Watching the parade, sitting on the curb, candy was being thrown my way. Against my better judgement I picked up a few pieces of carefully wrapped colorful candies and handed them to the toddler nearest me who was instructed by her parents to say, “Thank you.” I was doing her a disservice. Candy is an addictive substance that can cause serious illnesses, and she’s being taught to say thank you to me for facilitating the development of a harmful addiction?
I should be reprimanded, not thanked. I do have a conscience, but I played along with the candy-collecting ritual. This is a free country. “All men are created equal… endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights… among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” If it makes people happy, let them pursue happiness by indulging in self-injurious behaviors occasionally – eating candy, drinking alcohol, overdosing on drugs.
But spreading our bad habits to other countries? How good is that? I remember being alarmed when I read a story about our soldiers in Afghanistan passing out candy to children who’d never seen American candy before. I didn’t know what to do with it! My mild protest was no more than an inaudible ‘plink’ in an ocean of roaring waves.
