The Small and Absurd Annoyances We Encounter in Life
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Editor’s Note: The Examiner is saddened to report that Richard Cirulli passed away on Sunday, March 12 after a recurring bout with cancer. He submitted this column late last month, and after conferring with friends and family, they asked that his final column be published. The Examiner extends its deepest condolences to the Cirulli family.
By Richard Cirulli
In this column, I will take a lighthearted approach to existentialism, a word that does not fall off the tongue of most people, but something they encounter in everyday life.
I will address some of life’s everyday minor annoyances we have all experienced and forced to navigate and endure, so we can learn from them to help us seek our essence.
For example, many of us have purchased prepared salads complete with a side container of dressing. As we know, there is insufficient dressing to cover the salad. Well, nothing like paying a premium for a dry salad.
I wonder who is the mastermind behind this? It seems that it’s a conspiracy by the retailers. They all do it. Does the preparer taste his own creation? It’s one of those existential absurdities we have no control over, though we do have the choice to simply not buy it. Our essence can be found without eating dry salad.
Another one of life’s annoyances is dealing in certain situations with retailers. My pet peeve is when you order a piece of furniture that is labeled, “easy to assemble, no tools required.”
Upon its arrival, you rush to take the challenge to put it together. As you triumph over your accomplishment, ready to install the last few pieces, you find out there’s an insufficient number of connectors. In the past they would have sent a few extra to prevent this. Thanks to the bean counters, this is now eliminated.
In frustration you weigh your options. Should you call customer service? Lots of luck trying to actually speak to a real person. If you can, they tell you they will ship out the parts and you can expect delivery in about a week.
You can go to the retailer with your problem, and they kindly tell you to bring it in for a refund or they will order a new one. That’s not much of an option either. Your now almost-completed project will not fit into your behemoth SUV. Another existential encounter.
You then ask if they have the parts in stock. They smile in the affirmative. So now you inventory the missing parts with the hope you can find them in the caverns of the big box. The clerks are of little help or totally clueless as to what aisle they can be found. After an exhaustive and time-consuming search, you finally find them, but don’t forget to buy extras.
You now rush home to complete your project, having felt a bit of essence in your life while overcoming life’s existential annoyances – even though you may be oblivious to existentialism. You reflect that you spent more time talking to customer service and hunting down the missing pieces than assembling the furniture.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg when dealing with life’s annoyances and frustrations.
It is now time to go purchase a prepared salad along with a bottle of your favorite dressing, and in the future, order assembled furniture.
I’m an academic, not a skilled tradesman. I know where to find my essence – and you can too.
Be well. Be safe. Be happy. Be nice! Amor fati!
Dr. Richard Cirulli was a published author, playwright and retired professor. His body of works can be viewed at www.demitasseplayers.com.
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