Don't mess with my hat

One of my favorite TV shows growing up was Kung Fu. At a young age, I was attracted to the theme of the show, which was essentially this: Peace and harmony are what we should all strive for, but if you keep messing with my hat I am going to take you down.

Most well-adjusted folks would prefer avoiding conflicts. Most people want to respect nature and journey through life without being hassled. But like the David Carradine character in Kung Fu, everyone has a breaking point where their principles and ideals are put aside.

Even countries snap. Fly planes into our buildings and we're going to launch wars, regardless of whether there is a direct connection or not to the provocation. America has a kind, charitable heart, but it can also rape the land, spit out the weak and reach levels of violence that are unmatched. We don't treat the elderly particularly well, and of late, we don't seem to even value the average worker. It can be a dog-eat-dog society, particularly in bad times.

Individuals are the same way. You see some pretty ruthless acts of revenge in the workplace. You want to get along with your boss and coworkers, but sometimes it's impossible to turn the other cheek. So you defend yourself when your back is to the wall.

And, as we get close to Thanksgiving when we're suppose to lighten up, how many family members are at each others' throats because someone didn't get their fair share of the inheritance or forgot a birthday? Everyone has something that acts as a trigger, I guess.

I have had pets that have been pretty passive. All they wanted to do is play, eat and sleep. Of course, every now and then someone will push an animal. I recall my dog running around a park many years ago in Salisbury, Md. She approached a man fishing by a stream. The man's first reaction was to swing his fishing pole wildly at my dog, even though the dog did not provoke him. She was simply greeting him. The dog then switched gears and was about to go Kung Fu on the dude. I grabbed her before there was further escalation.

As I get older, I seek peace in my life even more. Total tranquility, however, isn't easy to attain. While I watch the world spin, I am tweaked by reports of violence, stupidity, greed and bullying. Even though my days are spent in relative solitude since being laid off from a rather large company last year, it seems someone is always trying to mess with my hat.