Yesterday was July 4th. The wife and I didn’t go to any picnics or BBQs. Good thing too. It was 101 degrees at Detroit’s Metro airport. So we decided to do the things for which our founding fathers created this country: to go forth into the marketplace to pursue our rational self interest and trade value for value with other people for mutual benefit. We went shopping.
Since it was so hot outside and since my only pair of shorts were in the laundry hamper, I conceived it to be in my selfish interest (properly understood) to buy another pair. So pleasing was that move, I bought two. It felt good to be selfish. Agreeing with me, the wife bought a top for herself. We also bought a few other goodies to make us happy just as our founders intended.
Later we joined the wife’s brother and his significant other for dinner in an air conditioned restaurant for some happiness causing food. After that we invited them to our selfishly air conditioned house for some strawberry shortcake. Can you imagine eating strawberry shortcake outside in 98 degree heat? Yuk! You’d need a straw for the ice cream. So there was an implied thank you to the scientists who selfishly (for profit) invented, and the businessmen who selfishly (for profit) marketed, air conditioning. Isn’t selfishness wonderful!
After our company left and thanks to a rain delay, I got to watch the Detroit Tigers pursue their happiness (and mine) by beating the Minnesota Twins in a baseball game. (This was a good thing because the Tigers haven’t been very good at achieving their happiness lately.)
All in all it was a truly American day. No sacrifices were offered or demanded. No suffering required. Just people following their own rationally understood self interest and enjoying life proper to humans as the founders intended.
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