burger or the chicken?' I have to say that this is disheartening. Am I actually becoming a misanthrope? I fear the worst.
I used to listen to NPR when the alarm went off in the morning. I can sometimes barely comprehend what is being said, because the speed at which they say it, and the mumbled and slurring of words spoken too rapidly makes it very annoying. And when foreign correspondents give a report in a language that I do not comprehend, and the English speaking reporter tries to do a voice-over translation, it's even worse. I've had to turn off NPR. I don't need an alarm anymore, since I've retired and the only place I really want to go is to the sewing room; where the fabric lies in wait for the scissors, rotary cutter, needles and a hot iron. Really it's the rotary cutter and the scissors lying in wait for the chosen fabrics to be placed on the cutting mat.
The final nail in the box came when I was trying to purchase a couple of lottery tickets: I wanted one line for multiple draws. I got four lines for one draw. The $20 I spent was supposed to last for two weeks' worth of fantasy lottery winning. The twit at the counter, whom I'll label stupid, [see above for the reasoning] blew my fantasies in one shot.
Slow down people. Teach your children to listen. Really listen. Turn off the TV; the X-Box; and other distractions that aren't necessary; and read the dictionary; read a book; grow some food; watch the birds; take in the beauty of the world we live in instead of making it unbearable for others. Cacophony, any time of the day is undesirable. I'd rather listen to the birds!
Go forth and listen!
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