And I think about the people in XJ, who are doing the best they can to just get through the day in whatever way they can. And here I am, frolicking on the manicured bright green grass and bike paths and walking where I want to go without gates and fences everywhere I go, the gates that in XJ cut the city into bite-sized parcels for easier control and surveillance.
I walk around the grocery store, dizzy and nauseous from the colors and the lights and the excess that surrounds me. I know all too well what will happen when the fruit goes bad, the destruction that is happening to produce and package all of these goods. And that is just one store. There are millions across the US. And we just keep on riding down our green bike paths and typing on our iMacs and playing on our iPhones, and eating our cream cheese bagels and drinking our chai tea lattes and pretending like everything is okay. But it feels so wrong. I don’t want that life. This isn’t me. This isn’t who I am. This isn’t what I want. This isn’t what I want for my life.
Our world is not easy to live in. It is so tempting to feel that if something was just a little different, to would be easier. I think specifically about Las Vegas, and if only the hotels had the securities like in China that crazy guy would not have had all that destructional stuff up in his room. But perhaps he would have found a way to be that evil anyway, we'll never know.
ReplyDeleteHow do I contribute to taking down the walls that separate each of us from each other? I remember in NYC learning that if you said "Hello" to strangers on the sidewalk, eventually someone would glom on to me with some deal or other to make us both rich. That was not what I was up to.
But we are creatures that need others. But it isn't automatic or effortless. The commerialism that uses that need is all around us. How do we stay sane & safe. Well, one thing for sure is that it is not easy.
Why can't people just get out of my way when I am trying to be respectful by being on time someplace. Why do people pretend to be my friend when they really just want something from me?
Why have we such a stressful and tense world? Partly, I think, so that we will reach out of our own little bubbles and make those connections that will help the world be better place. But, as I said before, it ain't easy.
Some people do think more rules would work, others think less rules will make us happier. There is no one size fits all. It is about finding that balance.
Well, enough pontificating. No one, including yourself, can MAKE you happy. We all need to learn how to be (put the best word here) despite the circumstances. But again, it ain't easy. Or maybe it actually is?
Well, I love your blogs and you. mom
Awe, thank you so much. What a wonderful comment. Very thought-provoking. I will keep thinking about this. Love you very much.
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