Anecdotal Guidance – December 5, 2022

graphix: spwilcen

The right way and the not right way

Apparently, there are correct ways to go about most anything and everything.  Or, correctly declared, when you think experience has shown you how to correctly accomplish something, someone or some DIY social post comes along suggesting you’ve been doing it incorrectly all these many years. Who knew?

For example?

Publicly lament the chastisement you suffer from your spouse for improperly mounting a fresh toilet tissue roll.  Invariably, more than several normally quite sane people will come from who-knows-where offering rabid last-word guidance on TP esthetics. Arguments presented by fools whose opinions differ from your spouse’s may at first sound plausible, but they are, I assure you, wrong. 

It escapes me why adherents of either camp become so aggressively and irrationally nasty when challenged.  One would expect, if not expressions of gratitude for re-dressing a naked TP roll holder, at least silent admiration for your selfless initiative.  That not being the case, normally not inspired to pay attention to north-south and east-west orientation when restocking, I now nonetheless take pains to accomplish the Samaritan task “correctly” according to law in this household.  Pick your battles, right?

I’m a simple man, uneducated in some of the ways of the world. Until recently, I was quite unaware there were two philosophies on the subject, equally shrouded in mysteries harkening back to before Thomas Crapper’s circa 1830 indoor contrivance.  Surely a commodity dispenser, say a nail upon which last year’s Sears and Roebuck catalog hung, or a basket filled with dry corn husks was necessary¹ before Sir Thomas. Not privy² to specifics, one supposes Gramma Eszterhaus lectured often on maintaining proper stores to guarantee speed and convenience when the time came for final paperwork – or whatever.

Governing rules beyond simple dichotomies

Not all disagreements are black and white like the over-under argument.  Rules for life are not all codified.  We go about life quite unaware in many instances that there are correct ways to go about things.  Certainly less-incorrect ways.

Superficially, some subjects lacking guidance are less important than the over-under conflict. Too, the more complex the subject, the broader the scope, the less likely it is there is a complete or correct enumeration of do-don’ts , right-wrongs, better-bests, and sinful-holinesses. Small wonder our society is in such a deplorable state.

A modest contribution

Guidance is lacking.  So much remains subject to dilemma in day-to-day activity. We who stumble into successful working principles for life processes are obligated to share serendipities how ever we are most able. 

A recent conversation comes to mind. It represents arguable opinion, and couched in anecdote and less divisive than TP dispenser mechanics, its message is not nearly as dire, but worthy of mention…

List Ethics

Roughly 1000 words – 8 to 10 minutes reading time.

— Notes –

¹ The French, I’m supposing, for the name it bears, have it right.  Bidet.  Only way to go. [That, incidentally, is a cockeyed pun, as was the invocation of this note.]

² Another pun, eh?  Get it?