Fortresses, Violence and Tattoos Monday C.C. and I went to a parts supply store and I complimented a woman working there on her tattoo. It was a green lizard on her left arm. She said, "I got it a long time ago when I was young. My parents told me that I couldn't have a tattoo, so I went and got one. We talked about her job and we connected briefly as human beings. Moments like these are important to me.
Too often we live inside of our fortresses and our conversation is what the Transactional Analysis people call "Past Times," words that are safe and not connected to any information about us. They argue that we talk about sports and other stuff for that reason. I find that many people are hungry to say something real, even if it's only a few words.
I am curious about what we call entertainment. The crime shows on TV show explicit violence in crimson detail. Violence does not connect people in a positive way. The news stations give a lot of attention to violence. News is often called info-entertainment. Again, I can not understand how acts of violence can be called entertainment. Yet magazines, newspapers, and TV news shows seem to disagree with my position.
Years ago a number of people watched the brutal murder of a woman and did nothing. That event made the news. The conclusion reached by the experts was that all of the violence on TV has made us numb to real violence.
I remember small country towns where people sat in front of rural post offices or in small cafes. They talked about life in the country, their kids, and other real stuff. In those communities, people knew their neighbors and connected with them in positive ways.
I grew up in a neighborhood like that, and perhaps that's why I never meet a stranger. You know that famous line, "A stranger is just a friend that I meet for the first time." That can be dangerous, but it can also be wonderful.
Bear
Too often we live inside of our fortresses and our conversation is what the Transactional Analysis people call "Past Times," words that are safe and not connected to any information about us. They argue that we talk about sports and other stuff for that reason. I find that many people are hungry to say something real, even if it's only a few words.
I am curious about what we call entertainment. The crime shows on TV show explicit violence in crimson detail. Violence does not connect people in a positive way. The news stations give a lot of attention to violence. News is often called info-entertainment. Again, I can not understand how acts of violence can be called entertainment. Yet magazines, newspapers, and TV news shows seem to disagree with my position.
Years ago a number of people watched the brutal murder of a woman and did nothing. That event made the news. The conclusion reached by the experts was that all of the violence on TV has made us numb to real violence.
I remember small country towns where people sat in front of rural post offices or in small cafes. They talked about life in the country, their kids, and other real stuff. In those communities, people knew their neighbors and connected with them in positive ways.
I grew up in a neighborhood like that, and perhaps that's why I never meet a stranger. You know that famous line, "A stranger is just a friend that I meet for the first time." That can be dangerous, but it can also be wonderful.
Bear
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