A Frightening Kind Of Powerlessness

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I had an interesting conversation in my dentist's waiting room recently with someone who arrived in a four wheel drive pickup with "Don't Tread on Me" plates and a hood wrap displaying an American flag. I immediately saw him as someone I wanted to get to know better.

Our short visit went something like this:

Me: A beautiful day.

He: Another day in paradise.

Me: Yeah, we have a lot to be thankful for.

He: Maybe, if we could just get the government off our backs.

Me: I guess we'll all have to work at making things better.

He: But there's really nothing we can do. The government is totally controlled by the liberal media and the big shots in Washington. We don't have any say anymore.

Me: Except in a way, though, I guess we are the government, like "of the people, by the people, for the people."

He: That hasn't been the case for a long time. Nothing we do can make any difference. That's been totally true for years now.

Me: You really think so?

He: Unless somebody can put a bullet through Biden's head.

Me: You think that would make things better?

He: Well it would certainly help.

Office person: Harvey, we're ready for you now.

Me: Have a good day.

By the time I was finished with my checkup, my friend had gone. I still wish we could have had more time to talk and get to know each other better. But as someone has said, "Talk and facts don't change people. Relationships do."