I went out for drinks and some good old Irish pub food tonight, with the purpose to catch up with a good friend. I wasn’t planning on driving, so I indulged in about 4 ounces of a certain potent potable, effects under which I still find myself.
My arms feel heavy and my legs and face feel numb. Did I mention I only had ONE drink? I had a dirty martini (gin, not vodka) with 3 olives. As my friend talked about how he met his wife (story I had not heard to-date), I started to feel my attention span deteriorate. I found myself joyfully singing along to the song that was currently playing (country station; super awesome), and I sensed myself starting to fade. I changed the topic… often. I brought up card counting, a study which determined that babies after 5yrs old are no longer cute, and maybe some other weird things. My friend seemed to enjoy this other side of me (the drunken-thoughts bizarro ina doesn’t get out much).
I do have to say that, as someone who doesn’t drink at all, doing this is a bit fun every so often (when the timing works and you’re surrounded by people you trust). Everything seemed more interesting, people seemed better looking, and you do start to feel like everyone likes you a bit more. I do get why people like the feeling of getting drunk. I really do.
Wow, couple this with a career in blackjack and card counting, and you got yourself a winner!
This begs a much higher question: if you were Neo in the matrix, would you have taken the blue pill or the red pill? I don’t remember which one’s which, but I do know I’ve always favored the idea of staying in the matrix. I’m sure there are psychologists out there who would analyze this in some way to make me look like I have a reality detachment syndrome of some kind (or at least the potential for developing one), but this is actually a question I ask myself with certain frequency. Or maybe not ask myself as much as use as a check-in with myself to see if I still feel this way. The answer is always yes. Keep me in the matrix. Ignorance is bliss.
Have you ever heard of addictive personalities? I’ve always thought I got one of those. I do have the feeling that if I tried a drug, I’d get hooked to the detachment from reality. That if I didn’t keep myself in a hard-rule driven universe where I can only drink once every N months, and where I need to make sure I’ve got a ride home, and that I’ll be around people who wouldn’t let me do anything stupid, I would without a doubt fall into the fantasy of it all.
Perhaps this is why I always try to keep my mind occupied. That’s my escape: moving, podcasting, working, visiting relatives, getting together with friends, etc. But what’s the difference between this escape and other kinds of escape that are more “destructive”? I can only think of one reason to choose one over the other: the effect on those around you. Guess what: you may think your life is worth nothing more than a grain of sand is worth it to the shore, but others around you actually do care about what you do. How many lives have been ruined and how many people have been hurt by a single person’s destructive habits? Too many.
Think about it this way: next time you walk down a busy street, or take the T somewhere, I want you to look around. Spend 2 seconds (no more, no less) studying each face of those around you. Then ask yourself: do you think the world cares about what this person does with their life? (if the answer is ever “yes” then you’re not cynical enough to be reading this blog, so you might be better served by moving onto YouTubing kitties and fainting goats) Then turn the question around on yourself. Why would you be any different? Now, pretend one of those people had 2 kids with them, and they are being mean, hitting them, verbally abusing them, and/or simply ignoring them. Now pretend those two kids are going to grow up to become the Boston marathon bombing brothers. Wouldn’t you feel like getting off your seat and slapping them across the head and telling them to watch how they are raising their kids? Now turn that around on yourself. What you do matters! It’s a whole ripple effect that you can’t even fathom. Think about it.
Drink responsibly. People care about what you do.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going home and spend time with my super duper husband.
ina