The Honesty of the Intoxicated 1

7th April 2018

"There's a misdemeanor about you."

Shocked, I respond " Really?"

 "Do you know what a misdemeanor is?"

 " It's the opposite of demeanor"

 "Yes but what does it mean?"

 "It means ..."

" I don't want to hear what you have to say, I don't share tables with people with misdemeanors."

Now am shocked at the rudeness, or was it the brutal honesty or the conviction in the delivery of this strangers judgement of me.

I take a sip of my beer and take a really  long look at this old man.

He had a black Kaunda suit, was taking beer and smoking and he looks like Obama so much that his nickname was Obama, some other people at the table end up revealing that it's not just his looks but he has an insight as profound as Obama's, in fact they emphasize on how much they admire and respect him.

Well of course am offended,not just by this strangers strange judgement of me but more by his accuracy, this senior old ass citizen could totally see through me ... Well I had a misdemeanor about me at the time.

We share the table for another two hours but the incident is still fresh in my mind over three years later.

Well, admittedly I've also been obnoxiously honest with strangers and friends alike but mostly when am not sober.

" Marijuana introduces a man to himself" - Bob Marley.

I don't how true or how false the above statement is but I endeavor to delve into the subject somewhere along the way.

Anyway, why do we seem to be more honest when under the influence?

Why is it easier to speak our minds?

Does intoxication bring more clarity?

Does meditation under substance abuse shed more light of our condition to ourselves?

" Son, never trust a man who doesn’t drink because he’s probably a self-righteous sort, a man who thinks he knows right from wrong all the time. Some of them are good men, but in the name of goodness, they cause most of the suffering in the world. They’re the judges, the meddlers. And, son, never trust a man who drinks but refuses to get drunk. They’re usually afraid of something deep down inside, either that they’re a coward or a fool or mean and violent. You can’t trust a man who’s afraid of himself. But sometimes, son, you can trust a man who occasionally kneels before a toilet. The chances are that he is learning something about humility and his natural human foolishness, about how to survive himself. It’s damned hard for a man to take himself too seriously when he’s heaving his guts into a dirty toilet bowl."

James Crumley

"As honest as a drunk man" - Unknown.

"Beware of drunkards and their loose tongues" - The Bible.

Is it honesty, is it courage, is it carelessness?

If am ever in court, don't make me swear on a Bible, point me to the counter.

Ouch!