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Michael Evans, painter of light - full frame

Monday, December 2, 2013

Cognitive fail

The experience was a trifle unsettling, at least on an intellectual level.

The battery on my Chrysler key was obviously failing and I stopped at a neighborhood store to get it replaced.

The man behind the counter quickly took the pear shaped plastic instrument apart and found the appropriate battery on the shelf, which he installed into the round slot without a problem.

Then things started getting tricky and interesting. I watched the young man try to put the two halves of the key back together but repeatedly he tried to match the bulbous end with the tapered end, one, two, three times. Finally an inner light went on and he reversed the halves and made a fit. I must tell you that I was floored, it was the equivalent of a toddler trying to put the hexagonal block into the triangular hole.

I felt slightly embarrassed for this person but tried not to show any visible reaction whatsoever. This sort of cognitive disfunction is nothing to ridicule, but it did make me a little sad for the man.

I guess that we have to be careful in assuming that the people we meet have a "normal" or standard skill set, some of them may have serious hard wired structural impediments. Some thing to be aware of while driving too. The world is literally filled with all types, and everybody is trying to make it the best they can.


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