Mind Yer Own Business

Mind Yer Own Business

It never occurred to me 'til the other day that the whole world is busy livin' everybody else's life. I normally associate that with individual people who got nothin' better to do than to gossip about somebody else. Well it turns out that's what the whole dang farned world is doin'. There was a program on the TV about Cuba, citing the changes they were makin' in freein' up human rights an' movin' to more of a market economy. The story line was about a fellow who now had the chance of openin' his own little business to suppliment his income. He was selling everythin' he could get his hands on, includin' the kitchen sink. He was doin all this while still working at a hospital as a trauma doctor. Well, there was other stories too, but this one illustrates how people manage in a restrictive economy.

While the narrator was busy yammerin' on about abject poverty, the lack of opportunity to pursue ones dreams an' all that, I couldn't help but notice in all them fine vintage circa 1940's an 50's cars they drive down there. Man, they bring back some memories. Well an' while I was at it, I noticed some pretty well dressed people meanderin' around on the streets of Havanna. Makes one want to redefine the abject in abject poverty.

Of course it's mainly the U.S. that's still pissed off at the nationalization of a number of industries in Cuba. Under Batista, they (the banks and other industries) had free reign over the island paradise. That was an expensive deal for them. Of course, as somebody said recently, the world revolves around the United States according to Americans. Empire builders tend to be like that. They carry long grudges. Too bad they don't see the shoe is on the other foot in their dealin's with the American Indians.

If it were up to me I'd tell 'em to shaddup an' mind their own dang business instead o' stickin' their big noses into everbody else's. But they don't see it that way. After all, they single handedly won WWI and WWII as well as the war of 1812, so they have a sense of entitlement. I remember the missus telling me one day about a woman who had come into her shop to buy a dress for a party on a Friday night. Saturday she was back wanting to return it. Of course on refusal, she let the missus know in no uncertain terms that she was an American an' Americans don't put up with that kind of nonsense. Diplomatic as ever, the missus was happy to provide phone numbers for head office to the lady and wished her well. Needless to say that was aonother war the American(s) didn't win.

There was a piece on the TV the other night about things goin' on in Syria. The journalist was talking to a little girl of maybe six years old who was sittin' on a stoop. She (the six year old) was explainin' about bombs an' mortars by sound an' how you could tell where they would land. As they were talkin' the girl suddenly looked up, her eyes wide an' then she calmly said, oh that was a such an' such a projectile an' it was aimed at another area. So she just went on talkin' as though it was nothin' special.

I guess what I'm sayin is that people in these repressive places know how to survive. Given enough time their situations will right themselves one way or another without outside interference. Ask any cop who's ever tried to settle a domestic dispute. No we'd be best off to realize we don't understand the various cultures and bases for the abuses that go on around the world an' we don't know what we're talkin' about, so we should shaddap an' mind our own business. At least that's how it seems to me from up here on the top shelf.

Just sayin'.