So What's It For?

I just don't understand some people. I don't think anyone could understand why they do what they do sometimes. They'll commit crimes by which there is no means to profit, and say things that just don't have any meaning. Again and again I see and hear things and ask myself, "Why?" There is generally no satisfactory answer forthcoming. There is one of those things by the apartment building adjacent to my own, and I hope you'll share my reaction.

It's their lawn. Now, you've got to love a lawn of lush, green grass. Certainly they're expensive to maintain and they require a tremendous amount of water and other scarce resources, but there's a reason people have them. They're beautiful and soft, and useful in a myriad of ways. It's a place to picnic, play sports and let your dog do his business. It's a safe place for the kids to roughhouse. Where there's a lawn, I'll be appreciating it.

Since I say all of those kind things, you are undoubtedly wondering when we come to the problem. I'll do that now. There on the lawn is a sign stating that the chemicals they treat it with render it unfit for people to be on it. I gather that you could become ill by treading on it in bare feet. I want to scream out loud a demand for them to explain to me the utility of the lawn given that it is hazardous to the health of those who do more than look at it from a distance. Unless it's a clever trick to keep people off it and the grass is actually safe, it's scary that they would do that.

A lovely green space which would appear to substantially bolster the health but which actually could kill you is as potent a symbol as I can imagine of appearance mattering more than substance. The lawn could look like hell in the absence of chemicals and better serve the purpose which those very chemicals make it look ideal for. It seems perverse that they would would make a grassy area you could die on just because it looks nice and is cheaper than one which looks nice and is safe. It upsets me to no end.