To the Self Righteous

When I was 19, my friends and I went on a backpacking tour of Europe. In Florence, Italy, we met a group of American girls at our youth hostel. They hated everything about Europe, particularly the weather. We were puzzled. It was late April (or early May, I can’t quite remember). Temperatures ranged from 12 to 18 degrees in the day. It was cold for us, yes, but then we were used to tropical weather. Perhaps these girls were from Hawaii or some tropical part of the good ol’ US of A. Then we noticed that, to a T, they all wore skimpy tank tops and shorts, all the time. Surely that was not appropriate attire for Europe in spring? Little wonder they were cold. We had to ask. They whined, “But it was 100 degrees (Fahrenheit, or 38 degree Celsius) back home in Indianapolis…” Duh.

Moral of the story:

If you live life as if yours is the only perspective that matters, as if your reality is the only truth, then you are destined to make a fool of yourself sometime, somewhere, somehow.

OR

If you must be a frog in a well, at least keep your big mouth shut.

(HM's take on it: don't talk to bimbos.)

A Totally Random Thought

As we stride around
Purposeful in our busy lives
Prance around
Giddyheaded in our excitement
Are we mindful of the
Ants we step on?

No Smoke Without Fire

No, this isn't about you, my Narnian friends, lol.

Both are guilty of the same,
The pot calling the kettle black.
If I knocked both their heads together,
Would I get sparks?
And if I did,
What would ignite?
Tempting, to say the least.

Brain Pain

My head hurts
Not like yours perhaps
But from too many words
Flooding in,
Too many ideas
Rushing to get out
The exit door.
A little help, puh-lease...

Food for Thought

It's amazing what one can come up with in the middle of the night, when insomnia strikes. Thanks, wzb, for the push.

Intention or action –
Which matters more?
Does the failure to act
On an ill intention
Absolve one from sin?
Is a good intention sufficient
When its consequence goes awry?
If we do it for all the wrong reasons,
Does it still count?
Do the ends ever really justify the means?

Relativity I

I have always liked this one.

To realise the value of one year,
Ask a student who has failed in his exam.

To realise the value of one month,
Ask the mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realise the value of one week,
Ask the editor of a weekly magazine.

To realise the value of one hour,
Ask two friends who are eagerly waiting to meet.

To realise the value of one minute,
Ask the person who missed the train.

To realise the value of one second,
Ask the person who survived an accident.

To realise the value of one millisecond,
Ask the person who missed the gold medal in the Olympics.

by anonymous

Relativity II

What value do you place
On friendship, I wonder
When you favour
Simpering attentions over
Honest answers
Fleeting flattery over
Faith well kept.

Dross over gold –
Why settle for less?

Pearls before swine
I am tempted to say.