Not long ago, the Captain was accused of being a “Hedonist”.
Although I studied philosophy in college, I looked it up
anyway to make sure whether I was, in fact, being insulted.
But after reading up on it, I concurred.
The Captain is a Hedonist.
The conversation began when a friend posted on Facebook his
enjoyment of a particular artist’s music.
Simple enough, right?
Except that a friend of his countered with, “Even after he
[insert salacious gossip here]?”
The Captain jumped in where perhaps I should not have.
“Why do some people always try to rob others of their joy?”
That is when my friend asked if I embrace Hedonism.
For those scratching your heads at this point, what we’re
talking about is an ancient philosophy, not that clothing-optional resort in
Jamaica, mon.
Hedonism is a philosophy that embraces personal pleasure and
seeks to reduce pain.
At some level, I believe we all fit this description.
Thus, my friend’s challenge to me was about morality: ‘Do
you overlook what the artist has done in his personal life for the sake of your
personal enjoyment of his music?’
And most often, the Captain’s answer to that is, “Yes!”
Mostly because I don’t know much about the personal lives of
the artists I enjoy!
And I’d like to keep it that way!
Captain’s Note: For what it’s worth, Jimmy Buffett is
a Democrat.
This is not the first time this issue has come up.
Twenty-some years ago I worked with a snooty choir director
who would only allow “sacred music” to be played in worship settings. When I
asked what constituted “sacred music”, he explained that some of the great classical
composers were not Christians and they did not write their music for the glory
of God.
I argued, “But it’s beautiful music. There are no lyrics –
no dirty words – so how is it not glorifying to God to perform it in worship if
that is your intention?”
The Captain thought the choir director’s attitude a silly
one!
Fast-forward to this week.
Kerri Walsh Jennings, who sports three Olympic gold medals
and one bronze medal for beach volleyball, is one of the Captain’s favorite
athletes.
I got the chance to meet her (and her then-partner Misty
May-Treanor) at a Huntington Beach tournament several years ago. The duo
reigned over women’s beach volleyball for many years.
But recently, Kerri made a statement on Instagram that
rankled a lot of folks.
She went shopping during this pandemic – in Southern California, no less – without wearing a face mask.
Captain’s Note: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention recommends the wearing of a face mask
in public to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Many states,
including California, have mandated it. Since the onset of the pandemic, the
illness has infected at least 6.3 million people and led to 189,961
deaths in the United States alone.
But Kerri is a self-styled "free-thinker"...
Which is why she doesn’t play for the AVP anymore.
*Association of Volleyball Professionals Based on a quote she read somewhere - “This has not been enforced,
it’s been consented to” - Kerri decided (as so many other covidiots have)
that wearing a face mask is actually taking
away one of her freedoms.
The Captain heard it just this morning from a shopper who
mumbled, “I remember when this was a free country.”
The Captain mumbled back, “I remember when we didn’t have a
virus pandemic too.”
So, in Kerri’s words, she took the “brave” step to go
shopping without a face mask.
Stand up for her freedom and what not.
[*Cough *Cough]
And she got thoroughly torched by many of her fans!
Sadly, some were unnecessarily rude, but that is the way of the
world today.
Had the Captain responded to her, I would have said, “If we offer
our consent, our freedoms are not being taken from us.”
This is a truth. In so many situations in life we
voluntarily give up some of our freedoms for the sake of receiving something
else / better in return.
When I took a job I gave up my freedom to sleep until noon
each day.
When I married the First Mate, I gave up my freedom to cat
around with other women.
Should I “be brave” and try to reclaim some of those
freedoms?
Not if I want to keep my job and keep my wife life!
The Captain wears a face mask religiously – giving up a questionable
“freedom” – for a greater purpose: to help stop the spread of this virus.
It is
not “brave” to go out in public without a face mask on; it is stupid and
uncaring.
So, to swing back around to my original thought, should the
Captain stop watching Kerri Walsh Jennings on the beach volleyball court just
because she momentarily had a different thought than mine about face masks?
Granted, deep in her core beliefs she may think face masks
are of the devil! I don’t know.
But how does that affect her play on the volleyball court?
It doesn’t.
And it won’t affect how often I watch her play.
Hedonist that I am.
But let’s take this a step farther.
Donald Trumpf.
Is it fair to oppose Donald Trumpf’s presidency just because
he personally is a pathological liar, a serial adulterer, an accused sexual
predator, a braggart and a bully, who only ran for president so he could enrich
himself, his family, and his cronies while not giving a shit about America, the
American people, or the U.S. Constitution?
Yes.
Yes it is fair.
And necessary.
Captain's Note: The Captain confesses my philosophy of life may not be completely
consistent.
So sue me.
