Demerit Points for Attitude

One of the luxuries of retirement is the opportunity to linger over the morning paper, which would be a great experience if the daily press was a bit more reflective and edifying. But hey, who am I to complain, I am apparently easily fascinated with the curious and the mundane.

This morning, for instance, I read the whole text of a relatively inconsequential article reporting on the activities of the Ontario Provincial Police in ticketing drivers on the province's highways over the recent holiday weekend.

One anecdote caught my eye. It seems that a 50 year old grandfather was stopped for not wearing a seatbelt. Ticket #1. As it happened he was transporting an unrestrained six month old grandchild in a carseat. Ticket #2. Then, in a fit of rage, he tore up the two tickets that had been issued to him and threw them out the car window onto the ground. Ticket #3 for littering. Hats off to the officer for doing the right thing.

It's almost unfortunate that there is not a ticket for "Having a Bad Attitude." This fellow was obviously a case of road rage just looking for a place to happen.

On the one hand, this is just a story to read and laugh about. And, that's where I began in my response. But then I started to think about the six month old grandchild in the car seat. What did this infant do to deserve having an irresponsible grandfather. If he wants to risk his health and safety by driving without a seatbelt he is at least toying with his own destiny. What gives him the right to risk the child's destiny? The optimistic side of my personality hopes that perhaps the guy, when his passion subsided, would recognize and accept the error of his actions. The cynical, read "realist", side of my personality fears that he will simply be more determined than ever not to let anyone tell him how to live his life.

The one positive side of it is that hopefully the grandchild, who is only six months old according to the report, will not have understood or remember what went on and will not be moved to emulate the grandfather's attitude in the years ahead.

Seasonal Blogging Disorder

Every summer, round about early August, I get the urge to reactivate my blog. It is a very compelling experience. I try my best to dismiss it as unimportant to my life, but it keeps rising to the surface and demanding to be placated.

The experience of the past is that the only way to requite this urge is to give in to it and whip out a couple of posts. Ironically, unlike submission to other urges in life, capitulating seems to quell the pang. Oh, if consuming food would only do that for the compulsion to eat! Anyway, here I am again.

I am making no resolutions about constancy. In fact, I may only be attempting to still the demons, but here goes. Don't expect something consequential! Passing urges are not usually the inspiration for great craftsmanship and deep thought!