I don’t know about you but there is something about Fanfare For The Common Man that makes me want to do something…big.
Some days it is as simple as wanting to hit the gym to see how much I can lift and some days it is a sense that I ought to be doing something to give back to others.
At the moment what seems most important to me is trying to facilitate the conversations we ought to have with those who are important to us and with those we live with.
Those are two separate things there, two ideas that are closely related but focusing in in different areas.
Call me naive but I suspect some of the differences, disputes and misunderstandings we have with others could be solved if we sat down and had real conversations with them.
Some of them could be cleared up if we divested subterfuge and duplicity and spoke freely but that is the kind of thing that doesn’t happen easily for some.
That is the kind of thing that comes when the parties involved believe that each side is following old Teddy Roosevelt’s words and is not engaged in anything else.
I would hope that those who are important to me and who consider me important would feel comfortable having those conversations, but you never know how you come across.
Some have told me that the intensity I bring is disconcerting and off putting.
Can’t say if it is right or wrong, just that it is a subjective call and there is a short list of people whose opinion matters there.
How Honest Are We
Sometimes I wonder how honest we are with other people.
I tend not to be a fan of expressions like “speak our truth” but it is perfect here.
How many times do we intend to share what we really think/feel but censor ourselves.
Sometimes we say we do so to protect the other person but I wonder if what we are really doing is protecting ourselves because it is scary to be naked and vulnerable in front of others.
It is the things we want to say but fail to because sometimes the honest words are more terrifying than the ones that come from our lips.
The Conversations We Ought To Have
But if we move from the topic of personal conversations to those we should have within society, well that is something I have spent a lot of time thinking about too.
Can’t count the number of times I have heard people say why they think Trump/Hilary is evil.
Can’t count the number of times I have seen people talk past each other and quote facts that prove the other side must be filled with idiots because only an idiot could vote for that person.
Granted I am not so enlightened that I haven’t wondered about people either.
When I have asked them what they think about supporting a candidate who has the support of white supremacist, neo-nazis and other assorted hate groups they have glossed over that.
Thus far I have yet to hear someone give me an explanation I can buy for why I shouldn’t be bothered by that.
Maybe it exists, but I am a skeptic about such things.
When you tell me my family and friends should be murdered, deported or expelled for religious or ethnic reasons I believe you mean it.
I don’t take it as a joke.
There are too many examples of bad things happening because of those words but that is probably best reserved for a different post.
Keep Your Pencil Sharp
I remember a moment back at the college newspaper when one of the guys used to quote Shakepeare and talk about how he hoped to one day have the same notoriety as the bard.
Sadly I can’t remember the guy’s name so I can’t tell you what he has done with his life.
What I can share is how he used to stress the importance of keeping his pencil sharp by writing every day.
I told him I thought that was smart, especially if someone tried to mug him because you could use a sharp pencil to poke them in the eye.
He never appreciated that, especially when I told him I didn’t want to poke people with a pencil.
I wanted to kick them in the ass with my size 12 boot and or shake some sense into them.
Still I have to thank him for his comment about the importance of writing daily to maintain our skill levels.
I took that from him and have tried to make an effort to use this joint as a place to become a better storyteller.
Can’t say I have succeeded but I haven’t quit either so the jury is out.
On a different note I’ll say again how happy I am to have not been a student during the age of social media.
The last thing I want is a YouTube video with the highlights of some of the boneheaded moves of college.
Not to mention very few people seem to know/want to pick up the telephone and have a conversation with people.
There is a lot more to interaction with others and much more to be gained by face-to-face or at least verbal interaction.
Got to run now and tell those kids to get the hell off of my lawn. I have a high pressure nozzle on my hose and I am not afraid to use it. 😉
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