The first hop was shared with a woman from Japan who had married a Canadian man, in the country for an annual ski trip. We had both been on the same brutally long transoceanic trip, and had a great conversation about family and culture.
The second hop was with a woman originally from my city, currently working on the coast in the environmental regulation field. She was an interesting mixture of Dutch and Filipino heritage. Our conversation was once again great, and amazingly I stayed awake through it all. I even boldly offered her my phone number as we got up to leave the place, despite my stinky, dishevelled state.
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| At the bar. There's still room for a book, and wings. |
In our conversation, she mentioned a movie that I now forget the name of, and a book, "The Value of Nothing", which I've been reading this week as part of my "go to a bar, have some water and wings, and read a book" series. (It's just like going out and being social, without all the awkward "I have friends" part. Maybe I still have a way to go.)
Although I see a few minor errors in it, overall it presents some very interesting and inspiring ideas, not the least of which is to question the true meaning of the words "democracy" and "value". The author talks about situations where struggles for justice have been completely misreported to us in the West (Somali pirates being a reaction to toxic waste dumping), and where those struggles against the more heartless forms of capitalism have met with some success (such as the women's farming co-ops in India, and the peaceful revolutionaries in Mexico).
My son is constantly concerned about this world, and apparently the state of it depresses him even more than it does me. He very much wants to find a way to make it a better place. I've passed the book on to him, and I do hope he finds some of the same things that I found in it.
I love the little things in life that can turn into bigger things. Shallow intentions leading to deep inspirations.
Unexpected outcomes.
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