Tag Archives: picnic

Bedlam

Bedlam: (n) a scene of uproar and confusion.Dictionary B

Take a quick look at that definition:

  • Uproar
  • Confusion

I think we might be guilty of believing that uproar is something that befalls us and that confusion is a byproduct of being overwhelmed by evil.

I suppose nowadays we might say the situation in the Middle East is bedlam.

Honestly, it’s not.

It is an uproar that is confusing, but it isn’t an uproar that has befallen us nor a confusion that has overtaken the participating parties.

Every uproar is caused by people who face difficulty and feel the immediate need to react.

And all confusion is the pursuit of a reaction without taking the time to think about the consequences.

For after all, most solutions end up making the situation worse because they are enacted without planning and consideration of the results.

And all confusion is the absence of inviting available facts to merge with our experience.

I have been in the middle of a picnic in a park and had bedlam ensue because some sort of disruption came into the situation and compelled people to react in a state of confusion.

It’s actually easy to avoid bedlam.

Never react until you’re sure you are satisfied and energized by the choice you are making.

And when threatened by confusion sit down for five minutes and retain the quality of your experience–as it relates to your present situation.

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Ant

dictionary with letter A

Ant: (n.) a small insect, often with a stinger, which usually lives in a complex social colony with one or more breeding queens.

I don’t know whether there’s any creature on this planet that has such a diverse range of public perception.

After all, the ant is the symbol of vigilance in our childhood tales, especially when competing with the lethargic and procrastinating grasshopper.

Rumor has it that with great persistence, they can actually move rubber tree plants.

We greatly applaud their colony for its efficiency, wondering why the “hill” in Washington, D.C., can’t pick up some pointers.

Yet we also get really upset when they show up at picnics. They are known to frighten children because of their occasional bad tempers, allegedly leading to stings.

So how it is possible to be considered such a diligent fellow, and then closed out from being welcomed by the picnic crowd?

There’s only one explanation.

They’re black.

Yes. It’s a race issue.

I’m not trying to play the “race tentacle” here, but it seems to me that if the ant were white–aside from being almost invisible, as most white creatures are–he (or it) would be more accepted.

This theory could be easily tested by allowing a black ant and a red ant to arrive at a picnic at the same time. Would we treat the red ant better? Or just move it to the side and let it build a casino?

These are questions that plague my thoughts.

Because if we’re trying to get rid of ants because they’re annoying and interfere with the hygiene of our food at outdoor meals, that is a legitimate concern.

But if there is any color discrimination here, I think we should get to the bottom of it.

(Even though I think an ant has a thorax and not a bottom…)

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