various thoughts on different things

I'm in St. Louis for the third time this summer. The drive from Little Rock was, for the most part uneventful. But there were a few close calls I saw from impatient drivers who did not wait for a clear sight distance to pass slower vehicles. That reminded me of a couple of days ago when I was almost hit head-on by a driver who swerved into oncoming traffic (on a four lane road) to pass another car.

That incident made me think of other times that my life could have been ended. Most of these times were the result of either luck or split-second decisions on my part or someone else. Examples: I fell once and my head missed a sharp protruding rock by inches; There was an accident at a plant where I was working, before I could go to check on people, someone handed me a gas mask (the accident was a leak in an ammonia tank). Onthese occasions, it was just one little thing that meant the difference for me.

Science fiction writers have thought about these decision points that change a life, sometimes, a world. Would WWII have come about if Hitler had died during WWI? If Moses had turned right instead of left, would Israel have all the oil? The theory proposed by the writers referred to in the first sentence of this paragraph is that each time we make a decision, our world moves onto a different track. The movement and our consciousness move, but on another track, an "us" makes a different decision and so on. Naturally, if some of the movers and shakers of history had not existed, our world might have been quite different. One good friend, John Dalmas explored what the world might have been like if the Normans had lost the battle of Hastings in 1066. He has not written that yet. But I'm looking forward to the result when he does.

If you want to try some of these "what if" histories" look for Harry Harrision, Harry Turtledove or just search under "alternate history".

I watched the crops as I was driving north yesterday. It reminded me that my wheat was in the elevator and had been sold. Last year, there was a huge price spike during harvest. I think it was caused by the use of corn to make gasahol (is that the right spelling?) The demand for the one grain lifted the price of alternate food grains like wheat, rice etcetera.

I had confidently predicted to a friend that the corn demand would have no impact on the poor of the third world. Boy, was I wrong. Even though the demand for corn is still great, the markets have adjusted to a more level phase. That is what makes commodity dealers rich and why I do not even try to play in the commodity market. Of course, the stock market recently underwent some confidence shaking moves. The difference is that you can hold a stock until its price goes back up or the company goes out of business. If you buy futures in a commodity, when that future matures, you must either buy the commodity or sell at a loss.

It is odd how a few things can make a huge difference in our perception of things. I'm staying at a Sheraton hotel in Clayton, MO. The room is large and clean, but there is no refrigerator or microwave and the bathroom is quite small. Those three details made me think, "what a lousy hotel" at first. I got over it, but I'm still not happy about the fridge.

There were several other topics in my mind when I began typing this. They have all gone away and so will... for a little while.

philosophy of life

     An often quoted wise man once said, "Live life as if each were to be your last on earth."

     I can't do that.  If I were to live like that, I'd have a permanent case of the "poor me"s and sulk around the house, thinking about the injustice of it all.

     So let me give you another philosophy: Live life as if you were immortal and your friends were going to die tomorrow.

     Friends are the most important part of life.  Without them, living is a lonely business.  But many of us, me included, lose track of time and go for days without talking to them.  We forget birthdays, anniversaries, important things for them.   Since they are good friends, we are forgiven and the lapse is forgotten.  But think about the feelings if your were unable to say "good bye."  What happens to those issues between you that are left in the air when you are no longer able to talk.

     My time in Vietnam should have convinced me that I am mortal.  I came through that with a few extra holes in my anatomy and a small fragment of steel that rode my back for 20 years before it worked itself out of me.  But I am alive.   Some of the friends I made there and other places are not.

     Now, I work at staying in touch with friends and family.  I willingly inconvenience myself to spend time with them.  I think about them often and try to let them know that they are precious to me.

     Naturally I often fall down on the job.  Like the Romans said: Errare humanum est (To err is human.)  Not sure about the spelling on that Latin, but it's close.  Occasional failure is part of the human condition.  It's like riding a bike.  When you fall off, you pick yourself up and climb back on.  If you don't, you've wasted however many hundreds of dollars you spent on that bike and are reduced to walking, driving or riding the bus.

     The essential thing is not how many times we fail, but how many times we keep trying.  Never forget that friends try to understand, to forgive and to forget our idiosyncrasies, quirks and ourselves.  It's important to make that worth the effort.