While walking down the street today a man came towards me picking his nose. I realize that there are people in this world who pick their noses (won't name names), and that there are times, maybe in the dusty desert air or in a coal mine, that one might find the need to evacuate the contents of their nostrils. I also can imagine that most would find this process a private affair enacted away from the prying eyes of the general public.

He had no shame or concern for the opinions or reactions of others. He took two steps toward me, stopped and crammed his finger up his nostril, removed it, inspected his finger, then made a flicking motion towards the curb. He took two more steps, repeated the process, and then a few more steps, and so on, and so on, until he passed by me. This process repeated at least five time before we walked by each other. You'd think I would be repelled by this behavior, or at worst I would look away from his finger stuffing spectacle. Yet, I could not turn away. This man's simple act of pure disregard for basic social graces had me mesmerized. We we're on a crowded street in the middle of the day, but he felt no need to hide his grotesque behavior from the view of others. He barely noticed that he was on a public street surrounded by people.

In a way I respect his unwillingness to conform to the mandates of social pressures, the unwritten social rules that govern what is decent and what is offensive behavior. His nose mining hurt no one, and it seemd to bring him great joy. Can I fault a man for that? I may be inclined to praise him, as long as he starts walking down White Street instead of Franklin.