Occasionally, instead of the usual ranting, I like to search for random questions on the internet. Some of these questions are fun, and others more thought-provoking. I did a quick search and found a few of these random questions. Let’s see how many I can fit in this week, and still come out around 1000 words. Here are the ones I chose.
Should prisoners with full life sentences be given the chance to end their life rather than live out their days locked up?
Some of our wonderful friends in prison are there for some serious crimes, serving life sentences, double-life, death penalty, etc. I say if they want to commit suicide, then by all means let them end their existence. Every year a person spend in jail adds up to millions of taxpayer dollars to feed them, house them, and give them medical care. If, for example, Charles Manson had killed himself years ago, it would’ve saved taxpayers a large sum of money.
Would it ever be ethical to read someone’s mind or is that the only true form of privacy?
Well, some people have no privacy whatsoever, so their mind is their sanctuary. There are many whose minds I don’t even want to look into or know what they’re thinking. A person’s mind can be a real scary place to visit.
Does instant connectivity and communication bring people together or push them apart?
Today’s uber-connected world is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Apps like Facebook can bring people from hundreds of miles away close together, but at the same time, social media and the internet drive apart people who are close. I’ve heard of many cases where two people are sitting in the same room, or possibly on opposite sides of the same couch. Rather than actually speaking to each other, they’ll text each other. Even I, highly introverted, will still speak with someone if I’m in within just a few feet of them.
If you won the lottery, do you think you’d be happier for it?
It is said that money can’t buy happiness. I, however, would simply love the chance to prove that right or wrong. I know that I would be able to pay off all my debts and not worry about living paycheck to paycheck, but at the same time, I would hate to deal with all the people who would appear from out of nowhere, all the “friends” I supposedly had throughout my life, to try to claim their share. Some would be like, “Hey we knew each other back in first grade”, or “I’m your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate”. Um, sorry about the Spaceballs reference🤭. If somehow you don’t know what movie that was, go look it up on Wikipedia. Suffice it to say, it was one of those corny 1980’s Mel Brooks movies.
When someone asks us how we are, why do we respond with “fine” when we’re really not fine?
I think that many times, we do this to simply avoid conversation in general or specifically conversation with a particular person. A lot of times, it’s being asked for the hell of it. Most people don’t give a rat’s ass about how anyone else is, and the response is simply just to give an answer. Engaging in small talk is a tedious thing, especially to an introvert, like myself. Giving an answer like this is a way to provide a response without winding up with a bunch of follow-up questions. There is a talk radio show on Saturdays, where people call to ask the host for legal advice. Though he is registered with his state bar, he is not a practicing lawyer. Anyway, he asks the callers not to ask how he is, because no one cares how he or anyone else is. I respect that. I honestly don’t think anyone is really interested in how a random person’s life is going. If it’s their spouse, significant other, or child, that’s another story.
What action or activity makes everyone doing it look stupid?
The one that comes to mind is all the viral online “challenges” that have come and gone, possibly with the exception of the “Ice Bucket Challenge” that raised money for ALS research. However, the ones about eating Tide Pods, huffing cinnamon, chugging a gallon of milk, rubbing the arm with a pencil eraser or salt and ice, or any of the myriad of stupid, idiotic challenges, are just simply moronic and anyone who participates deserves the karma that follows. The latest one in this list of bullshit is the one involving people trying to climb a bunch of square milk crates stacked into a stair-shape. Normally, this results in some serious injuries, like one video that was recently shared with me through Facebook Messenger. The guy falls off the crates, and the video zooms in on the guy’s broken arm, nearly a compound fracture. I can tell you from experience, milk crates are not very sturdy. I’ve stood on just two stacked on each other and about fallen off. They measure roughly one cubic foot and fit four gallon-sized jugs, or nine half-gallon containers, of milk. They’re made from plastic, and can hold some weight, but they tip easily. I don’t wish for people to get hurt, but if you’re going to do something stupid like that, then you’re going to get your karma. Because you know, karma is one huge bitch.
Is there a difference between living and existing? What is it?
Absolutely, there is a difference between existing and living. Everyone who is currently not dead is existing. A person in a vegetative state is existing. Many people who have jobs and families are simply existing. I can say I spend a good number of years simply existing—living paycheck to paycheck, not being able to take a vacation or enjoy anything, just going between work and home. Some of these “just existing” people are workaholics. All work and no fun. On the other side of the coin, a person who is really living maintains a good work-life balance. They have their job, but they also take time to do something fun, to recreate, to travel, or even just get away for a day or two. Their life is not mundane or boring. They don’t sit in auto-pilot mode. Nearly everyone knows the cliché “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Not engaging in some form of recreation or relaxation is stressful, unhealthy, reduces your quality of life and inevitably reduces your life expectancy. It’s a medically-proven fact that being over-stressed with no release mechanism damages the heart and can kill you sooner.
And there you have it—a little more insight into what goes on in my mysterious little brain. Good or bad, agree or disagree, that’s what it is. Thank you for reading my words and letting me share my thoughts with you once again. Until next time, please be safe and be well.
Ray’s Rants of the Week 