Shed The Cane

I had a strange dream last night, and it left me troubled enough in spirit to want to noodle it over here.

There were "evil" people. Doing "evil" things. And they were recruiting people to help. And they really didn't want or need the recruits to really understand what was going on. Oh, the recruits really had plenty of cues that something bad was afoot. Strangers don't give you stuff for no reason. There is always a motive behind the gift.

I found myself having been recruited. Owning "stuff" that I wanted and liked well enough... but I could tell that I was being used.

And I was almost at peace with it, since I knew I wasn't the "mastermind" behind the plot. Just a lackey who had accepted some gifts of dubious provenance which might end up used for questionable purposes.

And then a light flashed in my head. I could go to jail for this. Caught at the wrong place at the wrong time... my excuses will be worthless.

And I have children who need me.

I started shedding the "stuff" like it was on fire. I emptied my pockets and person of that "stuff" like it was radioactive.

But the last thing I found I still had on my possession was an ornate cane. The dream ended with me still in possession of it, but no longer wanting it.

After I woke up I found myself puzzling over the cane. I've never owned nor wanted a cane in my life. But I know what they're for. More than anything, they are (or were, anyway) an indication of wealth.

Sure, old people use them. Because they need them.

But why do (or did) young folk use them in bygone eras? To tell the world a simple message: "I'm so rich, I can carry a pointless stick in my hands." Day laborers have burdens to bear. They carry what they must and not much else.

It was only the rich who could carry canes while young. Or umbrellas on a sunny day. Thus the lyric from the old song:

Come let's mix where Rockefellers walk with sticks
Or "um-ber-ellas" in their mitts
Puttin' on the Ritz!

So as I reflect on this odd dream, I am struck by one strong thought...

What is today's equivalent of a cane?

Whatever it is... I don't want it.