I was thinking today of all those people in the past who did so many adventurous things, and realized why today we hear much more of puffed up academic credentials and other internet self-aggrandizement than truly adventurous acts.

Think about all the pioneers of aviation. What did they do? They bought or made a plane and flew it. Even when early commercial aviation made open airways a little less common, many still did the same in isolated areas. However, what would happen today if one emulated these souls? Why, without a lot of licenses, training and approvals, you end up fined or in jail.

Similarly, when Ben Franklin founded a volunteer fire department, it was seen as a great experiment. Today? Likely there would be endless approvals and license required to do the same, if it were allowed at all.

Worst of all, I was watching USA channel's little "character" snippets and saw a man who made lobster rolls in his kitchen in New York City. he said the lines stretched around the block, but he was shut down as it was illegal. As I have said before, you can feed friends and family without inspections and three chamber sinks, you can even feed strangers, but charge one of them, and suddenly the kitchen which is safe enough for you and your children is incredibly risky.

I know this sounds silly, but if you think about it, there is scarcely one area of human action today which is not subject to the oversight of government, and there is something wrong with that. Are government officials so wise and all knowing that we wish to turn over to them every decision in our lives? And if not, then why turn over half? Or, if they are so wise, then let's go whole hog and give them total control. What we have now makes no sense, one way or the other.

Clearly, this is not my usual theoretical post, more of a tirade by one horrified at how complacent we have become with government omnipresence, and hoping if I shout enough maybe someone else will notice. But so far, I have had little luck.

POSTSCRIPT

Actually, the funny thing about the opening is that I have a strong distaste for "big talkers" who exaggerate their own accomplishments. Earlier today I was thinking about people such as Crowley and Hubbard, and the way they relished in telling of all their adventurous acts, many of which were either invented or exaggerated, though some were true. (Of course both were also relatively sociopathic, self-absorbed individuals who did not hesitate to act as parasites on those around them to fund such adventures, making such "accomplishments" less impressive, to say the least.)

This led me to think of all those on the internet who feel the need to be a "world recognized" and "accomplished' and "renowned" this or that. Who tell us of all their licenses and professional organizations and so on. At one time it might have impressed me, but even if the claims are true, in the end, my thought is "so what?" One can have all the credentials in the world and still be wrong, or worse, be an utterly worthless being. Credentials are good for impressing the impressionable and winning interviews from HR departments, beyond that I always wonder why anyone bothers. Of course, with the internet becoming the new ground for juvenile..um ... urination contests, it seems everyone has to elevate themselves with high sounding CVs, but, in the end, the more one puffs himself up, the more I wonder, "and yet you have time to bicker over whether new or old Voltron is better?" The more elevated one's credentials, the more puerile it seems when he engages in the usual petty bickering of the internet. But, enough of my meandering thoughts on puffed up individuals. And so, I --having dropped out of law school, dropped out of an MS in computer science, and having turned down a seat in a PhD program in economics at "a prominent university", and owning a stack of publisher's rejection letters taller than my six year old son -- will say "goodbye".

The funny part is, I tried for amusingly  self-deprecating in that last, yet it STILL sounds like I am trying to puff myself up. Honestly, I have done good and bad in my life, many things of which I am ashamed, a few of which I am proud, but not many I would care to use to bore others. I may sometimes mention my CV if it relates to a point I want to make, but other than raising an incredible son who will one day be much betetr than I ever was, I have nothing about which I wish to boast. Perhaps that is why I have yet to be published and my blog languishes in the tall grass with but a handful of readers, but, sadly, if nothing else, I am am frightfully honest about myself. Oh, guess that makes two points of pride.

POSTSCRIPT II

Sorry for the rather somber, slightly self-pitying tone of the postscript. I kind of like what it says, if not how it says it, so I am not going to delete it, but I will say sorry again for the tone. Unfortunately I was stuck out in bright sunlight for a while today, though I should know better. And now my body is making me pay for it. I passed out (off and on) for most of the afternoon, my joints hurt, I was confused and sick, my abdomen hurt and I had a buzzing feeling in my extremities and shoulders. But enough of that as well, just take it that feeling bad physically sometimes brings out the more dreary aspects of my writing. And for that I apologize. I think I will wait until tomorrow to post anything else.