Old Age Starts at 13
One of the most striking things about my youth to me is that I always tried to do the right thing. I didn't always succeed. I ended up having to go to school, I did get caught on occasion, and sometimes I did leave witnesses. Still on a normal day I typically violated every precept of the Boy Scout Oath, and a lot of the Commandments.
About the only Commandment we missed was 'Coveting Thy Neighbors Wife' stuff. To be honest we didn't see them as wives to begin with. They were Moms attached to various children, like Barry's Mom, Bruce's Mom, and My Mom. Wives and Moms and other adult females were to be avoided as they could spot a guilty child at 200 yards. I suppose it could be argued that we missed on the 'Shalt not Kill' one too but that would be true only for humans and other creatures too big to be brought down by rocks, arrows, BB's, pellets, or caught in traps.
Even if I didn't commit any homicides or adultry, overall I lived life right. To be certain I made mistakes, but they were mistakes of ignorance not stupidity. Why not rock that wasp nest, spear those poisonous snakes, or jump 20 feet into that hay (might have worked out better if it were loose instead of baled)? Stupidity was not what was getting me hurt (pain was a sort of daily thing). My friends and I never jumped off a house with a Superman cape on to try out flying. My cousin broke his ankle on that one, I was able to figure out that if I can't fly up, I am not going to fly on the way down. [That and hearing about my cousin's ill fated two story plummett with a bath towel.] Ignorance was not a altogether bad thing and we did get rid of some of it.
But between age 11 and age 13 something happened. The core of it was girls. At age 11 they pretty much all are the same, figures the same, interests the same (dolls) and not something one wants around, as they are the biggest tattle tails ever born. But then at age 13 they become...interesting. One can no longer drop a wedding ring from the top of their heads and not hit anything until the ring reaches the feet. Further it is considered desirable to have them around. And oddly enough still ignorant but somewhat intelligent youths get stupid, real stupid.
I recall most vividly a day being at Susie Stubblefield's farm. Now I don't recall how the topic came up but I do remember my answer of 'Sure,' to her question of "Would you really get in there and slap that bull on the butt for me?"
I never did tan that bull's rump for him. When I got close he spun around with amazing speed, I honestly don't think anything could move with the speed of that animal...except for me. I went across that pasture with him hot on my heels and cape or not I didn't touch that fence when I went over it.
Even with that lesson delivered I didn't really contemplate the full meaning of my actions until I saw my friends later.
"Hey! You know Susie Stubblefield thinks you are really stupid for getting in that field with that bull."
For better or worse, the advent of stupidity means one is stuck with it for life. Particularly the opposite sex, you may get over the ignorance (some of it anyway) but never the stupidity.
Druss waxing philosophical |
