That Which Makes Us Infallible

Some people believe the Pope is infallible; when he catches a cold, Catholics are supposed to sneeze. If he says the world is square, Catholic are supposed to fall off the edge. If he says “this,” then “that” is a mortal sin.

Ok, maybe and maybe not. You look through the history (“Rome Has Spoken” is a great book for comparing and contrasting Papal “you gotta believe” edicts). Be that as it may.

But you want to find infallibility, the real kind, just go to a party or a tavern where The Real Stuff is being served. No need to visit the Vatican to hear the old man give his opinion; you can get it straight from the bottle.

Someone once referred to alcohol as “that which makes us infallible,” and he sure got it right. Religious leaders, of whatever type, are pikers compared to the combination of a slightly pent-up angry person, an audience of at least one, and a bottle of firewater.

Then it all comes together. He holds his glass in one hand, says things like, “Let me tell you what’s REALLY going on here,” and then starts pointing his finger at you.

Everything comes out twice, a little harder to understand as the minutes slowly pass, as you realize you are stuck. You are in the worse possible situation: agree with this person or the temper (temperature?) rises, the infallibility quotient goes up with it and you wish you had a camcorder for the next morning.