Not Too Keen on Jury Duty

I'm always urging people on this blog to exercise their civic duty and regularly vote in all the elections that are offered...and make those votes on an informed basis.  The urging is necessary because in our country voting is voluntary...you can be registered and still skip elections that don't meet your interest level.  This, however isn't true for jury duty...now that's something I wish I had a choice about.  And if I had that choice, maybe I'd come out sounding like a hypocrite about "civic duty" because I have a strong aversion to it...

Unlike with voting, jury duty involves a substantial disruption of my schedule and puts me in a place where I am limited in where and what I can do and say for a protracted amount of time while continually being under others' scrutiny.  I am often forced to stand around in hallways for long periods, waiting for someone to make a decision about where my "number" is supposed to go next.  On selection day I never know how long it will take...possibly only a few minutes but more probably hours and hours.  Once selected, there's no guarantee about how long I'll then have to devote my life to deciding the case.  The temperature indoors can get to be a problem...usually it can be pretty chilly: they even advise jurors to bring a light sweater with them.  I absolutely cringe at the thought of having to go through the security checkpoint whenever I enter the building as the employees scrutinize me and my possessions...I understand the necessity but I dislike it anyway.  And, at least for the last few times I've been there, the building where all this takes place didn't even have a room to sit down and get food and refreshments during breaks...we were always told to go out to one of the nearby eateries for this.  Someone told me that there now is such a place within the courthouse, though...but I'll believe it when I see it.  And finally, I feel offended at the matter-of-fact, ho-hum attitude that the people working there often display in the midst of the personal crises that the defendants, victims, and loved ones for either side are going through.  And quite frankly, I'm not at all keen on hobnobbing and getting "friendly" with perfect strangers just because a couple of opposing lawyers decided we all were the best "fit" among the motley lot for their particular trial...

My wife, when she was recently summoned, drew a high jury pool number: when she called the given phone number the night before she was to report, they told her she didn't have to.  Unfortunately, my own jury number is very low and although I'll make the perfunctory call later this evening, I hold little to no hope of avoiding this ordeal, starting tomorrow...