Look Up (an Anecdote)

[Listen to an audio version of this blog here.]

I could see the stars tonight. Well, not all the stars, but enough of them to notice them, and that’s really saying something. Sometimes, things need to be extreme to get noticed, especially here in Southern California where millions of dimwits descend like rabid hornets to sting each other into a better life. “That’s a bit cynical,” you’re thinking. And maybe it is. But it may also be foolish to think that 25 million people could live in peace and sanctimonious harmony. The threat of anyone knowing who you are is so low that the potential rewards for being a total douchebag are pretty high.

The other day, I saw a homeless man singing and dancing beneath a street light in a pizza parlor parking lot. In Southern California, it’s just as easy to find a multi-millionaire as it is to find a swinger couple as it is to find a homeless person as it is to find a drunkard, a snake oil salesman, a family of immigrants, a starving artist, a detestable tech bro, or a reality TV personality. It’s all so exhausting to be awake sometimes, which is why the stars were a nice touch. “Good going, God,” I thought, unsure if God heard me, if he exists, or if he cares. If there is a God, he might not even control the stars, I thought, which of course makes no sense. Is there a separate star God then? Really, there might as well be.