stupid is smarts gone AWOL

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein

Sometimes I do something so dumb that even I am floored. Such was the case last night, when I decided to untangle string lights that a windstorm blew over the backyard wall. Despite my poor vision and the pitch black sky, I felt up to the task. Patiently, I twisted and turned the strands, following the tangles until my mind went crosseyed and I finally gave up.

This morning, I walked outside to assess my handiwork. I had untangled almost 1/3 of the lights. However, I’d also knotted and completely enmeshed the other 2/3. What should have taken me only five minutes to fix eventually took an hour and tweezers to unravel. So why did I start the task in the dark? Why attempt something so utterly fruitless only to make it worse?

Why do partners murder instead of divorcing? One cause is an aberration in the ventromedial prefontal cortex brought on by damage or drugs. Instead of moving out, they head to Walmart for plastic tarps, bleach, gas cans, or perhaps a wood chipper. They strangle their beloveds, place them in shallow graves, douse them with gasoline, and set them on fire, or they put them in the freezer and wood chip the remains. Instead of a life sentence they end up with a death one.

There’s a fine line between reason and irrationality. For most of us, it’s drawn just below the surface. For others, like the present commander and thief, it is in full view. We can all unhinge in seconds, making decisions that are so off point, they’re even incompatible with our values. Instead of rationally considering our options, we fixate on extreme, complicated solutions that boggle the mind. And then? We RUN with them!!! Even religious fervor, which drove Lori Daybell to murder her children, can propel us over invisible cliffs of our own making.

Recently, I found this beautiful stone on the beach. Beautiful, that is, until it dried. I’ve put it on my sink and splash it with water, just to watch it magically transform; a reminder that there’s more to everything than meets the eye.

P. S. Unfortunately, splashing my own face with water has yet to make it magically transform as well!