Walk the Talk

For over 7 years I didn’t own a car. Out of sight out of mind. A lot of advances in all things auto sure can happen over a 7-year period—my least favorite? The ubiquitous ribbon magnets. Last night I saw a car with four magnets in a row asking for support for such things as the local sports team, prisoners of war and our troops (and judging by the color and design of these particular ones the car owner wants support of our troops during Christmastime and springtime…not sure how they feel about the rest of the year.) Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the local sports team or POW’s or our troops. I do however dislike that people think putting a magnet on the back of their car has meaning. All the meaning I see is that they probably shop at Wal-Mart. And all the evidence of support I see is for some guy in China selling magnets. I think my fellow Utah drivers could take a note from Jane Austen (I’ve been quoting her a lot lately, any fans of the phrase “natural child’?). In Sense and Sensibility she writes, “it’s not what we say or feel that makes us what we are, but it’s what we do, or fail to do”. Yes, this has much more meaning beyond ribbon magnets for my fellow Utahans, but still—either take some action or take the magnet off, okay? Okay.

Where does saying or feeling something somehow equal actually doing something? Only in Utah…

Upcoming entry: “Spring Break in Utah”