Two weeks
ago my sons and I camped for the weekend in the Cuyamaca Mountains. As a
father, there is no better place to train sons in the cause-and-effect
principles of life than the great outdoors. One of the many highlights of the
weekend came when we were about half a mile from Cuyamaca Peak. Much of the
mountain burned in the Cedar Fire; the once towering oak and pine trees now
replaced by tall, thick Ceanothus brush. The final ascent to the peak brought
forth memories of 30 years ago, when as a Boy Scout I made two separate weekend-long
backpacking trips.
When I go
to the mountains, I find it is just about the only place I can clear my mind
and soul and focus on simply living. And though the convenience of instant
communication isn’t always available in the more remote areas, I consider that
intangible just as vital as having the right tent, the right pair of boots and
of course, the right type of meals in camp and on the trails.
Not once
during the weekend did I hear a mention of Dean Spanos, the celebrity
stroke-fests known as Awards Shows or the War of Words between the Cheeto and
the Rocket Man. I did however hear the whisper of the wind through the pines,
the crackle of the campfire and the unmistakable hoot of a distant owl.
I didn’t
smell car exhaust but I smelled bacon frying in my cast-iron pan in the
morning, the aroma of white sage in the afternoon and of course the
marshmallows roasting at night.
I didn’t see a single stop light, sidewalk or the
unused turn signal of some jerk who just cut me off. But I did see San Diego
County from 6,500 feet above sea level, the tracks of deer and mountain lions
and best of all, the looks pride and relief on my sons faces when we finished a
7-mile hike. I’ve never seen that look while they’re playing video games or
watching TV.
Gone are
the days when a man could drink from a mountain stream and camp anywhere he
sees fit (and ecologically sound). And there is no shortage of reasons why I
advise anyone and everyone to seek such experiences constantly in their lives.
Why?
There has
been talk of Artificial Intelligence and along with that the prediction that
someday, AI could actually take over the human race. And at the rate we’re
going as a society, as a people, as a species on this planet, it won’t be long
before a 1980’s Speak ‘n Spell will be able to outsmart the average human.
Average.
Now there’s a word that should only have a positive meaning when combined with
the word “Batting”. A man wiser than myself (And there are many. For now…) said
“Average people compare themselves to
other people, this is why they are average. I compare myself to my potential,
this is why I am not average…”
We have
all but ceased to think for ourselves, as evidenced by those who state an
opinion solely based on what they see in a meme. A commenter a few months ago
said it best; “People don’t focus enough
on knowing what they’re talking about, but rather on making it LOOK like they
know what they’re talking about…”
Sports
fandom as well as the stating of an opinion can lead to a condition I have
chosen to call “The Illusion of Accomplishment.” Nowadays some folks seem to
believe sharing an opinion is proof of one’s greatness. In many cases, all they’ve
done is hit “share” on a social networking post…
The
Illusion of Accomplishment is the psychological Black Plague of the not-so-new
millennium. Read any thread involving any professional sport, paying special
attention to the NFL. Lots of bragging, right? Fans claiming superiority over
others because of who they root for; even claiming superiority over teams they
root against. Delusion of the highest level…
People
these days are accused of not caring enough. I don’t think this is the case. I
believe people care too much in the wrong places. How many out there waste
precious thoughts and energy on the opinions of people they don’t like?...
Did that
red or gold or black or blue dress really mean that much?...
The selfie
craze is another indicator of the Illusion. Taking a picture or two of yourself
is one thing; taking dozens, even hundreds of the same pose from different angles
screams of self-obsession mistakenly believed to be self-confidence…
Most
selfies are saying “Hey, look at me!” Only problem is, once you look they have
nothing else worthwhile to say…
It’s all
but impossible to turn the dial on the radio and find a song by a musician.
Everything sounds so fake, so contrived, so inorganic and downright unhealthy.
No surprise, we’ve been doing the same with our food for years…
At work I
encounter guests from many different nations, speaking many different
languages. I do my best to understand broken, heavily accented English and most
respond in kind. Funny thing is, I have the hardest time understanding many who
speak English only. This is not due to the new slang, but the fact many people
have quite a limited vocabulary. Limited meaning 80% of the words used are
“All” and “Like”…
I find it
quite ironic how many of those who speak in such a way are often the most
critical of those who don’t speak English as a first language…
Speaking
(no pun intended) of irony, at times I have been criticized for not speaking
fluent Spanish, with the excuse for said criticism “This used to be Mexico”…
Irony Part Deaux: Being called judgmental for
asking the person if they speak Kumeyaay…
Saw more
trash in one hour while cleaning up a local park than I did over an entire
weekend in the Cuyamacas. Maybe it’s a good thing not many city folk take to
the mountains…
People are
bitching about NFL players sitting during Our National Anthem. I for one will
always stand and respect the anthem. But I will also say it’s a damn shame that
we’re focusing on who isn’t standing for the Anthem rather than why they aren’t…
There
hasn’t been a president I would support 100% in my lifetime and it doesn’t look
like that will change anytime soon. But Hillary saying it’s someone else’s
fault she was not elected has gotta rank as the all-time second worst lie from
a Clinton…
The kid
who opens a book instead of a Facebook account is much more likely to have a
contended, productive life…
On that
note, I finally watched “The Revenant” the other night. Not bad, though filled
with typical Hollywood inaccuracies. They don’t make movies or Americans like
they used to. Hugh Glass crawled across 200 miles of hostile wilderness, with a
bear skin sewn to his back to cover up his exposed ribs. More than a few
Americans these days can’t make it across a parking lot without calling Uber…
Fun Fact:
Wednesday’s Padre Game at Petco Park drew more fans than Sunday’s Charger Home
Opener. Must have been due to 5:30 early evening weekday start time…
That said,
there were probably more Dolphins fans than Charger fans at Petco as well…
There’s a
good chance I will be called judgmental for some of the things I have written
here. God/Buddha/Allah/Ned Flanders knows I’ve been called that for saying much
of the same in conversation. To that, I say thank you in advance. These days,
any time you state a truth someone is in denial of you are called judgmental…
