Differences among people’s world views can be challenging and enriching to overcome. Some individuals take their worldview seriously, others float through life in a less anchored way, perhaps not even aware of their worldview, simply reacting spontaneously as impulses steer them about.
Yesterday, the long awaited fencing crew came to enclose a good portion of the property in a 6′ fence for the dogs. Odie, the coonhound, breezily clears the current 4′ fence in an effortless leap. With the pandemic and Easter break, the contractors had their strapping teenage sons in tow, who feigned to assist, but I suspect got in the way. The crew showed up at 11. Took lunch from noon-2, and left at 3.
In those two hours, the teens spray painted the trees, plants were crushed, and my sculptures were toppled.
I raised a rebellious teenage son. I understand how challenging it is to reign one in, to protect them while enabling them to establish their independence and maintain their sense of strength and ego. Teenage humans may be among the most sensitive and reactive creatures on the earth, straddling the future expectations, the fragility of the human ego, their variable hormones, and the fact that they are truly still children. This said, there is room for intense mood swings without doing significant damage to others.
These kids damaged my property (although this is my issue, it’s hard not to take it personally.) They embarrassed their fathers, who brought them along. They are likely to lose work for the company, where there is a waiting line for fences. I will determine a fair monetary amount for the damage done, and refuse payment to that extent.
I did the math on the material and labor costs of the job. With the pandemic inflation of wood prices, they are not making money hand over fist, but neither are they taking a loss. That will be settled one way or another. Maybe they will write in a discount on the final bill.
None the less, these kinds of events add up. They make me feel skeptical about humanity’s ability to coalesce into a functioning steward for our planet, indeed itself. If a group of kids collectively is willing to harm a tree, a stranger, their parents, and their parent’s company- right under their parent’s noses, where is the common sense? The common decency? Where is the intuitive kinship that might someday help us overcome pervasive division?
It wasn’t just a sassy kid with a can of spray paint under an overpass. This was a groupthink response to a supervised professional setting.
I’ve got the trees cleaned up mostly. Olive oil, a wire brush, and a dental scraper. But some irrevocable damage remains.