where did we go wrong?

some time today, a little shy of an hour ago - i decided to go for a walk. this idea quickly evolved into a run, changing into a bike ride, and ultimately devolving down to a razor stroll.

i spent about an hour and a half sitting in a tree writing/drawing in my notebook. i learned a new way to climb down from trees. this may not work for all trees - but it did work for this particular kind, i believe they where birch. the branches on this tree jut straight out from the trunk, and get a lot thinner and more flimsy as they go. if you are standing on a firm part and jump out to the skinny side, the whole branch will lower - at a much slower pace then jumping - and gently place your feet at the base of its mighty trunk.

pretty neat, huh? i felt like mary poppins going green, floating out of trees and all.


on the way home - i imagined an entire confrontation between myself and a police officer on the side of the road. i pictured myself sitting on a tree at the corner of and intersection, and the patrol man stopping his car.

"you're gonna have to come down from that tree, son."

"but sir, i'm only sitting, enjoying earth and all."

this dialog went on for about two more street blocks, when - as odd as it may be, the same sort of man vs. nature conflict actually arose. i was zipping down the hill on my scooter, trying hard to remain a constant speed of slower. the main technique for this is to wind down the hill in a zig-zag motion, and occasionally sweeping into side streets or other forms of flat ground to do a quick roundabout - which usually cuts your speed down by three quarters. i was implying this technique using mostly driveways on this particularly outing - when i received a rather unexpected reprimand from a rather unprecedented authoritative voice of an... lets guess eleven year old boy.

"HEY! Don't ride on our driveway!"

i was stunned. my speed cut down to zero, and i stood - motionless, looking on at the flustered child. his arms where up in the typical frustrated touchdown position that moms sometimes use when somebody cuts them off... that "who do you think you are?" kind of thing. I didn't know what to say, so i just reverted to a redundant cop-out.

"i... i was just riding."

the boy shook his head at me, almost with disgust, and turned to finish his game of lightning with the other neighbor kids. to put the cherry on the tragedy, i glanced up the hill at what i assumed where the boys parents. his dad looked at me with a piercing, almost ripping countenance. i don't think i am telepathic... but i could have sworn i heard him think - "thats right... you tell him son."

it was one of the most depressing confrontations of my life. it might seem silly to you - just a stupid kid, right? well, to me, it was much more - and he wasn't a stupid kid at all. observe the title of this entry... where did we go wrong? where was it in this kids life that he was indoctrinated to scold intruders? when did he learn that a person on your driveway meant trouble? what is it that makes me such a bad person? i just needed a place to slow down, and his driveway was a rather convenient spot, had i missed it - i could have flown down the hill risking bumps, scrapes, or other horrific injuries.

now - i know i am not the only one who has ever questioned such idealogies. a poet by the name of robert frost once wrote in "the mending wall,"

good fences make good neighbors.

there is something about this people - something about the human condition that lacks trust. it is innate - to some extent. we can't let other people on our property because we fear them. we can't ask our neighbors how they are while they water their plants and wash their cars. ipod listening joggers can't smile at a kid on a scooter as he jesters politely with a wave. i don't understand what it is we are so afraid of - why human interaction is such a foreign thing.

i have nothing left to say about this.

i'm going to read a book now.

[ west germany ]