It happened to me again today...strolling downhill toward the park, minding my own business with my nervous little canine in tow and
whoosh! from behind, along comes a Mom and her rugrat on a bike, all helmetted and belted in, as safe and careless as can be (because, don't you see, she's a parent, and may therefore commit all kinds of rude acts),
terrifying the canine, who leapt to the left, smack into an elderly woman's path, terrifying the elderly woman. Of course, by the time we'd all recovered, the homicidal woman was almost out of earshot.
But oh! What I could have said!
The impulse was to correct her, to make sure she knew how rude she'd been, to make her realize that it is not okay to ride on the sidewalk and whoosh past unsuspecting neighbors and to frighten them.
The old woman could have broken a hip, and then what? That could have been the beginning of the end for her. No more shopping. A long hospitalization. A rest home. The End.
What does one do, dear reader, in such a situation? Anything screamed out makes one feel like an idiot, and wouldn't be likely to have much effect on the offending party anyway.
No, one must choose one's battles wisely, which is why it's rather distressing to read about the provocative language used by the White House toward Iran.
One of my favorite characters in Hamlet has always been Claudius. The fabulous Joe Corey used his great talent and sensitivity to bring this role alive this summer...a careful reading of Act I Scene 2 reveals this new king to be a skilled diplomat, gently mopping up the Norway mess left behind by his more impulsive brother: no blood spilled. How can you not like the guy?
Claudius would have been a great king --it's tragic that he doesn't get the chance! But of course he must pay for killing his brother.
Nevertheless, one needn't be a foreign policy scholar to grasp that on the world stage, it's often much better for everyone if the Big Guy uses restraint with one's enemies, even if it would be yummy to let loose and wipe the floor them.
I doubt that members of the current Administration have gleaned anything from Shakespeare.
Here's hoping the next one does.
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2 comments:
Love the way that you someohow manage to tie together Hamlet, Joe Corey, the White House, and an obnoxius biker scaring your baby in the park in one blog entry that somehow makes sense. Is it just because I spent so much time with you? Who knows. Miss you lots and lovin' the blog!
He does handle the Norway problem at first, but Claudius is "to the manner born"; his reign would almost certainly have been ruined by his dissipation.
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