Back in the day, when manners were a thing, it wasn’t polite to talk about religion or politics. Or to ask a woman her age.
Of course, as we have seen in recent history, good manners are a thing long gone by. A sleepy hollow. An old legend.
At least back then, people could sit on the porch, share a glass of lemonade, and say things like, “It sure is a hot one today,” as they’d drag their handkerchief across their foreheads.
These days, talking about the weather has changed too. It used to be a subject of niceties, good manners, a way to fill time with words. Now, we are facing the most critical time in history concerning the weather.
And sadly, it too has become political and not fact.
If we regard any of the past few years, we’ve seen an escalation in horrific weather events, from major hurricanes, deadly tornadoes, ongoing droughts, earthquakes, mudslides, flooding, and currently, record-breaking heat.
Today, it is expected to reach 105 degrees Fahrenheit in Seattle, Washington. The people there, 70% of them, don’t have air conditioning because they normally don’t need it. Strike that. Normally is gone. If I were an entrepreneur, I’d move to the northwest and start an air conditioning company, because bet you me, they are going to need it. This year and for years to come.
The denial of climate change continues. I don’t know when people are going to learn.
Switching gears here slightly, there was a tragic accident this past week in Surfside, Florida, with the building collapse that has left nine people dead and 150 missing. The nation looks on in horror and amazement, wondering how such a thing could have happened in America. They are shocked and confounded at the instantaneous loss of life, saying that that sort of thing should be prevented in the future.
Yet. Yet. For the past year and a half, we have seen the country lose, on average, around 1,300 people per day due to COVID. Every day, again and again, and again. Over and over. And now that we have a vaccine to prevent that from continuing? Only 45% of the population in the United States has taken the free vaccine. Here in Preble County, only 31%.
That leaves 70% not willing to prevent that Florida building from collapsing again. They would rather see that building fall down, and all those people lose their lives again, every day. They don’t care if those people perish. As long as it isn’t them.
But here is the thing. There is no guarantee that you aren’t building your house on sandy soil.
And there’s no guarantee the blistering heat won’t create droughts that will deplete your food source and leave you standing in line for a head of iceberg lettuce that costs $17.00 on sale. Wilted.
It seems that good manners died a long time ago. And common sense went right along with them.
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“Don’t be afraid of being scared. To be afraid is a sign of common sense. Only complete idiots are not afraid of anything.”
― Carlos Ruiz Zafón
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“Common sense is seeing things as they are; and doing things as they ought to be.”
― Harriet Beecher Stowe
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“Common sense ain’t common.”
― Will Rogers
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