A Question of Priorities

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

The Pinterest and social media crowds will yell at me for not including some kind of imagery in this post. There is no picture, logo or graphic.

All that you find here is black and white and for the moment it suits me because in a time of irritation I prefer to ignore the shades of grey that life presents and view things as good or bad, friend or foe, with us or against us.

It is not a sophisticated or worldly manner to view the world nor is it how I teach my children to look at things but at the moment it suits me just fine.

Suits me because I am irritated by a host of things and I prefer to use the same narrow perspective others do to see if perhaps the world is any more enjoyable this way.

A Question Of Priorities

Life often comes down to a question of priorities and the understanding we aren’t always going to agree about what order they should be handled in, not to mention if said thing should be listed as a priority anyway.

It is hard for me take the uproar about Phil Robertson seriously because I don’t make any sort of connection to free speech here. Since his wasn’t abrogated I don’t have a problem with his being held accountable for what he said. His family won’t go hungry or be homeless if the show continues or is canceled.

But there are others who face greater challenges because they have lost a child and in the scheme of life that is much more challenging and far more serious.

In my world there is a Bar Mitzvah coming down the pike at breakneck speed and that is of far more import too.

Los Angeles didn’t solve the homeless problem while I was in Texas nor did it find a way to feed more people. The hungry and homeless are still around but they operate in their usual state of invisibility.

If we really dig into politics some of you will end up digging through the barrel of pejorative terms you use to describe those people you disagree with.

It won’t bother me because that old rhyme about sticks and stones was tattooed upon my innards long ago and my focus is upon more immediate concerns like that Bar Mitzvah I mentioned.

Bubble People

A short while ago I had to fight my way into the parking lot at the dry cleaners. That is because a man driving an SUV chose not to park his car and was blocking quite a bit of the lot.

I can’t tell you why he thought it was ok. I was one of several cars waiting in line to get into the lot so I know he was there for a while.

Don’t know if he is self important or self entitled but his actions sure came across that way. People honked their horns and waved their fists at him and he just kept talking on the phone and gesturing back.

It was another sign to me of how so many of us walk around in self constructed bubbles that keep us from recognizing that someone else might be upset or having a hard time.

Just another sign of how some people focus so intently on their own issues they can’t see beyond their own nose.

Awareness

I won’t claim that I have never done or will never do this but I will claim to be aware and conscience of others. Definitely not perfect, but awareness is a step in the right direction.

Maybe this will be the year that more people make it a priority but judging by the stories I read/hear and actions of the people I come into contact with I am skeptical about it.

But who knows, maybe I will be proved wrong.