Tut tut... Looks like danger.

It's been raining a lot here in Southern California. For some reason, this is incredibly important to most people. You might be asking yourself, why, Carsten? Why is rain such a big deal?

I'm sorry that I cannot answer that question for you. I have no bloody clue why it is such a big deal.

Being from Chicagoland, I find the average Californian's reaction to rain to elicit within me an equal mixture of amusement and infuriation.

Will someone please explain to me how rain necessitates driving 15 miles an hour under the speed limit? I solemnly swear that you are not going to hydroplane at 25 mph. Based on the way they operate their vehicles, people out here seem to equate droplets of water falling from the sky with something far more dangerous. Like balls of fire. Or gorillas.

I have assembled a diagram to help those in need learn when it is appropriate to freak out about falling objects.

Somebody once asked me why I was going to wear sandals when it was raining. Why the hell wouldn't I? In case they get wet??? I don't understand! Your shoes are going to get far soggier than my sandals. Oy, vey.

The following dialogue is a representation of the kinds of conversations I've overheard countless times:

Rain-o-phobe #1: I can't believe it's raining. This sucks.
Rain-o-phobe #2: I know! There goes our movie plans!
Rain-o-phobe #1: Hopefully it will clear up by tomorrow.
Rain-o-phobe #2: Yeah, or else this whole weekend is ruined!

Even if you are deathly afraid of water, it is still highly possible for you to safely make it from your indoor location to another indoor location via the comfortable environment of your own automobile.

My Facebook newsfeed blows up with rain related statuses. In fact, it seems like those types of statuses are just as, if not more, numerous than the amount of earthquake related ones that I'm bombarded with after a quake. Really.

Rain is a part of nature. It's naturally occurring. You are also a part of nature. Please proceed with your life.

A feeble attempt to make up for my many years of cynicism

I was on the phone with my cousin, Vic, the other day when she brought something peculiar to my attention.

"You know what I've realized?" she started. "It's amazing how people cooperate."

I immediately attempted to cite examples to the contrary, but was unable to articulate any single one due to the multitudes that came to mind. What was she SAYING? People don't COOPERATE! What an absurd suggestion! Doesn't she ever read the news? Bloody imbeciles are running amok every which way! Just think, for example, about the slathering of abhorrent miscreants who, by some miracle, possess drivers licenses and congregate on America's roadways daily. That, to me, seems like the very antithesis to anything even remotely resembling the concept of "cooperation".

But I digress...

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She said this idea occurred to her while sitting on a plane, watching some people politely interacting and others keeping to themselves entirely.

"I mean there are tons of opportunities to misbehave but most people don't!"

[Please pause a moment to soak in the irony of the picture below in which Vic herself is clearly misbehaving.]

When I really think about it (and I mean really, really) I guess I agree with her. Even despite the worldwide idiocy epidemic, it seems that somehow society seems to function at a pretty consistent state of normality thanks to common courtesy. After all, isn't it really only the rarity in which stupidity reigns supreme that even makes it noteworthy? I'd like to think that ridiculous behaviour stands out because it's not the norm, even though I am often tempted to think otherwise. I recently stumbled upon a quote that sums up my point quite nicely:

“I tell people that if it’s in the news, don’t worry about it. The very definition of ‘news’ is ‘something that hardly ever happens.’ It’s when something isn’t in the news, when it’s so common that it’s no longer news — car crashes, domestic violence — that you should start worrying.” ~Bruce Schneier

THIS GIVES ME HOPE. 

BUT... will this new-found hope be enough to negate the fact that I lose a little more faith in humanity with each trip in my car? Or will the masses' preposterous displays of asininity and self-centered thinking (both of which I am also guilty) continue to eat away at my soul?


Fortunately for me, that decision is in my hands.

After all, "as stupid and vicious as men are, this is a lovely day." -- Kurt Vonnegut