To paraphrase (and be a little pretentious...as one does), the 17th century French philosopher, Descartes, said that maybe the only thing we need to do in order to justify our existence is to be able to think. That would be super, as I'm a boss at overthinking just about everything...except chocolate. I have no qualms about making those kinds of decisions.
But then there are those people who arguably don't think, and I see evidence of that up and down my social media notifications. Those people wield too much destruction to not exist.
Socially, I suppose he is. It's easier to ignore him than be uncomfortable.
I don't live in the city anymore. It's a bit of a schlep going in, but I do so periodically. It involves a car and train ride, which is kinda cool because it's something I don't get to do very often. It was a longish day the last time I was in town...a great day, but long. Heading back to my car was a homeless man. Not totally surprising for a city. Also not surprising were the people who walked by his sitting form as though he was an apparition. Socially, I suppose he is. It's easier to ignore him than be uncomfortable. Those living their banal lives in the United States are good at ignoring a lot of things.
Easier to ignore the little hints that something isn't right.
People are house poor in areas saturated with expensive homes and the very best of everything. Families move along their days...the kids go to school...the kids return home...if they have one. Increasingly those kids are sleeping in cars with their families. Or they are on the cusp of it, scraping by each day hoping that the inevitability of being unhoused can be pushed back just a little longer. That's uncomfortable too, so it's easier to not see them. Easier to ignore the little hints that something isn't right.
These are thinking beings, but they don't exist, especially if they don't contribute in the way we desire in our high-paced world where if we can't boast about it to hordes of strangers, it isn't a worthwhile effort.
We all have our problems, mine is that I never have enough chocolate to sustain me...a tragedy really. Other people need to find a place for their home overnight. Others still float through life blurring in and out of focus depending on the type of nuisance they can make of themselves.
I wonder what Descartes would say about them?
(Image description: overcast day in front of a lake. Trees along the edges of the image in the distance. A bench in the front center of the image. The back of a transparent person sitting on the bench with their hood up, looking over the lake. Image credit: iStock)
