I doubt anyone will read these words while aboard an overcrowded refugee vessel sloshing through frigid waves. Or weighing the options between waiting for storm troopers to crowd inside for a group raping of the wife, or shooting her dead first.

Personally, I’m taking a break from translating promotional material for professional jugglers and, although lunch is a bit late, I can only claim that I’m “famished” by an extreme stretching of reality.

This is why I often question the notion of fear when, instead of “I’m afraid”, the more suitable words might be: “I’m annoyed.”

Annoyed when the web-version of panhandlers land another desperate appeal for funds for the needy, the distraught, or any number of  super-important/troubling/distressing issues. Annoyed because I’d rather be joking with friends or day-dreaming – heck, life is short and every time someone reminds me things aren’t great out there, I want to make the best of the good times while they last, no? All that depressing stuff about wars and sickness and starving and torture and… gimme a break! I’m afraid!

Afraid of what? Afraid paying attention will make things worse? Afraid you’ll stay weepy/depressed/tormented by guilt? (As if doing nothing wasn’t the equivalent of checking the aching tooth vs going to the dentist.)

Anyway. I don’t sign every petition that comes my way. I adopt a choose-your-battles approach, for the most part. And for the most part, freeing  Turkish writer Asli Erdogan is one of the  issues that matters  a lot to me. If you’re a reader and you don’t care about writers risking life imprisonment over the act of writing, you must have a screw loose somewhere. Sorry. Had to say it.

At 11 AM local time, the petition was 5 784 signatures short of the 50 000 mark. When I peeked a few minutes ago, the total was 96 signatures closer to the goal. Eh. Come on. What’s a bit of annoyance between friends. Go ahead. Click. Click again and get on with whatever great/fascinating/boring and/or unexpected thing awaits next in your life.

Done? Here:  Watch a bit of juggling for your troubles.