Jones’ Corollary to The Second Law of Thermodynamics

Jones’ Corollary to The Second Law of Thermodynamics is as follows: No good deed goes unpunished.  In case you’ve forgotten what the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is, it’s the “Law of Entropy”, and my corollary to this follows that once you loan your stuff to someone else, it will never come back in even remotely as good of shape as you loaned it to them in, if you get it back in one piece or at all!  In these cases, I recommend that you seek compensation for your loss, which is an act of war to some, but if they are truly your friends, then they will respect that request and man-up.  If they don’t value your friendship and take this as an offense or an attack, then I would recommend getting out of the relationship, cutting your losses, and saving yourself a lot more grief.  You’ve had enough already.  These are not easy times.  Trust is hard-earned by those whom I have decided to trust, and once that trust is broken, it is very difficult, if not nearly impossible, to regain.  If I loan you something, it is because I trust that it will come back to me in the same or better shape than I loaned it to you in.

Now, yes, I understand that accidents happen, and that’s not the norm.  If I know you well enough to loan you something, chances are that I think you are a responsible person and will be likewise responsible with my stuff.  If you’re not, and then refuse to make reparations, you can count on me not answering your calls, not answering the door if you come over, and generally telling you to take a hike.  Disrespecting my stuff is disrespecting me, and it disappoints me greatly when someone does this to me.  Especially with books.  Books are my soft spot.  Ideas.  Those are some of the most precious things we possess, and if I share these things with you and you betray me with it or destroy it or misuse and abuse it, then we’re done.  Done.  I’m not playing around anymore.  I have better things to do with my energy than worry about what everybody else thinks about how I handled a situation of this nature.  Frankly, it makes me angry.  And it should.  If I loan you something, that is an extension of my self.  I can see what you think of me by the way you treat my stuff.  Man-up and tell me if something happens to it, too, for heaven’s sake!  Don’t let me come to get it and find that half of it is missing and it no longer works, or that you tore the pages out of one of my favorite books, or dog-eared the pages, or highlighted your favorite pasages in my book, or underlined in pen or marker that bled through the pages, making the copy unreadable.  Unless I give you permission to do these types of things, DON’T DO IT!!!  Likewise, if I loan you my camera, DO NOT DISMANTLE IT, neglect to tell me you’ve irreparably damaged it, and then offer to put duct tape on it so you can take it in the water!  Do you really think I’m going to let you continue using it???  In that case, the only fair way to remedy the situation is to buy the damaged item or book from me so I can get myself another one.  That way, you can continue destroying YOUR stuff, and I can start over with a clean copy or a new and functional device much like, if not identical to, the one that I loaned to you in the first place.  I’ll be you’re a lot more careful with it once it’s YOURS…