Anyone halfway intelligent and alert can pay attention to current events, put the pieces together for themselves, thereby triggering hundreds of emotional responses ranging from idle, bemused concerned to stark terror and utter fear.
It may be that anyone who is completely, fully intelligent never dwells in the vast middle, but operates only at either end of the spectrum -- either completely tuned out and disinterested, or wealthy as all-get out, and out buying their own reality, somewhere pleasant.
The available scenarios here seem pretty unsatisfactory -- well, to be honest, except for the one where you're a billionaire, out buying some white sugar-sanded islands in a warmed, turquoise-y Pacific area, dropping out for a while to simply enjoy life, for a change. Umbrella drinks and all.
(Yes: The problem with delicious daydreams is doubling back, detouring down to the doldrums. Hmmm. OK -- Let's start again, shall we?)
Workers are always being told by bosses, trying to inspire employees while going cheap on the money and perks -- in order to look good for their own prize-package reviews -- the same dreary, dog-eared thing, over and over: We need to work smarter, not harder, people -- we need to think outside the box.
To which I can only say: Box, schmox. What we could all really do with is a round of raises, not CEOs pulling down 690 times the median salary. Plus, as an afterthought, we could do with a couple new inventions -- three at least, with the first two being problem-specific, and the third more of an all-purpose tool.
As I type these lines, on June 3, 2013, Private First Class Bradley Edward Manning is...
