I’ve been thinking about dinner table conversations in lieu of reunions.

A list of topics is easy, since almost everyone has an opinion about current politics and some food is just too terrible to wipe off one’s face once thrown.

What I’m trying to understand is why people become physically furious at opposing opinions.

Why?

I also read advice columnists and they come up with solutions that mostly don’t include violence.

One woman wrote to a news columnist recently complaining about her mother’s insistence upon seating all guests at the table, no matter where they were.

She was apparently a tad miffed at having been seated to the left of a left-handed person at the dinner table.

I can relate. The whole family needs to be aware of who’s a leftie and make adjustments.

My eldest son is left-handed and the first time I got called to Boyd School was because an old-school teacher had been trying to change him to being right-handed.

The matter was resolved and he got another teacher. He now seats himself, writes legibly and has learned to play a plethora of instruments.

Why are musical instruments routinely made for right-handed people?

Another topic that could bring slammed doors is the question of why manufacturers generally make most things that way. A special left-handed baseball mitt for him cost extra and my dad bought it willingly.

The first game he pitched resulted in a young batter bursting into tears because “that guy is cheating.!”

Two weeks later, the mitt was stolen and the kid gave up baseball.

He never has liked petty prejudice or pointless theft.

He also has asked many, many times why people feel a need to comment about what hand one favors.

There must be a reason for it.

My youngest son, a professor emeritus in mathematics, can happily create an equation out of just about anything.

He believes mathematics can be used to make sense of anything.

My mom’s mom had a solution if she saw it happening. “Keep that up and God will smite thee to Hell!”

Later-on, she declared that a boy she didn’t like was “smitten” with a girl she didn’t like. An all-purpose judgement.

Being smitten is an odd subject in light of the evils that seem to be bubbling to the surface each day.

We all have opinions about religion and I don’t think it works with guacamole.

Actually, my middle son has been keeping the air hot recently with questions about religion. He never knew his maternal great-grandmother, who would likely smite his face.

The human creature seems to be tooled to believe in something and create something to believe in.

I think the Creator has reasons for all these questions. Either that or news services have been browsing on YouTube.

I did and learned I can buy a used coffin on eBay…