Smartness is relative apparently!
Joquartz is a 19 year-old young
man and has survived around Haymarket area in Boston, MA since age of 15. This
early morning time when people walk to various destinations his salutation is, “gotta
a puff brotha?” He knows this street so well. To the less experienced eye or
sojourner Joquartz is one of the people who are also colloquially called bums. ‘Joq’
as he is famously known is also a spotter of a gang of 5 other very energetic
and aggressive ‘streeters.’ I witnessed a front seat act. A Gucci straddling
gentleman, clearly a leader of a group of three others, walks briskly. Behind
them is a lone youthful man in jeans. Joq walks to this man and asks for a puff.
Meanwhile, three other young men from Joq’s gang walk in between the Gucci
attired team. In a blur of hands sinking into bulging pockets, the team was relieved
of two leather card holders full of USD bills. These were immediately
accessorized by the gang! By the time I walked fifteen steps, I saw Joq across
the street asking for a puff from another man in a heavy jacket. I did not want
to look this time. I just did not want to be around when something happens to
this man too. I am sure they must have picked his pockets. Reflexively, I
checked my pockets. Nothing was accessorized yet! Phew!
Agriculture is an area where
breeding crops and animals for better yields in form of quality and quantity is
accumulating attendant technology. Like we apply the saying ' it is futile to
re-invent the wheel,' I guess we can apply the same to the hoe. The hoe is a ubiquitous
tool representing land tillage and agriculture. Even when we have combined harvesters
and can plant GM seeds guaranteed to provide high yields, it still features as
a technology that will be hard to do away with.
The internet is a street on which
one may end up short a bill or two if they are not careful. John orders a
Navigation GPS unit over internet. He gets a non functioning unit which he
sends back for replacement. On top of the money he spent, plus what he will be
charged per transaction and the cost of returning the Navigation unit, John
realized ordering something perishable from the comfort of the home is tricky.
This kind of transaction is better for: books, clothes, certain stationery and
may be a mother sending cookies to a beloved daughter or son far away in
another state.
Life is deep and living is has
many layers. It is self propagating but it also demands addressing certain
criteria. Humans need to feed. But, they also need to feed right. Humans live
in isolation or in communities. They have to follow ground rules etched in
their minds and influenced by peerage.
The cities, towns or rural
settings have their structural systems to abide with. Humans need to live side
by side with nature as much they need to cooperate. Disruption of this
co-existence causes so much suffering. Unfortunately, this cooperation blue-print
is not achieved due to man factors including: greed, disequilibrium and lack of
competence for quality sustainability.
From street based survival, adopting
newer technologies, navigating the internet, to an awareness of the vast
potential one’s life provide and to harmonious co-existence, humans find so
many things either elusive or appearing before them. Smartness comes in many
guises. The player and played see it differently. This makes smartness relative
and apparent.
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