Back when I was a stronger…more resolute weakling – about a year or so ago – I would ask muggers and molesters if they wanted fries with that. They would quite often take me up on the offer and ask me to chip in 39 cents to supersize my loss. This is simply to characterize the fact that while I’ve always thought myself philosophically stone, in practice I slanted a little more naive and suckerish…a real Mayberry trust in my fellow man.

A particular experience recently returned to my mind. I was wandering the streets early one day, set to complete a catch and release tagging at the DMV with nothing but golden droppings pouring from my heart and similar rays spiraling from the eyes, my arms held out to the side like a 50’s cartoon character, just bobbing and swinging [...]