was my answer . . . by Alex Hutchins
Once upon a time, when I was an arrogant student, I recall taking a Philosophy final exam that had only one question: Why? During the era of my matriculation, it was customary to take all final exams in “blue book,” and I often wondered why that was other than to provide some company with additional revenues; but, I digress. The night before this final exam, I found myself confronted with a most unusual proposition that left me with little choice but to go off with this “band of misfits” to partake in the evils of alcohol consumption, celebrating (prematurely of course) the end of the semester until the wee hours of the morning. Surprisingly, I awoke and made it to my final exam and when I saw the question, I grinned like a “weed-head” and wrote (in my perfect 3rd grade printing style) so as not to be misread: Why not?
To this day, I still cannot believe I received an “A” but an “A” I did receive and forth with, post haste, and all that jazz embarked on a lifelong journey of continuing to replicate my grade; but fate, as it often does, has other plans inserting me inextricably on the other side of the desk where I now ask the question: Why?
As the years tumble down the hill past me faster and faster, I have come to realize that “why not” was never really the correct answer to give; in fact, answering the question why is so overwhelmingly, convolutedly complicated that no one even wants to ask the question at all anymore much less answer it.
WHY?
Are we afraid to hear the answers we might hear?
Are we afraid we will not act on the answers that we might hear?
Are we afraid that we cannot act on the answers that we might hear?
In a sublimely subtle way, this country, the USA, or America shall we say has managed to almost destroy in a matter of years what it took several hundreds of years to create but intellectually and arrogantly refusing not just to ask the question why, but refusing to answer it as well?
And, as thousands of our off- springs matriculate into the colleges and universities of their choice (or their parent’s choice), we find ourselves in a perpetual battle of First Amendment Rights when we intuitively ask ourselves the hardest question of our lives: How smart do we really want them to be?
It is ok with me whichever way we go – really it is folks and not because my days are numbered but because whatever we do, if it is based upon historical data, it will be too little too late.
Because some leader wore a red, power tie instead of a blue, honesty tie, decisions were made skirting around asking and answering the question why? And, our country inappropriately continues to provide the foundations of a future that cannot and will not sustain us; but, who really cares as long as we have a chance at winning the lottery?
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| Why are we not thinking about her future? |
WHY?
WHY NOT?
1 comment:
Americans are the master of not thinking past the moment. We would prefer to sit by and adopt a "wait and see attitude." Then when the shit hits the fan, we scramble to find solutions, they turn out to be only bandaids, but they make us feel good, and so we continue on our way till the next crisis. What is it about our culture that makes us so abhorrent of being proactive? Therefore, in answer to the question in the picture, we cannot see that far ahead!
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