Dragons are fun, from a distance. It's one thing to see them soaring through the clouds and roasting the top of a mountain miles away from the safety of your SUV. It's quite another to see one looming in your rearview mirror. I imagine that it's especially disconcerting to also note that "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear" warning.
Up close, dragons are terrifying. The reasons are easy to understand. They've got the fire breathing thing going for them. That's a biggie. I'm sure that's one reason why sharks stay underwater as much as possible. They're not stupid. Dragons have also got those massive teeth and sharp talons. I suspect those are not decorative. Nearly impenetrable armor is fairly imposing as well. You're not going to scare one of these away with a pointy stick. I think one of the scariest things about dragons is the fact that they are smart reptiles. Let's face it, reptiles have a reputation for being even less caring than cats. (If you're a snake lover who's offended by this, ask your snake if they care. Also, consider upgrading to a cat.)
In spite of this, we're fascinated with them. It's a human thing. While standing at a safe distance, we love things that threaten us. It's why we watch TV shows about dangerous animals, natural disasters, crime, and politics. As long as they do their thing way over there, we are entertained. I suspect this tendency confuses dragons.
I mean, they've spent eons lurking in our nightmares and legends only to find that we're putting them on pillows and coffee mugs. It's got to be frustrating for their PR wyrms. (By the way, no one wants that job.) I think this is why so many of them have gone into hiding. Well, social media may be another reason. Dragons recognize it as a virus. Try explaining memes to a dragon. On second thought, don't try that. It won't end well. Of course, you'd have to find one first. They hide very well. If you've ever heard (or told) one of those jokes about elephants hiding, ask yourself who taught them? That's right. Dragons are clever enough to hide where we'd least expect them. That's why for safety reasons, I've started expecting them everywhere. Dragons aren't the only clever ones.
Still, I wonder how dragons would react if they found themselves living in our civilization. Would they watch late night TV commercials and buy up as much commemorative gold as possible? Would we become their entertainment? Dragons may enjoy slapstick humor. I'm sure some would lurk on top of skyscrapers, expecting our wise people to climb up to them to marvel at their wisdom. (We taught dragons about vanity millennia ago.) They may be disappointed to find that the only people daring to do so are mostly interested in getting a good selfie.
What do you think would happen if dragons returned to our society? What do you think they would think of us? How would we react to them? I'm interested to know how you think this would play out. Leave a comment if you have any ideas. Of course, if you're a dragon and you're reading this, I'd love to hear from you. From a distance, of course.
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