The Tea Party/Dallas article was fascinating. Over the weekend I had so many encounters with the same kind of thinking, always explained in vagueness or easily recognizable sound bites. Flat out quoting someone on the radio. How does one begin to explain that a talk show host is not a source? Sometimes I ask questions but often the thinking is so ingrained and the "information" so readily accepted without question that I just order another drink and wait for an opportunity to change the subject.
I'm more comfortable with questions that I am with answers. Trusting the answers is problematic as well. But I tend to be equally suspicious of all parties. I'm perplexed at those who reject all information or ideas because of who they come from while accepting all information and ideas from those they agree with. It is frustratingly bizarre. Anyone else?
And yes of course any combination or all of those reasons for lack of change, could be true at the same time, or none of them.
The Kennedy assassination does seem to mark a clear death of innocence and trust. Followed by an unpopular war, Watergate, and recession people seemed to find comfort in continued polarization instead of unity and problem solving.
Changing gears:
I was shopping in Victoria's Secret recently and noticed that the other shoppers were mostly younger than me. I walked to the next store and noticed that for the most part, women older than me were shopping for housewares and candles. It made me wonder, at what point did these women give up? The housewares/candle crowd was without style, makeup, or attitude. And smiles.
I thought about the physical, mental, and emotional connections to aging.
I suspect feeling "old" happens when you stop enjoying the use of your body. Sex goes, (or it is let go) and if you've never been active you may not even know how good a breathless, sweaty, blood pounding body can feel. (I'm talking about exercise) or at least hard physical work. Which people tend to try to avoid as they age along with simple things like taking the stairs.
With most physical pleasures gone, and pain, stiffness, and lethargy taking over, the only enjoyable physical activity often left to people seems to be eating. I recently heard one elderly relative comment to another while visiting "It's the only thing we've got left."
At some point for many people, the body only becomes a source of aches and pains. The pleasure of it is gone. Scooters replace walking because walking is hard. In my travels I have never seen anyone riding such a thing. In Italy and France you see elderly people taking the stairs without trepidation. In Scandinavia people of all ages are out and about doing the shopping or riding bikes, in China my son witnessed women he estimated to be between 70 and 80 climbing a mountain to sell their wares to tourists. He noted that it wasn't an easy climb for him at 18 and these women did it two or three times a day. In Ireland at a street fair the grandparents, parents, and kids were all singing the same songs together.
So...is America sucking the life out of us?
Is our culture the culprit?
For all our anti-aging efforts in pharmaceuticals and cosmetic procedures, is the best chance we have to stay active and happy for the duration of life possibly to expatriate? Not that I'd need much of a push to do that at this point. Please refer to paragraph one.
And finally (how many random topics can I cover in one post?), this idea of shopping on Thanksgiving: our time starved, over stressed, ragged families don't need one more distraction. The important things we sacrifice for the trivial, the level of competition that can be dragged out for shopping and eating...I am continually baffled.
“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” ~ Lao Tzu
What would happen if people, in addition to thinking of things they are thankful for, also took a few moments to just be content? To say, what I have is enough.
Wouldn't that be a happy Thanksgiving?
One more thing (isn't there always?): Sometimes the Universe sends a friend along just when you need them to help you find your voice. It's one of the things I'm thankful for. :)
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