Games you can't win

When I lived in Houston, Texas many years ago I played in church league softball. Our team did pretty well until the big tournament came up.

It was amazing. Apparently we had the only church in the metro area whose male membership was not composed of 6'5" semipro athletes who could knock a softball over the fence one-handed with or without a bat. The other teams were chock full of guys who cursed and scratched, drank a lot of beer and I suspect did not make it to church the next day. Ringers.

It was a shame to see this in friendly christian competition.

Seems to be the American way. Observe youth sports, politics, even religion. The only rule is there are no rules. Win at any cost.

I can't hear you!

The proverb tells us that wisdom (the personification thereof) shouts in the street. This is frequently met with the sound of windows being slammed shut, shouts of "shut up", and thrown boots.

And in hindsight wisdom's warnings suddenly seem obvious to everyone.

Smile!

You're on video.

The prevalent of telephones and gadgets with video recording capabilities means that anything you say or do could wind up on the internet. It can be embarrassing. We can say what we think we said or saw and be proven wrong by a viral video.

I see this as a positive development. Truth speaks for itself, and it's a benefit for everyone to know that no one can lie with impunity. Those who "color" their recollections will be encouraged to a more subjective memory process.

Invasions of privacy are another matter entirely: I can't see an upside to that.