Feeling Sorry

Recently I was at a social gathering, (aka “a party”) taking part in the usual small talk. One person in the group was constantly using the term “I feel sorry for …” . If the subject was cruises, He would say “I feel sorry for anyone who has not taken the cruise from New Orleans to Des Moines”, or if we were talking about cuisine, he would chime in with “I feel sorry for you if you have not had the B-B-Q Crab at Ted’s Diner in Orange Texas”. I could understand this if it happened once but it was his recurring, go-to phrase. Several times it was a directed statement. Someone would say, “Ghee I wished I was able to see the Stones concert when they were in Austin, but I was just recovering from chemotherapy.” Two seconds later “Dude, I feel sorry for you, you missed the Stones”. All I could think of was that this guy was a pompous ass.


But, as most things do, it got me to thinking, about who I would feel sorry for. I guess I am cold hearted because I do not recall ever telling someone that I felt sorry for them. So, that sort of makes me think, who do I feel sorry for? I mean outside the usual, health issues, and misfortune. My list of “sorry for” is pretty simple. So for now, I will assume the role of pompous ass, just for a few minutes.

I feel sorry for anyone who has not felt the heightened senses, increased heart rate and nervous energy that comes with standing up against people who are doing bad things. I feel sorry for those people who co-operated with bad decisions / actions by not standing out from the crowd and saying “This is not right”. I also feel sorry for those people who took action and protested wrong doings, only to get steam rolled over and ignored.

I feel sorry for anyone who has not been able to drive down a lone country road in Texas, late at night, with “Everyone wants to rule the world” by Tears for Fear, cranked up. You can substitute any song, but you cannot beat the feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere, driving through the darkness and listening to some great music. It is escapism that is available to anyone. I feel sorry for anyone who tries to talk during these drives, so shut up , listen and enjoy the moment.

I feel sorry for people who never had the opportunity to be part of a work effort where egos, politics and agendas were never an issue, the mission, the goal, the project was primary, everything else just did not matter.

I feel sorry for anyone who has not crossed a finish line, knowing that they did their best.

I feel sorry for pompous asses.