I’ve been forumlating a concept that I call Cyclical Linear Desensitization. It desribes the loop of step-by-step, non-varying events that lead to a total or partial psychological numbing to all or most experiences.

I’ll be posting more on this later, I just wanted everyone to know I was still here and thinking.

- john

If People Bought Cars Like They Buy Computers.

Read the joke linked above before continuing.

OK. Now that you’ve absorbed that and maybe giggled a bit, the reason this is being mentioned is that it rings so TRUE. Truth makes comedy work.

What I don’t understand, and what I would like SOMEONE to adequately explain to me is this: Why do poeple who are otherwise reasonably intelligent people (anyone from a high school graduate to a doctoral degree holder) feel that it is ok to turn into blithering idiots when presented with anything remotely tech in nature? It is one thing to not understand how C++, Visual Basic, or Java might be structured and written, but it is all to often that a support technician answer a phone and the problem is that the person doesn’t know how to press in the button clearly marked with “Power” or they didn’t plug in the COLORED cable into the SAME COLOR port. I’ve taken these calls. What’s worse is I’ve been face to face with these people. It is culturally acceptable for someone to spout the mantra “I am computer [technology] illiterate” and expect everything to be fine.

Oh, but woe to the person who can’t GRASP the simplified explanations that they give for their “easy” jobs, like say, gastric bypass surgery. God forbid I don’t understand something I don’t intend to come into contact with on a daily basis, but you feel that I shouldn’t mention to anyone in your waiting room how you regularly need to call me to find out why your “magic picture box” doesn’t show you things when the lights flicker because you didn’t use one of those “battery thingies” I keep saying you need to buy.

Honestly folks, I’m not bitter. I swear!

Sometimes you see a quote so profound that you must share. I didn’t find the post itself that profound (you can find it here, The French Method – :: LEAST I COULD DO FORUM ::, and decide for yourself), but the poster, Ryan Sohmer, ended with a quote that came from The Wonder Years:

“When you’re a little kid you’re a bit of everything; Scientist, Philosopher, Artist. Sometimes it seems like growing up is giving these things up one at a time.”

It struck me as a very true idea and it makes me sad that so many poeple find it neccessary to let go of so much to “grow up”. I believe the world would be a much better place if we looked through the eyes of babes every now and then to remember how wonderous the world really is.

**Warning: If you do not like to read, skip to long story short below!**

It struck me today how odd individual human perception is, in broad terms, of course. What struck me was that someone mentioned to me about a bicentennial. He got mixed up and said that the country’s bicentennial will be next year, which he immediately realized he misspoke. Not a big deal, but it got me to analyzing my own perception of our government. I was born after the bicentennial had passed for our nation. As such, I have never been witness to a major event marking the age of our country. This may our may not contribute to the following perception as realized today.

I realized that I had a general perception of our country as having always been here due to that its state was established for as long as I have been self aware. As such, without specific reference, to my general consciousness, our country is equal to all other established governments that were established prior to my awareness. This is odd because I have academic awareness that our country is young in comparrison to others. I just have to put an effort (albeit a small effort) into this realization in my thought process. This is not limited to national awareness, however. This also is reflected in my awareness of other people and things around me such as parents, houses, et cetera. Without thinking specifically of their age, my parents and grandparents are equal to me. They were here before me. It is as if rudementary thought processes group items into “here before me” and “younger than me.” This also gives a certain perception of agelessness to the concepts in question.

What is the point here, you may ask? What is the application of this idea?

Well, if you consider that this may be a phenomenon shared amongst many if not all peoples, it would explain many a national superiority complex. It also helps explains why many are upset and confused by the loss of older loved ones.

Of course it could just a personal phenomenon due to my own thought processes which are very often different than most others. If you read this, please look into your own perceptions and share your thoughts. For those readers out there, the long story short is a lie. Nobody “did it.”

Long Story Short:

The son’s friend’s second cousin did it.