wonderful

Far too wonderful for me…

 

Recently I was struck by that phrase.  Perhaps you’ve noticed it embedded in a few semi-humble posts.  I must admit:  the concept is often a little inconsistent with how I think.  I mean, I’m not a rocket scientist nor student of microbiology.  But I do have 2 B.S.’s and a fairly decent grasp of contemporary culture.  The Intramuralist is a pursuer of wisdom.  And as a current events observer, I now concede that yes, there is much that is far too wonderful for me.

 

I pondered the meaning of wonder… wonderful…  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand…  stronger than me…  so high I cannot reach it…  beyond me…  lofty.  I can’t attain it.

 

We think of “wonderful” as good.  “Wonderful,” however, instead equates to the extraordinary — extraordinary and thus incomprehensible… too difficult to understand.  As I survey the news of the day, that could be good.  Sometimes tis not…

 

From the most recent headlines:

 

“Former NFL star Junior Seau was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning in what police said appeared to be a suicide. He was 43.”

 

Seau was well-respected and had young children.  He was the founder of the Junior Seau Foundation, established in 1992 for the purposes of educating and empowering young people through the support of child abuse prevention, drug and alcohol awareness, recreational opportunities, anti-juvenile delinquency efforts and complimentary educational programs.  And yet yesterday, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his chest.

 

It’s incomprehensible to think of what actually drives a person to kill oneself.  A life with no hope.  Period.  It’s grievous.

 

“Buccaneers Sign Paralyzed Ex-Rutgers Football Player LeGrand.  Eric LeGrand, the former Rutgers University football player who was paralyzed from the neck down during a 2010 game, was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 90- man offseason roster by coach Greg Schiano.”

 

Playing in the NFL was once LeGrand’s dream.  The dream was shattered instantaneously.  And yet yesterday, one coach had the gracious compassion to reach out in an unprecedented way.

 

It’s incomprehensible to think of how much that had to mean to the former football player.  Great love.  Unparalleled grace.

 

And then in what can only be described as a slow news week, I observed the Bin Laden brouhaha, the on-again, off-again, who’s using what for political gain…

 

Obama’s campaigning… Obama’s not campaigning… He’s using Afghanistan as a campaign backdrop… he’s not…

 

Geepers.  Sorry, but the back-and-forth wears me out.  It’s too wonderful for me; it’s hard to discern between fiction, fact, and valid perspective.

 

The reality is that we live in a country in which politicians are constantly engaged in impression management.  They go to great lengths in order to be well-liked by a clear majority of voters.  Hence, they use what they can to create the impression they can.  Hence, if there’s fault with the Afghan political backdrop, there’s greater fault with the evolution of the system.  Impression management is never pure.

 

Just a few musings this day…  an observance of current events…

 

Many, which yes, are far too wonderful for me.

 

Respectfully,

AR