Perhaps one of my three readers may recall that not so very long ago I mentioned in a column that I copied, or clipped out, portions of things I read and filed them away. Rarely ever do I actually do anything with the material.

It could be a poem, an epitaph, a song, some eloquent thought expressed wonderfully well in written form. My love of language used well — written or spoken — has led me to amass a “wealth” of such treasures in a less than efficient filing system.

When my journey is over, I suspect that in time my collection of varied and wide-ranging subject matter will be consigned to file thirteen.

Now. That was just a preface to today’s column. As you read further, if you so choose to do, please note that the following is taken from a work of fiction, which was published in 2015. Remember that date, friends.

So. From “Ashley Bell” by Dean Koontz, consider this: “ … if a common man, a volk, with no saintly quality, with in fact an inflated ego, a narcissist, should tap into this magnetic current or whatever, he could draw legions to him . . . and lead the world to ruin.”

Interesting? Prescient?

And then this: “ … here in the tumultuous second decade of the new century, frightening numbers of people were either easy to deceive or wished ardently to submit to any belief system, no matter how delusional, that reassured them and justified their hatreds.”

The book from which this came, I remind you again, was published in 2015.

Now, remember, this is from a work of fiction. Something such as this would never be the case here in the good old USA. Could it? Could it?

But, oh my. Oh, my, my, my.

Let’s just leave it right there, okay?

Unless you want to do a little thinking about it on your own.

Have yourself a good weekend, friends.

I hope to see you back here next week.

Cheerio.

APROPOS — “We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.”

— Camus