The Strength of Colored Goo

There are times in life when the full comprehension of what one is embarking upon comes; and this comprehension shows us that the whole endeavor is ludicrous. There are many such moments in my life, including doing lunges across the church narthex with Jr. high girls, falling in a manhole with my laundry, and watching water literally spout forth from a cement wall in the basement of our summer housing. These are the times when everything becomes clear; when we receive the realization that the author of Ecclesiastes was right – everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

But nonetheless, it occurs to me that people actually enjoy chasing the wind. I don’t know if this is masochism of a sort, an attempt to mentally get their exercise in, or a true misconception of reality, but whatever the cause, billions of people do this every day. Now, the greatest example of wind chasing that I can see is the gathering of peoples to discuss “things”. Yes, that is correct; meetings are the bane of existence. I know that many people agree with me on this assertion, because I have heard it said more times than I care to count. And yet, I don’t know that I believe that they actually believe that declaration. Why? Because they continue to not only attend said meetings, they are actually responsible for scheduling them.

I was thinking about this today in class, as we had our 10 minute break in the middle and some ridiculous conversation ensued. It was amazing. You know in the movie The Absent-Minded Professor, where he creates flubber and it’s this substance that, once bounced, defies gravity and all laws of nature and actually gains speed as it continues to hit things? The absurd conversation this afternoon was, in all ways, a true manifestation of flubber. This is, I think (or at least I’m making it fit this context), what my friend meant when he said (in reaction to the conversation), “Never underestimate the power of people in large groups”. It really was as if they were spurring one another on, strengthening their influence on each other as they continued. You gather for a meeting, and what happens? Nothing. Why? Because once the motion of flubber has been initiated, it is very difficult indeed to stop. It is unending. So, my conclusion, for better or worse, is that large groups of people = lots of winds and lots of flubber.