If all the stupid decorations in public spaces that no one ever looks at had never been built and the money that had gone to their construction and installation instead went overseas to help poverty and curable disease, I wonder how many people would benefit. Am I an asshole for thinking this every time I see a gaudy sign or colorful light fixture in a restaurant? People are just there to eat. They really don't give a hoot about the frosted glass wall sconce. Or maybe they do, and their continued business at decorated establishments evinces this.

I'm really happy that I go to UCSD. Today I saw such a wide variety of people walking about. Especially for summer session, I've been seeing a lot of students on campus, students from all sorts of backgrounds. Every time I see a young Muslim woman on campus, I feel like I am going to a really good school. I feel like I am in the company of liberal, accepting, friendly people. Maybe I am easily affected by these little things. Is there such a thing as being too observant? Meaning, do I pay attention to the details so much to the extent that I extract meaning where there is none? Maybe there was just a Muslim woman walking around campus today. Maybe it doesn't necessarily mean anything. I think I try and make bigger conclusions about small little things I notice. In doing this, I might be ignoring problems that really exist because my observations have lead me to believe that everything's okay when it's not.

Then again, maybe being overly observant works in the other direction. Maybe I perceive negative occurrences to be a part of a bigger pattern when they're not. So that cancels out the good patterns I falsely believe to exist? Either way, I think I should stop looking for reasoning where there is none. Sometimes things just happen. Sometimes people are in a certain place at a certain time, and the only reason for it is why that person is there at that particular time. Not everyone's every movement is connected to a larger current. Sometimes, people just wander. And I don't want to overlook an individual fish's decision just because the the whole school is moving a certain way.