Saturday, September 20, 2008

Does this fit the definition of ironic?

One of the definitions of irony is "Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs".

On Sunday evenings, I drive my son to our church so he can meet with his youth group. The youth group serves two purposes. It allows like minded Unitarian Universalist teenagers to socialize, and it gives the kids the opportunity to talk (and plan to act) about social/political issues in a positive way. The group usually does some volunteer work during the year. They also talk about ways to improve the environment or further social justice causes. We love that our son is involved with these kids, and he has a lot of fun at their events.

On the flip side, I have recently gotten interested in learning how to handle a gun. This seems a bit odd, considering my generally left-wing proclivities, I know. However, I've always been interested in guns from both a self-defense and cultural perspective. This afternoon, I'm going off to actually have my first ever gun handling lesson at a local shooting range.

I've always been confused by the real definition of irony. Now, I wonder if this next bit is a good example of irony or not. Please feel free to chime in.

My son's church meeting is between 6 and 8 p.m. on Sunday evenings. The shooting range has 50% off shooting fees on Sunday's between 5 and 8 p.m. for "Ladies Night". Would it be ironic if I were to drop my son off at his church meeting so he can be a better social activist and world citizen, while I wander off to spend an hour learning how to hone my gun skills?

Just wondering. (grin)

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