Humans are a perverse species. One of our common, and more entertaining, characteristics is the whimsical way we make decisions.
Dogs? They do whatever they feel like at the moment, and usually with total abandon. They don't think about why they want to do it. They simply partake in life and let the chips fall where they may.
There is something to be said for a dog's life. There must be, because so many people seem to make decisions the same way.
I am not a dog. I think about things. Examine all sides. Consider the pros and cons. Worry about the consequences. Then, when I have carefully considered every single possible result, I reassess, just in case I might have missed something in the first go round. Finally, when I am absolutely sure of what I want to do, I move cautiously forward. And that is just over what to have for dinner.
I am not saying I am a worrier. I am cautious, thoughtful, considered. I don't like surprises. I want to know exactly where everything stands ahead of time, so that I can have my response prepared.
This is probably not the ideal personality for someone who works in sales. As I said before, people are perverse, and they make all kinds of nonsensical decisions for the most random reasons, or sometimes no apparent reason at all. They will make huge decisions on a whim, only to change their minds shortly thereafter. It is baffling to me. I am obviously not dog material. [I know, I know, I'm an owl.]
Most people also appear to me to be unrealistically optimistic about their own lives. You see a lot of this unwarranted confidence in my line of work, and I am always perplexed by it.
I sell insurance, thus I work with people who are preparing for the possibility of catastrophe in their lives. You would imagine people would take that very seriously, considering all the pros and cons involved, and making the most cautious of determinations regarding their long term prospects.
You would be wrong.
I spend time every week talking to people who have had multiple accidents, only to hear them tell me they want the least amount of auto coverage possible. Talk about positive thinking.
People who would think nothing of spending $50 on a meal out will ask to reduce coverage on their home by tens of thousands of dollars to save that $50 annually. I usually tell them that $50 is going to look like the worst investment they ever made if their house burns to the ground, but it is downright fascinating how many people tell me that won't happen, and want me to do it anyway.
Hope springs eternal, I guess.
Applied on a broader basis, that groundless optimism seems to apply to all aspects of life. We continue to overeat, even if we have health problems stemming from obesity, because we refuse to accept that it would cause a problem for us. We continue to be couch potatoes, despite clear evidence that exercising is good for our health, because we don't believe that our hearts will eventually clog up. We build houses on fault lines, we put cabins on sandy oceanfront property, we buy yachts in Missouri.
In decisions large and small, humans behave in unpredictable ways. We have invested a bazillion dollars into anti-terrorism measures in response to a threat that has killed a few thousand people over a period of many years, but we get in the car without a thought and drive all over creation at an exponentially higher risk that has killed hundreds of thousands in the same time frame. We buy lottery tickets, but aren't afraid of getting hit by lightening, which is more likely than hitting the jackpot. We are up in arms over restaurant inspections for trivial transgressions, then lick the batter bowl clean when we make a cake.
Humans are a mass of amusing contradictions. They are unpredictable and often irrational, but always entertaining. They are never so interesting, however, as when they don't realize they are being observed.
I had a random conversation this week with someone who made me think about that. He has a regular opportunity to speak to large groups of people, and commented on what he saw on one particular occasion. It made me laugh, because I had never thought before about how the watchers are, indeed, the watched, whether we know it or not.
While we sit in a mass of people listening to someone speak, we shift, we fidget, we think we are surreptitiously looking at our phone or our watch. We sit up, we slide down, we look around. Personally, I spend time looking at the ceiling, noticing how many light bulbs need replacement, and at other people, wondering what is going on in their heads. We feel anonymous, because we are part of a group, and we are observing the person up in front.
But in fact, as I know from performing solos over the years and from having been a teacher, the reverse is also true. When you are the one at the podium, you see what is going on in the audience, and you are aware of the activity that is occurring. You hear the coughing and see the nose picking. You hear the shuffling of papers. You are aware of the people coming and going. You notice if you are holding the crowd or losing them. You can observe when everyone starts looking at their watch, or if they are whispering amongst themselves. You realize it when someone falls asleep, especially if they start snoring and attracting the attention of those around them! [That leads to other entertaining behavior, as people naturally try to disassociate themselves from the perceived offender.]
It's a unique vantage point, because for all that you are together in a public place, most people are unaware that they are being observed, and they are simply themselves. It lends itself to humor quite often, even when someone is seriously paying attention, because most of us have goofy habits that are pretty funny, if we look at them from the proper perspective.
When confronted with the overwhelming situations that life throws our way, I find a lot humor in the minutiae of the everyday. If we are going to behave in ways that don't make sense, we should at least be able to laugh at ourselves for it. Although we have more worries and cares, there is nothing wrong with taking on a little of the dog's life.
Just don't chase any cars.
