Hearing the News

I made a mistake this morning. I took care of my morning obligations relating to grandchildren, but when I got home, I put on “News” channels in lieu of sports channels. Yep, I got caught up in the world’s problems.

I was a problem solver my whole life, including directly involved in such in furtherance of carrying out 4 distinct careers. I am certain that there is nothing I can do to solve the problems I see on the news, even the ones that are limited to the US.

In my last career I traveled to all continents except Africa and Australia for the express purpose of solving a significant contractual matter that had made its way to the “Contingency” line in the financial report for that undertaking. Long story short, the last notably adventure saw me in a room in Shanghai in which I was the only one who did not speak at least one dialect of the language.

Anyway, I am old now and the problems I focus on are those in my presence and when my mind has to adventure down the path of mistakes leading to the worldwide and national problems, in which I get no direct involvement, my body and brain can’t stand it. As I learned from my dad while he was a foreman in an ingot mold foundry in the 60’s, “Sometimes you just have to ignore certain people.”

So, let me get back to ignoring the world, but excluding when one of the bottom 10% erupt somewhere near me. And, I will also F with anyone else who proposes to impede the life of someone else of less stature. They rarely survive a look from me, but sometimes if it involves a woman or a kid as the object of their bad behavior, then I can’t stop myself from more physical confrontation, at least not to date. This thought emerged when the news talked about 5 distinct manhunts going on today for 5 “multikillers” in 5 varying parts of the country.

I see more and more emergence of the bottom 10%, though, and realize that what might have been an education moment in the past will now quickly become life or death for the bad guy. I realize that I have to spot that status before he tries it on me, so I can end his dance and not just be a passerby. Alright, I will stay away from the news.