Idle Thought

I live in a cold climate, at least in late fall, winter and early spring.  

When I have to go to work, for shopping, entertainment, visiting friends, I like to be sure my car will start, first of all.  Then I like to be sure the engine is warm enough so it does not stall when I put it into gear and begin moving.  Of course, I like the cabin to be warm enough to not be too uncomfortable and the windshield defroster system to be effective at keeping the glass free of frost.  

That means I keep the car inside, out of the weather. That resolves most of the issues.  Nonetheless, having the engine warm enough still requires a bit of idling to warm it enough to deal with the issue of clear glass.

I had noticed that the air in the house gets a little “off” when the engine is idling in the attached garage.  I guessed the cause of this is engine exhaust.  The car is equipped with a catalytic convertor so the amount of carbon monoxide is minimized to the point of being negligible.

I had found a solution that turned out to not be as long-lasting as I was hoping for. But I treated my experience as a science experiment.  Sure enough, I finally did find a house with a large enough volume of air that the “offness” brought on by engine exhaust is barely noticeable, not exactly pleasant, but certainly tolerable.

Critical thinking and science is a wonderful combination!

M G Klein April 16, 2024 

Birthdays

Friends have been celebrating birthdays again, as we creatures are wont to do.  

These brilliant people gave me pause to stop and think, “What is my purpose in studying, reading, writing, thinking, conversing, thereby steadily increasing my awareness of life?”  

Birthdays, what about the birthday of mine that I will inevitably miss?  Will my epitaph read, “Here lies whatshisname with a shit ton of stuff crammed into his head.”?  Will that then have been my purpose, to feed the creatures of the earth with the stuff crammed into my head? 

What if earth’s other creatures don’t find that stuff nutritious?  Then what will my purpose have been?  

I have friends, one of whom particularly comes to mind because of his recent milestone birthday celebration.   

This friend, let’s call him Duane, has been studying, reading, conversing, even arguing, writing for at least all his years since retirement from teaching in elementary school.  

But, he has gone on from that.  He has put all his learning, including his on-going and new learning, into practice to help our society evolve into a truly collaborative and mutually supportive society.  He continues to teach, to advise, to educate, to lead by example with individuals, groups, organisations large and small.  He listens to all people he meets, respecting each and every person he meets.  He learns about them, what is important to them, how they self-define their own image, how they self-define the quality of life they hope to experience, and he listens actively.  His acts of listening are truly acts of communication.  

He goes further yet in that his version of mutually supportive society includes us humans supporting of all kinds of life forms, while he carries on as best he can with what resources he has at his disposal. 

Duane’s purpose is one we all can truly celebrate! 

This tiny essay is my monument to Duane marking the occasion of his Milestone Birthday. 

M G Klein - June 14, 2023