Boy 1: What the... !
*I smile and continue walking*
Boy 1: Are you a ninja?
Me: Close, I'm a monk.
*I continue into the library and drop off my books. Boys continue talking excitedly behind me. I turn and walk past them on my way out. A moment later, they come riding past my on their bikes, boy 1 in the lead.*
Boy 1: Hey, are you from "The Last Airbender?"
Me: No, but good guess.
Boy 2: Why did you say you were a monk, then?
Honestly, what can you say to that?
Actually, I'm a little creeped-out.
Here's something else to think about, since this is (supposedly) a blog dealing with sociology; I am boring.
Yes, we know.
Smart alecs. What I mean is, I have no real-world imagination and precious little ambition. I don't want a ferrari... can you imagine how much repairs, maintenance, and insurance would cost? Give me a good, reliable Toyota anyday. Don't want fame... gosh, I want to be able to go out in public, for the love! I just... don't really want a lot.
But the other day, as I was delivering a pizza to a used car dealership, the lady at the counter casually pointed out the least practical car on the lot and said, "you should buy the quattro." It was a car not unlike this one...
Not really paying attention, I glanced out at the parking lot and matched myself to the car I thought she would assume for me. "That one?" I asked, pointing.
When she pointed the Audi out to me, I literally laughed out loud. She was nonplussed. "How much do you think a car like that would go for?" she asked me.
I shrugged. "Fifteen to twenty thousand, probably." I really have no idea about these things.
She shook her head. "Eighty-nine ninety-five," she said slyly.
Right now, my price range is somewhere between two-hundred fifty and FREE. Yet, as I drove away, I kept looking back at that pretty Audi convertible that I hadn't even noticed driving in. Maybe I could get financing. I make a little money at Papa Johns; I could make payments if they would make them low enough. Maybe...
Guys, I don't even WANT a convertible. Definitely don't want a two-seater. Yet, if she had suggested the nasty little hatchback, I would have been able to blow it off easily. It was flattering to think that anybody could see ME... ME! In a car like THAT. Did I really give the impression of being that successful enough to drive around in a two-seater Audi convertible? Probably not, but the lady got me to think so, and that made me want to prove her right.
I think we all radiate something... success, failure, optimism, depression, whatever. Generally, the world reflects back to us what we radiate to them; but I think that the day we learn to reflect back something other than what they radiate is the day we will learn how to rule the world. If we can learn to reflect optimism back on a pessimist, friendliness back on somebody stand-offish, or success back on somebody who believes they are a failure, then we have learned how to truly change hearts and minds.
MORMONK UPDATE: tonight is my REINTIGRATION vigil. As usual, I haven't decided how it's going to work, but I'll let you know when I do. After tonight, I have ten more days before the great MORMONK experiment ends. These ten days will be spend preparing to re-enter society. How? Don't really know.
Maybe I'll just play guitar a lot.
No comments:
Post a Comment