October 10.2003
WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT LIFE?
We hear far too much complaining this days.
A little bit of it might be normal and even a good thing. That may be one way of inviting change, when things are dull or amiss, but to allowing it to become the center of our lives. Being unduly critical and viewing everything with a negative or argumentative attitude, seems to me to be totally wrong.
I'm being "critical" right now, you might point out, and I say to you – you are right. It rubs off on all of us.
Some of it might be attributed to the world of commercialism in which we live, I suppose. We are constantly being bombarded by claims for this or that product or service and the natural tendency, after a few learning experiences, is that what is being said is simply not true - inaccurate, if you wish to soften it a bit. We are placed on the defensive from the moment we hear the words of the offer being spoken or flashed on the screen in front of us. We tend to say "No" before we take time to even consider the offer and we start listing reasons for our position, too.
Such thinking tends to undermine social conduct, too. Nothing irks me more that to pick up the phone when it rings and find yet another sales pitch being thrown my way. I know we are in the midst of legal ways to bar this unauthorized entry into our homes, and I have signed up for such a screening. The unctuous tone of the voice asking if I am me and in nine cases out of ten mispronouncing my name and/or doing crass harm to the name of the small town in which I happen to live, strikes me as being wrong and I go on the defensive immediately. I am, normally, a polite person but I find it easier as time goes on; simply to interrupt what they are pitching my way with: "I don't believe we are interested in that right now, Thank you for calling. G'bye." I still try to be formally polite but it comes hard for me. That "thank you for calling" bit is a genuine, unvarnished lie of the worst sort, but it is sort of a Band Aid to cover the blemish of my interruption. Sometimes I think: "Well, he or she is just doing their job." and I sorta feel sorry for them, and tote a weight of guilt around with me for the rest of the day for being rude.
Sometimes I think people watch television manly to find fault with it. Notice how many people talk back to their TV screens as they watch and much of what they say is negative by nature. They like to feel they could do better at whatever the performer is attempting to prove he or she can do well.
Even the most calloused politician, talking on a TV screen, would cringe if he could hear what is actually being said to or about him or her by millions of viewers. They would sulk away and give up political life forever if the knew what so many people actually think of their efforts. Think about that for a moment, How do you rate in that particular setting?
We must constantly be on the alert to positive elements concerning our viewing, reading, or listening. We do not have to take the bad with the lousy.
A.L.M. October 9, 2003 [c545WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT LIFE?
We hear far too much complaining this days.
A little bit of it might be normal and even a good thing. That may be one way of inviting change, when things are dull or amiss, but to allowing it to become the center of our lives. Being unduly critical and viewing everything with a negative or argumentative attitude, seems to me to be totally wrong.
I'm being "critical" right now, you might point out, and I say to you – you are right. It rubs off on all of us.
Some of it might be attributed to the world of commercialism in which we live, I suppose. We are constantly being bombarded by claims for this or that product or service and the natural tendency, after a few learning experiences, is that what is being said is simply not true - inaccurate, if you wish to soften it a bit. We are placed on the defensive from the moment we hear the words of the offer being spoken or flashed on the screen in front of us. We tend to say "No" before we take time to even consider the offer and we start listing reasons for our position, too.
Such thinking tends to undermine social conduct, too. Nothing irks me more that to pick up the phone when it rings and find yet another sales pitch being thrown my way. I know we are in the midst of legal ways to bar this unauthorized entry into our homes, and I have signed up for such a screening. The unctuous tone of the voice asking if I am me and in nine cases out of ten mispronouncing my name and/or doing crass harm to the name of the small town in which I happen to live, strikes me as being wrong and I go on the defensive immediately. I am, normally, a polite person but I find it easier as time goes on; simply to interrupt what they are pitching my way with: "I don't believe we are interested in that right now, Thank you for calling. G'bye." I still try to be formally polite but it comes hard for me. That "thank you for calling" bit is a genuine, unvarnished lie of the worst sort, but it is sort of a Band Aid to cover the blemish of my interruption. Sometimes I think: "Well, he or she is just doing their job." and I sorta feel sorry for them, and tote a weight of guilt around with me for the rest of the day for being rude.
Sometimes I think people watch television manly to find fault with it. Notice how many people talk back to their TV screens as they watch and much of what they say is negative by nature. They like to feel they could do better at whatever the performer is attempting to prove he or she can do well.
Even the most calloused politician, talking on a TV screen, would cringe if he could hear what is actually being said to or about him or her by millions of viewers. They would sulk away and give up political life forever if the knew what so many people actually think of their efforts. Think about that for a moment, How do you rate in that particular setting?
We must constantly be on the alert to positive elements concerning our viewing, reading, or listening. We do not have to take the bad with the lousy.
A.L.M. October 9, 2003 [c545wds]wds]
