The Eternal Cynic

I was driving around today and passed a little girl in complete tears as she walked home from school. This made me very angry. Not at the little girl who was crying and not even because a child was in tears. The real source of my anger runs much much deeper and is a result of other individuals who have forced a change in our world that is bitterly unfair.

I would have loved to stop my car and offer this little girl a ride home, a shoulder to cry on or even just see what I could do to help make her feel a little bit better and brighten her day. But as painful as it was to watch this innocent little soul make her way home without intervening, I couldn’t. We as a society have taught our kids to avoid strangers at all costs in order to protect them. My stopping and the potential response from this child would undermine so many things built around keeping her safe from harm. Granted, I would have been a helping hand but if this child saw one nice stranger, she might think the next one is equally nice when in actuality they are exactly the type of person her mother warned her about. So, I drove on, angry at all of the individuals out there that have forced us to teach our kids to be a little bit paranoid and ever cautious and to never ever talk to strangers, even the nice ones.

There are many deep dark behaviors in this world that I can easily wrap my head around the whys, even if I don’t agree with them. Hurting children does not fit in that category. I just cannot grasp how people can hurt a child. How do you look into a child’s eyes and then proceed to do them harm? Children, even the most challenging ones are as pure and innocent as it gets. It disgusts me to know people do this, and on a very grand scale. The numbers have reached epidemic heights. I have heard and done all of the research on family history, genetics and all of those things but in the end EVERY person has a choice. We all make difficult choices each and every day, often going against our own biology, notions etc.

Relying solely on good decisions will of course always fail as people inherently choose the most ridiculous path available and frankly are incredibly selfish. Sure there are laws, but NONE of them work. The statistics for re-offending are astronomical. Why as a society are we not demanding more strict laws? We have all changed our own lives to protect ourselves from these predators and yet we have not enacted laws to really scare these criminals into change. If the punishment is severe, some of these dirt bags may reconsider their life path in order to preserve themselves. I believe this applies to most crimes, not just those that involve children. I just believe the most “special” punishments should be reserved for pedophiles and abusers. Unfortunately with our current system, justice is very rarely served.

The true prisoners are not the ones behind bars, but the rest of us. We are the ones suffering from cruel and unusual punishment. We cannot do anything without looking over our shoulder, checking to make sure we are safe. We have been forced to instill a certain sense of fear in kids to protect them from the harsh reality. They can’t learn to socialize and show respect in a world where strangers, even the good ones who wish them no ill will, are the enemy. It is no wonder our children are anti-social, disrespectful, and even overweight. They don’t have the freedoms they deserve as children. They can’t play in their own yards without extreme supervision or much of anything else for that matter. Now I am not saying these creeps are responsible for ALL of it, there are parental issues adding to the problem as well, but that is a rant for another day. Today’s wrath is reserved especially for those who do children harm.

I read an article today in Reader’s Digest entitled Rethink What You Drink and it reminded me of something I read or watched a few years back essentially mentioning the same thing. There have been several articles from various sources each discussing the lack of moderation over the bottled water industry, the potential for contamination and the notion that we could be drinking glorified tap water. But somehow even with the media coverage, according to RD there was a 10% increase in bottled water use from 2005 to 2006.

Should this increase surprise anyone? In an environment where few pay attention to what they ingest, why on earth would we care if we are drinking tap water as long as it tastes good. We eat burgers like they were going out of style, topped with cheese products where only the color truly mimics cheese.

Our society is riddled with fillers, processed foods, more sugar than is necessary or of course the alternative: sugar derivatives with no calories like Splenda or Nutra-sweet. We eat all of it up without hesitation, and then come back for seconds.

I see ingredients on packages that only would make sense to a scientist. I think the one that always throws me is the “Natural” and “Artificial” flavorings. Is that the fancy way of saying “we have no idea WHAT is in there” or is it a clever name for an actual ingredient? Can I buy a bottle of “Natural Flavor” off of a store shelf somewhere? Doesn’t “natural” imply it occurs already within an ingredient, therefore not needing to be listed?

Alco-pops such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Ice, or even your standard premium alcohol have no listed ingredients and we suck it back like there is no tomorrow and without question. All advertisers seem to dote on the “premium” ingredients, yet for all we know it could be created using water leftover from dirty socks, but the socks of course are “premium”. Of course alcohol itself is a “poison” but combined with other ingredients it could take that happy fuzzy poison to a higher level. Hmmm.. maybe that is what gives tequila its unique flavor…

I am sure there are regulations on top of regulations for most consumable goods designed to “protect” us from harm, and yet I believe you would be hard pressed to find an individual who believes that these products aren’t harmful in one way or another. I would be saddened to know that there are people out there that believe a Big Mac™ or Whopper™ are healthy. But of course, I know I am probably being overly optimistic there. The levels that humans can reach never ceases to amaze me.

Every other day there is a new “expert” study about all of the things that are going to kill us and the new diet we should be on, the new wonder drug, or new “danger” in the world. That same statement changes two weeks later and is trumped by a bigger, better, faster plan. The old one being dubbed dangerous. The stress and confusion trying to figure it all out might cause more trouble than the products themselves would have.

In an era where everything will kill me, understanding the effects and potentials some of the things I ingest will have, I choose to do it anyway. Is it because I have a death wish? Do I just not care about my health? In the end, how much does it really matter? We are all on an ultimate path of destruction, some of us choosing the fast lane. We might as well enjoy the journey. I myself will continue enjoying my dirty bottled tap water, my 100% beef Big Macs™, and my pesticide-laced fresh fruits.