Human Nature

Some of you have noticed that I haven't posted a whole lot of "normal" personal information, like the town I live in and my last name. I imagine that many of you already know exactly why this is simply intelligent internet behavior. I suppose that if you were really bent on finding out who I am and where I am, you probably could, but I've been trying not to make it easy for you all!

I think that the best reason for me to adopt this almost paranoid stance is this: I'm still a public figure where I live, and what I do and how I act might be construed as an example. Some of you, faithful readers, are members of the church I serve. (Maybe even most of you are, I have no way of knowing... or at least I don't have the urge to find out.) Some of you might even be members of one of the youth groups, or parents of a member. For you especially, an example of careful blogging is important.

One only has to look at how careless blogging has led to horrible things in connection with MySpace to see why.

But my profile does reveal that I am serving in the Connecticut Conference, and I hope that most U.S. Americans know that Connecticut isn't a very big state. So I don't think it would be revealing too much to say that the fate of 13 year old Frank Korondiis very much in the minds of us all. It is a shocking and horrible tragedy and it has shaken our faith in human nature... or reminded us why we have become cynical to begin with.

For me, oddly enough, a hint of hope that humanity isn't doomed after all has come from the most unlikely venue of all: A Fox Network reality show.

And now that you've done laughing in disbelief, I will explain myself.

My wife and I have been watching Fox's reality show, UNAN1MOUS. We're not proud, we're curious. And it was an interesting premise, a group of people with a large amount of money rapidly draining away, and the only way to win the pot is for the whole group to unanimously vote for one person to have it.

Anyone else think that no-one will win the money? Anyone else think that the cash will dwindle 'til there's nothing left? In a world where 13 year old boys die of heroin overdoses, is there any hope that 9 people can unanimously agree on something as divisive as vast quantities of cash?

Believe it or not, the first vote came within one vote of being unanimous and ending the game right there. Of course, soon after one of the contestants quit, knowing full well that if she did the money would be cut in half. Just imagine the anger and despair of the remaining contestants, watching half as much money rapidly draining away!

So it comes down to the last vote--if they cannot make a unanimous decision this time, there will be no money, it will have drained away to zero. As always, there is a push to pick one person, and there is at least one person who is royally ticked at said person. "She's dogged me twice this game, this is my chance to get her back if I want to." Voting time. The gentleman whose vote is in question changes his mind at the very last second. He was literally about to cast his vote, took it back, and changed it.

He changed it to cast the last of the unanimous votes.

At the end of the show, he spoke of the joy of giving something to someone else.

Maybe we aren't doomed after all.