whole problem is that
fools fanatics so sure, wiser
people full of doubt
In the 1933 essay, “The Triumph of Stupidity“, Betrend Russell wrote, “What has been happening in Germany is a matter of the gravest portent for the whole civilised world.“
It was in this essay that Mr. Russell stated: The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.
It is much to easy to make a slight change and say, What has been happening in the United States is a matter of the gravest portent for the whole civilised world. The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.
I am not so that anyone would count me among the ‘wiser’ people but I do welcome anything that removes doubt down to doubt about my own very exisitence.
Luckily for me there is the restroom in the 21st century.
When I use the restroom here at work I get overwhelming evidence that I am indeed here.
First is the mirror but mirrors have been around forever and not just in restrooms.
By chance my office is in an old building on Hilton Head Island that at one time was a restaurant.
I leave my office and go down two wide flights of steps to the sub basement where the restroom is.
When I return to my office and I get to the top of the stairs, immediatly in front of me is a floor to ceiling, wide mirror.
As The Rev Al would say, you can use a mirror to reflect yourself or you can use a mirror to correct yourself and after a trip to the restroom it is handy to have a full length image of yourself to make any last minute wardrobe adjustments.
But that is after leaving the restroom so I digress.
In the modern restroom, the facilities make note of my presence and the operate all their own my presence is no longer of note.
The soap dispenser then sense my hand and dispenses soap.
The faucet senses my hands and turns on the water.
The paper towel dispenser senses my hands again and dispenses paper towels.
The mirror reflects, the toilet flushes, the soap foams, the water gushes, the paper towels roll.
It adds up that the evidence points to me being here.
It should remove all doubt.
There are those mornings however when the toilet doesn’t flush, the soap doesn’t spit out, the water doesn’t gush and the towels don’t dispence.
I want to go find someone and ask ‘am I here?’
In one Jim Harrison story, he dreams he is lying dead in the kitchen and he wakes up his wife to go check.
I know just what he means.
Doubt.
The price of being on the wise side of life.
No Haiku For You 