Contrast

While on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland last week with my friends Christa and Hildy, we decided to leave the car at our condo one evening and ride the 'Beach Bus.' For $3, we rode the 70 blocks or so from our condo to the boardwalk, then back again after dark. Better than the cheap ride (and the lack of parking fees) was the company we kept. The bus was chock full of people of all ages and races, couples and families, groups of friends and a few individuals traveling alone. Everyone got along, shared seats and jokes and tips about restaurants. We laughed when the bus stopped short, jolting those folks standing in the aisle. We groaned but then laughed and moved on back when taking on even more passengers seemed a physical impossibility. And the bus stopped every two blocks, cramming on more and more people until it began to feel like this. Almost.

But by unspoken agreement, everyone on the bus had reframed the discomfort into fun. We were on vacation and this was all part of the adventure. The temporary trouble wouldn't diminish our enjoyment.
A good side of human nature showing its face. Maybe that's part of why we enjoy vacation spots so much. We get to see people at their best.
The next day, a passenger jet was blown from the sky by a surface to air missile. Some person or persons finding their worst side and letting it dictate their actions, with horrific consequences.
The yin and yang of human nature shown to me inside 24 hours.

What brilliant, stupid creatures we are.