Trading Misery

I share sports tickets with an old friend, and he's fallen on tough times, sadly.

I called him the other day to confirm that he wanted to renew, and he said the strangest thing: I ought to pay the whole bill because he had such a tough time of it!

Now, he didn't ask if I might help him out, or request me to spot him the money, but rather figured, I guess in a mood of Socialist philosophy, that it was somehow FAIR of me to compensate him for his difficulties.

He went so far as to say "You know you wouldn't trade places with me!"

I started thinking, perhaps relationships SHOULD be all about trading misery. If I have a heart attack, but a friend only has curable skin cancer, should we work something out if I suffer more?

I mean, he didn't CAUSE my heart attack, nor I his skin cancer, but somehow, perhaps, there's a cosmic need to insure that all humans suffer and revel in happiness equally.

It fascinated me, that this fellow could see life so differently than I could.

To me, if I suffered a financial setback, I'd call him and say, simply, that I could no longer meet our shared obligation, and he needed to go it alone while I worked to get my own house in order. I'd never dream of implying, or saying, that somehow MY problems justified my leaning on him.

Oh well. I told him that I was sort of over the games anyway, so I wasn't going to renew. The only teams I really care about are the Canes, anyway.

He went on that he STILL wanted to go, and the tickets were always a responsibility we shared, and didn't I get it --I NEEDED to keep paying, now for him, because of all his troubles.

I thought of Curlie, my favorite Stooge. "The NOIVE o' that guy!"

I wish him well; I truly do. I hope his difficulties turn into opportunities, and he soars. But in the meantime, we ain't no longer partners...