Do I even have a right to criticize?

Excuse me, sir.  You're about to get hit by a bus.

"Don't tell me where I can walk and how to walk!  Mind your own damn business!"

Splat

And at that moment, the crowd forms, to finally pay attention to the world around them.

The people stand around, chattering, arguing, taking guesses:

• It was his fault!
• No it was their fault!
• No!  The city is to blame!  Look at all these potholes!
• Look at his Facebook!  The driver voted for that fucking asshole we don't like!  He's a racist!  That's why this happened!

Now.  Do I dare tell all these people they're wrong, too?

Sigh

I once told a man to shut up and go sit next to his fat wife.

How could I be so rude?

A friend and I had just finished our meal at a sports bar.  The plan was to go to another bar, have a few drinks, then buy some beer to take to a summer backyard/house party where we're to get smashed.

Casually sitting shotgun, enjoying the music as we travel along one of the busiest city center streets known to that location.  Approaching an intersection, the light is green...

Boom.

I witnessed probably the most violent collision between two vehicles I will ever see with my own eyes, I hope.

A small car ran their red light at full speed.

A larger van-like, but not a car, nor a truck, and not even a van; whatever.  A big thing with four wheels, a family inside, with a green light, smoked that small car, T-bone style.  Maybe one second worth of time to react.  They did hit the brakes and squawk the tires but still, that wasn't enough.

The family van thing came to a complete stop while that small car first got turned around, went airborne, flew about twenty to thirty meters, then smashed into a power pole, facing the opposite direction of travel.

Like a church choir singing in unison, both my friend and I at the exact same time sang, "Holy shit!"

"Should I stop?"

"Hell yeah, man, pull over," I commanded.  And not just to go stare at the potential of blood and guts.

Maybe these people need help.  So I jogged up to the family van thing, they looked fine, but the driver was missing.  I hear yelling.  Turn around and this big dude has his head inside the small car, screaming at these people.  Kicking and punching the car.  Demanding they step out.  Reaching in, trying to unbuckle her seatbelt.  Yelling about how, "I just bought that thing today!"

As I approach this menace, I see inside the car.  The driver is young, female, tiny.  Two other teenage male occupants, not literally shitting themselves but coming close.

At the time, I had been paying attention to the people and this planet for a long enough time to know what the hell is going on here.  Asking this man politely to calm down is not going to cut it.  His family is crying and he's too busy bitching about his prized possession to even notice, so he's not going to notice me until I yelled...

Shut up and go sit next to your fat wife!

I sucked all that rage and frustration he was channeling towards those kids in the small car that did a boo-boo, directly into my eyes.  He wanted to kick my ass for saying that.  Wouldn't you?

Instantly, all he cares about is me.  I just kept pointing at his family and commanding him to, "Go!"

He went away.

We stuck around.

But not for long.  Everyone was fine.  Cops showed up in their fancy reflectors so there's no need for me to be standing out in traffic anymore.  As I'm leaving, the big angry dude looks at me and says, "If I ever see you again I'm going to kick your ass."

Didn't even realize, if it wasn't for me, he'd be cuffed, sitting in the back of a cop car, most likely dealing with charges involving assaulting a minor.

The truth hurts, both ways.

Hurts when you hear it.  Hurts when you tell it.

And I should know.

There was a time in my life where I found myself caught completely off guard.

For a few years, those closest to me, after I'd do or say something stupid, would look me directly in the eye and tell me I have a drinking problem, and need help.

Every fucking time, I responded with anger, eventually pushing them out of my life.  Forever.

I'd do anything to have those people back.  But what do you say?  You were right?

They already know that.

Just like all of us know, when we look at this fucking world of ours, and see the problems.  We're not stupid.  We're not wrong.  We're not assholes for pointing it out and saying, "That's not going to work."

And in response all we get is this raging lunatic, drunken fool.

If it doesn't change, the world is going to lose all its friends.

So that's probably why Elon Musk wants to get our asses to Mars.

Have a nice day.

Credits:All art and images seen here were produced digitally, by me.
_{"I figured it out!"}

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