Paradoxical – or, Seemingly Absurd

Actually, my blog title may not be as accurate as it could be. I should probably just use the word “Absurd” and leave it at that. Because there isn’t anything “seemingly” about this.

If you marry your opposite, then I have married mine. Not in every way, certainly, but in many ways. One is my reading habit. I own over a thousand books. I am usually in the midst of three or four books at once. Nothing with words on it can cross my line of vision and not be read. On the other hand, I’ve never seen my husband actually finish a book he’s started. He’d rather hear something than read anything. And he probably considers all my books to simply be excess weight.

But there is one thing my husband will read from start to finish: car magazines. His uncle will give him some he might have around the house if we’re in the neighborhood. And suddenly fooling around with his phone or watching a movie takes a back seat to red sport cars and the newest thing Ford is doing. Having very little interest in cars, I would say I don’t touch those things. But since magazines by definition have words in them…well, I have skimmed an article or two.

Recently, they were giving thumbs up or down to different car-happenings of 2015. This is where the absurd comes in:

We all know Pope Francis visited the United States this past year. Apparently, as he is quite well known to be extremely humble and modest, he resisted the idea of being chauffeured around in a costly SUV. Instead, he had his personal Fiat flown over in his private Boeing jet. SUV versus Fiat –thumbs up for fuel efficiency, said the car magazine.

Now, surely I am not the only what that sees the irony here. (I mean, absurdity.) We’re all so “fuel efficient” around here, did we not think to ask how much a Fiat costs versus an SUV? Or how about how much fuel it took to fly that jet over here for the sole purpose of delivering said Fiat? Not to mention, the return flight. Modest and humble? Dear Pope Francis, modest and humble people drive sixteen year old pickup trucks that you pray start every morning until they don’t and then you don’t have money to replace it, so you now share a ten year old Hyundai Tucson with your wife. No Fiat. No Boeing jet. And yet we’re quite wealthy when compared to 75% of the people in this world. Either I no longer understand the meaning of the words humble or modest or I’m missing something…

Now I’m beginning to think I understand the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. The epitome of absurd. It is true: there is nothing new under the sun.