We all know (don’t we?) that life is not supposed to make sense. But there’s senseless and there’s senseless. Here are a few examples of common senselessness.
- Some brands use anthropomorphic versions of their products for advertising. Doesn’t it seem kind of weird for Planters Mr. Peanut or the talking M&Ms to promote a product that we consume? It’s like happily promoting others to eat their kind. Rather contrary to common sense.
- Famous and rich people get lots of freebies . . . when they are the ones who can easily afford them. Doesn’t make a lot of sense.
- Customers often whine and wail at checkout clerks when the store is out of stock or doesn’t carry some item. The lowly employee has nothing whatsoever to do with what the store carries or inventory control, yet receives the blunt of customers’ ire. Senseless.
- Fridge is spelled with a “d” but refrigerator isn’t. Not even close to making sense.
- W is pronounced double-u. Why, when it’s two Vs put together? More senselessness.
- Senseless things we say:
“You think so?” Didn’t they just say what they think?
“Needless to say.” And then say it anyway.
“That’s your opinion.” Guess what . . . that’s the only one I’ve got.
One day it’s “hot as hell,” and another day it’s “cold as hell.” Doth hell have seasons?
- The law of averages is a myth. When flipping a coin, the “law” says half the time heads will turn up and the other half tails will. I just flipped a coin twenty times with heads
coming up six times and tails fourteen times. When I attempt, without checking, to insert an electrical appliance into a wall outlet and one side of the plug is larger than the other, one would think you’d get it right half the time. Not so. I get it wrong (and have to turn the plug around) around 75% of the time. The law of averages is a senseless myth, and counting on it is senseless.
The moral of the story: don’t lose sleep over it. Don’t try to make sense of the senseless. Accept that much of life simply doesn’t make sense and go with the flow. If, when pronouncing the alphabet, you say “you-vee-doublevee-ex” people will think you’re not making sense. And who wants that?
