Complicated People.

People complicate our lives. They bring with them their complexities, their flaws, their baggage. Sometimes they appear in our lives in a way that makes any complication associated with their arrival inconspicuous. Sometimes they come crashing in with such force we have no choice but to immediately contemplate the ramifications of their arrival.

I look around at all of us and, despite all my hopeful words, I admit that I sometimes wonder how the founding fathers really expected this all to work. Did they expect people different than us? Were they truly ignorant of all the pitfalls of freedom? Were they more idealistic than realistic? Instead of thanking them, should we blame them? For expecting more of such a diverse group than was truly practical?

As a handful of people already know, I bumped into the back of a man's car last night with my Jeep. I use the word bump because that's what it was. We were both stopped at a light to turn right, he started to go, his car died (or so he said) and my response wasn't quick enough to stop the light tap of our two cars touching. Given that the Jeep has a steel bumper on the front and his plastic bumper didn't have so much as a scratch, I take this as further evidence that I didn't imagine how trivial the contact was.

He made several statements that made the whole encounter shady (not the least of which was that his wife has apparently been rear-ended four times resulting in four major surgeries... now that's some bad luck), but I stood ready to be accountable. After all, it doesn't matter what happens, the law says my job is to not put myself in a position where I will hit the car in front of me. I didn't call the police--we were both out walking around--and handed over my insurance information.

I was still wary, so I called my insurance company as we left to give them the 411 on some of the suspicious statements the man made "just in case"... Then today they called to say that he told them I rear-ended him twice and they suspect he's laying the groundwork to make this a big deal.

*sigh*

Complicated.

We live in a society that grows resentful of how much the government has to intervene in our lives, of the cost to insure not just our health but the many trinkets we own... yet what else can we do as individuals when a few others choose not to play by the same principles the rest of us would judge as fair?

That old man is no doubt telling himself he's not hurting me, or you, or anyone but some faceless company. But that's bullshit. Wherever his sense of entitlement or lack of moral scruples originates from, it's people like him that make it all but impossible to live in a free society. Who protects the people trying to do the right thing? Who foots the monetary and emotional costs associated with that? We all do.

I don't like everyone, but I seldom feel true contempt for anyone. Mr. K, I know you don't give a damn from your twisted-the-world-owes-me-something-for-nothing view, but I feel contempt for you. For you and for those like you who make it harder and harder for people in this country to continue to do the right thing lest they be taken advantage of. You are a sad and pathetic excuse for a human being, much less an American.  

(Purple State, USA, has expanded! You can also check us out on OpinionEditorial.com!)

Comments

[Jake G]

That totally sucks! I'm sorry you have to deal with someon elike that. ;(

[Matt Maher]

I am right there with you Juli We want our freedom but the laws are often necessary to protect us from unscrupulous individuals It can be a double edged sword

[Katie S]

Juli! I like the new site as well! Awesome!

[Daniel K]

I often think this isn't the society our forefathers envisioned... I don't think they ever imagined the rest of us choking on the restrictive laws necessary to control those reckless few.

[Rebecca "Becks"]

What do we do about it though? None of us like the restrictions, but I suspect none of us would like the consequences of a country without them either.