Yesterday I took a walk in the park with Elena (my 6 year old) to get some air and feed the animals. On a Sunday the park is full of people out for a stroll and the squirrels, in particular, are so tame they come and take nuts from your hand – always a delight for children and adults alike.
Elena was busy trying to attract the squirrels’ attention by chasing them through the trees as fast as possible with a walnut clenched in her palm. It takes an especially tame squirrel to respond positively to this particular tactic! Especially as the park is full of other children doing exactly the same thing.
Two uniformed men on bicycles (presumably park wardens) stopped and told us to get back on the path as it was forbidden to walk on the grass. I stopped myself from arguing that the mud and dried leaves under the trees hardly constituted ‘grass’ and complied with their request. At least until they disappeared from sight.
I explained to Elena what the men had said and she shook her head and said,
“Those men are stupid.”
Now I’d like her to learn to accept all people without judgement so I replied that I didn’t think the men were stupid but rather they were doing a stupid job. I’m rarely at a loss for words but I had no reply when she then asked,
“Well, who told them to do this stupid job?”
We all do stupid things
I stand by my comment that these men are not stupid. What they were trying to do was pointless and futile and could easily fall into the category of ’stupid things’ but that doesn’t turn them into ’stupid people’.
Anyone care to admit that they’ve never done anything stupid? Probably nothing as stupid as trying to stop young kids feed squirrels in the park – but stupid things nonetheless.
We all do things we probably wouldn’t have done if we had greater awareness at the time, or had actually thought about what we were doing. Sometimes we repeat these things over and over and occasionally we turn them into bad habits. Sometimes we even pay people to do them and provide uniforms to attempt to give credibility.
Personally I regard part of life’s journey to be about continually expanding my level of consciousness and getting progressively less stupid as I get older. Labelling myself or anyone as ’stupid’ isn’t very helpful. It tends to take my attention away from the stupid things I do and focusses more on identification with them.
Fine line between intelligent and stupid
In this example I do see the intelligence in maintaining public places in a way that everyone can enjoy them. I’m also delighted to learn that some people have a job that involves doing just this, and they are so motivated by their work that they even do it on a beautiful summer’s Sunday.
In my opinion these wardens crossed the line when they attempted to preserve the park over and above the enjoyment of it.
I appreciate it’s often a fine line to walk and I certainly don’t always walk it well myself. Often I do things for the enjoyment now and don’t pay enough attention to what’s going to come next. Like eating too much and feeling sick later. Or not paying my taxes on time and then being hit with a hefty fine.
Or on the other side, worrying too much about the future and not enjoying the moment here and now. Like buying some expensive clothes and never wearing them for fear of damage.
I’d like to see every stupid action I take as a chance to learn something. That means looking at the positive intention behind my actions (it’s always there) and then finding alternative ways to act that are more intelligent or wise.
I would like to bet that these two wardens end every Sunday feeling depressed because they failed, yet again, to keep the kids on the paths and so preserve the pristine condition of the mud under the trees. I doubt they learned much.
I’m also wondering how often I do something similar and act like King Canute.
Who tells us to do stupid things?
I find this a very intelligent question.
If I think back to all the stupid things I’ve done in my life I can usually find someone to blame:
- Parents – it’s what they taught me
- Writers of the rulebooks – it’s the law
- Boss – it was an order
- Society – everyone else does it
- Gurus – they are the wisest of the wise so they must know what’s best
- Politicians – I voted for them (or if I didn’t, then democracy is what holds us all together)
- People in uniform – if they wear a uniform they must be an authority
- Etc..
The only problem is that they’re not usually around when I do these stupid things. And even if they were I need to take responsibility for my own actions.Other people can guide me, advise me or support me but I’m always responsible for my actions. And for the consequences.
Blaming someone else just doubles the stupidity of the stupid action.
Footnote
This is my 100th article and Quantum Learning celebrated it’s first birthday a few days ago.
I want to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported, encouraged and criticised me. You make keeping this site alive an intelligent decision of mine.
Many years ago I was living in Reading, UK in a ground floor apartment with the landlord living in the apartment above. Reading is host to a major annual rock festival and my landlord supplemented his income by selling marijuana to those attending the concerts. I guess they needed it to distract them from the rain and mud that goes hand in hand with any outdoor event in the UK. He grew the marijuana in a greenhouse in the back yard of our apartments, carefully concealed by a sheet of transparent plastic.
