Seeing Things Different Ways

My son lay in bed, unable to sleep. On the morrow he would don skis for the second time in his life and wildly rocket down snowy slopes. Eager anticipation crept over him; the excitement was finally imminent and hopefully unavoidable.

I also lay in bed unable to sleep. On the morrow I would don skis for the second time in my life and wildly rocket down a snowy slope. Anxiety slowly crept over me; calamity seemed imminent and unavoidable.

The same facts lay before us: snowy slopes, slippery skis, and high speeds. To him, however, the whole was more than the sum of the parts, and he could hardly wait to begin. For me, however, feelings were just the opposite. I could have waited indefinitely.

Why the difference in perspective? Age and experience must play a part. Those who are young don't seem to have much appreciation for the dangers involved. Good judgement is too easily overruled by the thrill of the chase. Doing what you want to do is more important that being unduly burdened by thoughts of consequences if things don't work out as planned.

But once one has lived long enough to be known as a codger, other considerations are on the front burner. After all, body parts don't last forever, and there's not much use in risking permanent injury to them for a few minutes of "fun." Life may go on afterwards, but why complicate it by pain and encumbrance, especially if playing it safe is an option.

"We'll have fun," he said with enthusiasm. A tentative "maybe" was all that I could muster in response. The whole business seemed to smack of folly to me. But differing points of view may cause us to call activities by names that reflect our perceptions of the consequences.

Using the wrong names can be a way of glossing over consequences. If the doctor tells me that my thingamajig shouldn't have a whatchamacallit attached, I'm left wondering what's about to happen. A man is said to be "fooling around," not committing adultery. Killing unborn babies is not murder, it's "pro-choice." Same-sex relationships are "alternate lifestyles," not sodomy. We might should wonder more about the consequences.

My son was not disappointed. The slopes, the skis, and the speed made for a grand adventure; he's already thinking about the next year.

I'm thinking about next year, too, but in a different way. A knee injury the first day quickly sidelined me. But that's my fault; I knew the dangers and plunged ahead (no pun intended) anyway. Next time I must remember: the thrill of freedom at the start may not be worth the crash at the stop.

I hope our presidential candidates have that same thought. We should listen to see what names they use; then we'll know how they perceive the consequences of serious moral issues.

In the meantime, I'm putting heat on the knee, thinking more of the folly than the fun.

Copyright 2000 James McAlister

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