God's Gift?

Uncle Bubba has a birthday coming up and it got him to thinking about a sarcastic saying that he's heard in the past; the one that about if'n you're God's gift the world. He remembers walking in on a project at work and his coworkers were struggling with trying to make things cultivate. When Bubbie showed up on the scene he had a completely different solution to offer, different from anything that had been previously suggested or tried. When he spoke up confidently to offer his solution it fell on deaf ears. People just looked at him annoyedly and told him that he was way off base. He persisted in expressing his opinion and one person quipped, "Aren't we lucky that God has graced us with your presence." Of course his solution eventually turned out to be the one that worked but that's beside the point. We have these expressions that are meant to put one another down, to put someone in their place.

But the truth is that God did did grace us with your presence. The question is, is the world a better place because you're here? It's been Bubbie's observation that most folks think that on the inside, they are really a good person. We may do bad things on occasion, but that's only because of the circumstances around us. Sometimes our biggest transgression is not doing anything at all; being absent when we should be involved. Or as in a previous post were Uncle Bubba told us about a person that damaged someone's car with a shopping cart and anonymously drove off. If you could find that idiot and ask them if deep down they are a good person, they would undoubtedly say yes.  Try it for yourself; out of the blue, casually ask anyone you know if they think they're a good person. You'll reach the same conclusion. But now turn it back on yourself and what do you see? It's Bubbie's opinion that most people fall just at 50% on the scale of goodness. The world isn't a better place because we're here, but we contribute to some marginal betterment in the lives of our loved ones. So how much more effort would it take to reach 51% and actually be a graceful presence? Wouldn't it be nice to work with pleasant coworkers? Then be one. Wouldn't you like to have great friends? Then be one. If you don't know where to start, in Bubbie's view if you could just hold kindness in your heart, that would be enough.

No Conscience

Uncle Bubba was building a set of cornhole boards for a little backyard fun and need some supplies from a home improvement and building supply store. That's what we call lumberyards now, I reckon it's more politically correct or something. So he got in his ol' black truck and commenced to drive to the closest one. Pulling into the parking lot he began the ritual of finding a parking space that was safest for ol' Blackie. Bubbie scanned the area for a place that was away from the usual cart collection areas, away from any contractor's trucks towing trailers, and people that were loading their vehicles. This typically annoys Uncle Bubba because he feels that he has to protect his property from knuckleheads juxtaposed against feeling silly for worrying about it. Luckily on this day the lot traffic was light and the spaces were many. He quickly parked and made his way into the store to purchase the pieces of wood that he went there to buy. He found what he was looking for, two 2' X 4' sheets of sanded half inch plywood. He placed them on a cart and proceeded to check out. As he pushed the cart across the parking lot, he avoided getting run down by the steady stream of apparently self important motorists that rudely paid little heed to his pedestrianism. He noticed a store employee and what he assumed was a customer standing nearby as he dropped the tailgate and loaded the plywood. As he turned to walk the cart back to the store he noticed why the two men were standing there talking. Some unconscionable jerk had run into a shopping buggy and knocked it into the customers car and apparently drove off!

What kind of world are we living in that people can just damage another persons property and drive away? It's the act of a criminal mind. As the world gets more populated and we live in closer contact with others, basic respect should take a higher priority in a persons conscience. We don't have to necessarily like one another, but we do have to live peacefully with one another. And if you damage someone else's property, own up to it. What if it was your property that was anonymously ruined? How would you feel? And now Bubbie won't be able to toss a game of cornhole with the boards that he's making without thinking about what he saw. Where's the fun in that? In Bubbie's view this self-centered, uncaring, all-to-common lifestyle is the erosion of the very ideals that this once great country was founded on; united we stand, divided we fall.