Front Row Seat

So, its butt early yesterday and I’m watching Imus in the Morning on MSNBC. Now, normally I’m not conscious until after Imus has been off the air for an hour, but due to having to wake up and ice my whole head down, I was. (BTW, surgery went well, took about five hours and other than looking like I mouthed off to Mike Tyson, I’m fine. Thanks to all who checked up on me.)

Anyway, so Imus has George Carlin on for an hour long interview. George Carlin is one funny, funny dude. Yet, what makes him so much better than Joe Average Comedian is that he’s also darned smart. His logic about the world and its inhabitants is almost always right on. Not idealistic, not pessimistic, just reality.

Anyway, Carlin is now…what? 70 or so? Anyway, the dude has been around a long time. Long enough that he is in that comfortable stage of life where he just sits back, watches and says what he thinks. Those of us who are young and vivacious jump in and try to change all aspects of life we don’t like. Not Carlin! He observes. You can almost see the little mouse wheel spinning in his brain. He seems to be thinking, “This is life. And it is absurd. And how can I make this funny for my audiences?”

So, the one thing he said in the interview that really stuck with me is this:
“Life is a great show. Being born gets you into the show, but being an American gets you a front row seat.”

Now, ol’ George’s comment can be taken several ways, but the way I choose to take it is this: we’re darned, darned lucky in this country. I mean, we complaining about politicians, the Christmas rush, our relatives, the sticky bandage stuff that is still stuck to my face (okay, this is just me). Now, ask someone in sub-Saharan Africa what’s wrong with the world: no clean water, poverty, famine, rampant cases of AIDS. Kinda makes sticky bandage stuff seem pretty pathetic, eh?

In America, we complain so so so much. And we have so little to complain about when compared to the rest of the world. Switch that, we have NOTHING to complain about when compared with the rest of the world.

So, sit back, enjoy the show and be thankful – after all, you have a front row seat!