Think of It as Evolution in Action

The above phrase comes from an old novel by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle titled Oath of Fealty. I was reminded of it when I came across this unbelievably ridiculous news item about Michael Jackson fans allegedly committing suicide upon news of the legendary pop star's death.

If there's one thing I have never been able to understand, it is people crying over the death of celebrities they never knew. I certainly miss such cultural icons as Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, Jr., David Carradine, and Charles Bronson, but I didn't shed a tear when any of them died. It's not as if they were my friends or family.

Of course, I have a very stoic personality. I didn't even cry when my own brother passed away two years ago, though I miss him dearly. But I've never had much use for feelings or emotions, for giving into them makes one weak. Perhaps James Day Hodgson said it best:

A "disengagement,"
Says one. "Defeat" says another.
Yet acts are precise.