Are We There Yet?

"Guess I was Bourne under a bad sign."-Matt Damon

"Saw a sign in the park the other day. It was in a neighborhood plagued by taggers. Said 'Keep Off The Sign'. Oddly, all the grass was trampled down."-HumorSmith


The city of Columbia, SC hired an out of state company to put up some signs in town. Good idea, huh? It was all going pretty well until someone noticed some signs were pointing motorists away from the intended destination. Not being especially psychic, I've never seen bad signs so clearly before.

I'm sure the company was hired because theirs was the lowest submitted bid, and I applaud the city fathers for trying to save money. However, it ended up a lot like many other things our elected officials get involved in. At least it probably didn't cost billions, and I doubt the errant sign posters will get a trip to a nice resort, (see previous post), but still...wouldn't you think somebody would've paid attention?

It's especially irritating when you consider many people today turn to our state and federal institutions for guidance, and they could end up going the wrong way entirely just because the sign told them that was the right direction. We look to our leaders for help with life, and look what happens.

Let's be honest with ourselves; we love being told what to do and where to go, because that way when it doesn't work out, we don't have to accept responsibility. Sure, that all sounds very neat and simple, but it can lead to problems, even when the answers are in plain sight. One time a few years ago, I was attempting to leave a mall in Seattle and wound up in a group of about a dozen people standing in front of the exit doors, which were not sliding open as they should. God knows how long those folks had been standing there before my arrival, but you should have seen their relieved expressions when I walked to the doors and opened them.Admittedly, that sign helped a bit, but evidently I was the only one whose vision wasn't clouded by the sheer terror of being trapped in a mall. Point is, we need to remember to read all signs with a grain of salt. Some are good, some are bad, but if you take the time to read them, you will be able to decide for yourself if you want to take responsibility for continuing down that path. Unless you're in Columbia, SC of course. Then I would suggest Mapquest and GPS. Let them take the blame.


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