The exercise:
Today's theme is: outnumbered.
Inspired by the ridiculous number of flying insects that were creeping me out this afternoon while I waited on the deck for our local customers to collect their produce. I don't know what those things were, but at least they didn't bite.
Though I will say that I'm not a big fan of the one that landed in my ear.
Good harvest day, got everything we needed out of the garden. Three more box program days to go!
Mine:
There's a certain satisfaction involved in overcoming the odds, a sensation that is difficult to achieve by other means. It provides a small taste of what it's like to be the hero, to have eyes filled with respect follow your every move - if only for a little while.
An addicting feeling. Harmless, when the stakes are low and defeat is as inconsequential as it is expected.
But as the stakes rise, so too does the danger. The temptation to embrace foolish risks increases. Much can be lost... but then, so too is there much to be gained.
And that, my friends, is where the real glory lies.
There's a definite sense of heroism running through your pieces these days, I wonder if you're mentally preparing yourself for the birth? Still, I enjoy your narrative voice, and today's story was a treat to read :)
ReplyDeleteAs for the flying insects: I think we'll always be outnumbered by them, and so long as they don't bite we're probably doing as well as we can!
Outnumbered
The spooneristic Fizz Mission, who looked a lot like a 1950's pin-up model, looked around her. She flashed her sparklingly white teeth in an enchanting smile, for a moment appearing to be the epitome of a toothpaste commercial, and the assorted thugs and henchmen all wondered why she looked so happy.
"Guys!" she said, her voice just a little bit breathless, joyfully excited like she'd just run up to the ice-cream van with her pocket-money, "Guys, I hate to tell this, but I think I have you outnumbered!"
The men and women (some so hairy it was hard to tell them apart) who'd been hired to capture Fizz chuckled and starting approaching her again; clearly the comedy show was over and it was time to earn their pay. One little woman – Fizz was 5'6" and not even wearing Wonder-Woman-style high-heeled boots – could not possible outnumber the thirty of them.
At the back, one man paused, standing still. Why, he thought, were there thirty of them for one woman, and why was she so confident? His hesitation saved his life.
As the first man (or possibly woman, perhaps even yeti) reached her, swinging a tyre-iron at head-height, Fizz released her super-power, and Miss Atomic Bomb rose high above the dying crowd on a mushroom cloud of smoke and lethal light.
Is success limited by the ever increasing world population? It sure feels that way. How can any individual succeed when one’s accomplishment has already been attained 10 times over? Who really sits at the top of a given profession?
ReplyDeleteI contend that there is no such thing as what’s been traditionally referred to as a leader. Think about it, what do you honestly think you can lead that someone out of the over 6 billion people couldn’t lead better? Nothing! Leadership isn’t about qualities like trust, vision, morals etc. Instead leadership is about how long you can convince people to like you. The question now becomes, what can one do in this environment to feel like one is making a difference?
The answer to that question is impossible to answer. If one doesn’t feel connected to the world in a way that enables him to share in the accomplishment with others, then that person is going to struggle through life. Gone are the days of personal glory, here are the days of nobody is better then everybody. Do you want to be great? Good, but there will always be someone greater then you, and if you can’t accept that then you might as well start looking for a bridge to jump from. You just better be sure someone hasn’t already found a better bridge first.
I’m constantly being outnumbered and outnumbering the bulk of my demographic on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of subscribing to ridiculous marketing forces to purchase new and innovative consumer products, and yet feeling I operate them in a way that distinguishes myself from the majority of users.
I am a young, white male in America and as such have a misguided sense of superiority, but compare myself to fellow young, white men in America and feel quite unaccomplished.
I eat organic food but I don’t farm it.
I talk to people but I rarely listen.
I love and am not loved.
Greg - hey, every kid needs their dad to be a hero, right? :P
ReplyDeleteGreat fun, particularly the '... perhaps even yeti' line :D
Anon - very strong voice throughout your piece. Nicely done, and a warm welcome to the blog if you are in fact a new visitor :)
Anon again - especially liked your second paragraph. Funny and honest.