Remember when you were a kid and you were just fascinated with the radiator? You'd stretch out your arm to touch the miracle peoplewarmer. And just before your hand reached it, your mom or dad would yell, "No! It's hot! Very hot! No!" They'd use a stern voice, very authoritative...that way you knew they meant business...serious business...they might have even wagged a finger. But still, curiosity would get the best of you and before you knew it, tears were pouring out of your eyes and your hand felt like it was on fire. Your mom or dad would come to console you, but still wouldn't miss the opportunity for an "I told you so." They hoped this would be a lesson...but sure enough you saw the stove and just had to touch it.
We never really learn. All these times...when the man behind the counter tells you your tea is hot, when your sister tells you the chips are stale, when your girlfriend tells you the cheese smells funny...we never really listen and take their word for it. Instead, curiosity kills us and we have to check it out for ourselves. What we end up with is a burnt tongue, a funny taste in our mouths, or a smell that is funky enough to make us wanna gag. Why is this? Why do we insist on putting ourselves through these very unpleasant sensory moments? It's funny. No matter how often this happens we always feel the need to see it/taste it/smell it/feel it for ourselves. It's not bad enough that your girlfriend just ate bad cheese. You have to do it too.
You may be thinking, "Well, you're stupid. You should listen to your friends." True. But it's not completely my fault. It's my friends' faults too! Often times they'll try something, say they think it's "gone bad," but then ask meto try it too. As if the sour face I'll make will be the only way to confirm their assertion, as if they lack the confidence to make such a bold statement on their own. And how often does it turn out that they were wrong? Never...that never happens. As much as I'd love to say that I'm right...I'm never right in these situations. You know what I'm talking about. They ask you. You know this is true...because you do it too. When you smell something funky, you ask your friends to smell it too. Face it. Admit it. I admit it. I know I do it. Guilty as charged...which is why I'm not so upset to find myself on the receiving end of these situations. I'm as much the culprit as I am the victim. Instead of being upset, I'm just perplexed. I just don't get it...why do we never learn?
Posted by Mollie Gamo at February 21, 2006 04:51 PM | TrackBack