The third cup 7/27

Sunday, July 27, 2003

Hi neighbors. With so much going on in the world, political trickery, international unrest and mistrust, I thought we might benefit from a second opinion. The problem was finding someone who understood the human condition (sorry, no robots here) but had an entire different outlook on how humanity should behave. As usual, when I need someone to explain things in a simple matter, I turned to Clovis and his un-named wife and child. Let us join them now as they receive a visitor from the future asking them for advice on how humanity can survive these troubled days. "Clovis! Clovis wake up! There's someone outside the cave." Clovis' wife shook him a couple of times, then turned sideways in bed and kicked him out with both feet. Clovis sat up with a primitive snarl and looked wide-eyed around the cave. His wife had already grabbed up their toddler son and held him tightly to her, whispering for him to be quiet. Clovis grabbed his trusty club and lumbered to the cave entrance. 'If it's one of those Neanderthals selling trinkets again I'm going to whack him upside the head!" he bellowed. He stopped and listened. No, no sound of feet running away in fear. He adjusted his waistband, rolled his shoulders, and prepared for the worse. A man had to defend his family, protect his cave, and prove his strength on almost a daily basis in Clovis's world. He pulled aside the bear hide that covered the cave's entrance. Picture this readers. There stood a small man, clothed in a business suit and lab coat, wearing glasses, holding a notebook and cup of coffee. Pre-occupied with taking notes, he doesn't see Clovis right away. When he looks up, and even farther up, he sees a muscled man holding a huge club, growling at him. "Mr., Mr. Clovis is it?" he stutters. Clovis snarls and raises his club. Then catches a whiff of the coffee. "Is that for me?" he asks and grabs the cup. "Oh, oh, sure! Here, take it. It might be hot though." The scientist hands him the cup and as Clovis turns back into the cave he follows him in. Apparently his wife had decided all was well and had started stirring up the fire, adding some dry wood for a quick light. "I'm Dr. Clueless from the New Tomorrow's Institute," the man said and offered her his hand. She looked at him and shrugged, then ignored him. It was obvious even she could knock this little man out with one punch. The toddler reached up and took his notebook. "I need that, here take this," the man handed him a book he took from his pocket. Happy, the toddler went to the cave entrance to see it in the better light. "Mr. Clovis, I've come from the future to ask you to come back with me. We'll put you on TV and have you tell the entire world how to make it a better place." Clovis eyed him suspiciously. "How big is this TV place that the whole world can see me from it?" he asked. "You better not go," his wife warned. "You know you get dizzy in high places." The small man chuckled. "Maybe you can just tell me and I'll tell the world for you. How's that?" Clovis took the lid off the coffee cup and started drinking. He passed it to his wife for a sip. "What would you do if someone threatened you or your family?" Clovis half rose and growled, "Hit'em with club." "What would you do if you needed food or wood and someone else had it and wouldn't give you any?" "Hit'em with club, take the food, take the wood." The little man squirmed. This wasn't going as he planned. "How would you handle world leaders who kept getting people into wars?" Clovis finished the coffee, rose, grabbed the little man's arm and led him to the cave entrance. "Hit'em with club. Same as I do to people who ask dumb questions. Goodbye." "Well!" The little man walked quickly down the path to his time machine. "How rude!" In the cave, Clovis' wife was laughing. "You've never hit anyone with a club in your life! What was he talking about?" Clovis shrugged. "I think he's not been around other people enough; acted like he'd never heard of talking things out, respecting other people's boundaries and sharing resources. Plus, his coffee was too weak." Until the next time friends remember; getting a second opinion is always a good idea and being modern doesn't always mean being wise.