Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Brrrr
My truck's temperature gauge didn't leave "C" until the Cottle Road exit this morning. The poor little needle was just sitting in the "C" position. Yes, it's been cold here lately.
In other news, I got to see Rocco and Maria's baby, Enrico Juliano, this weekend. He's a handsome 3 day old. And the feet! Oh my!
This weekend, a friend and I saw "Freedom Writers". It was one of those movies that remind me that not everyone had the same childhood I did. We can all be pretty much the same within our own little worlds, but there are other little worlds in which people are dealing with very different realities. It's not just an economic thing - there are the same types of people on both sides of the money scale.
There was an underlying theme of "turf" throughout the movie that I had a difficult time relating to, but I see it even here. On the rare occasion that I have to visit my local mall, I see people sitting in the food court as if they "own" that parcel of tables and chairs. I'd call them nothing more than "mall rats", but then I'm being superior.
Titles aside, I don't recognize their turf ownership. The mall company owns the tables and chairs. Similarly, you can tag as many freeway overpasses as you wish, but the government (and hence the taxpayers) own the concrete pillars and the sidewalks, and a microthin layer of crappy paint isn't going to change that fact. So, in reality, all you're doing is destroying the property of the people.
But they don't see it that way - they've had different experiences. They have a different reality. I don't know if they see the public places as being owned by no one, or if they don't realize that there is supposed to be an order to things in a civilized society. Rules, if you will. I don't know if my neighbors understand that shopping carts are expensive and shouldn't leave the parking lot of the grocery store. I don't know if they're aware that someone lives in the house that they abandon these carts in front of.
Do they not know? Or do they not care? Either way, the question is really are they too stupid or lazy.
Well, this entry wasn't particularly funny or witty. Lots of funny and witty things have been going on. This is just the direction this entry took.
In other news, I got to see Rocco and Maria's baby, Enrico Juliano, this weekend. He's a handsome 3 day old. And the feet! Oh my!
This weekend, a friend and I saw "Freedom Writers". It was one of those movies that remind me that not everyone had the same childhood I did. We can all be pretty much the same within our own little worlds, but there are other little worlds in which people are dealing with very different realities. It's not just an economic thing - there are the same types of people on both sides of the money scale.
There was an underlying theme of "turf" throughout the movie that I had a difficult time relating to, but I see it even here. On the rare occasion that I have to visit my local mall, I see people sitting in the food court as if they "own" that parcel of tables and chairs. I'd call them nothing more than "mall rats", but then I'm being superior.
Titles aside, I don't recognize their turf ownership. The mall company owns the tables and chairs. Similarly, you can tag as many freeway overpasses as you wish, but the government (and hence the taxpayers) own the concrete pillars and the sidewalks, and a microthin layer of crappy paint isn't going to change that fact. So, in reality, all you're doing is destroying the property of the people.
But they don't see it that way - they've had different experiences. They have a different reality. I don't know if they see the public places as being owned by no one, or if they don't realize that there is supposed to be an order to things in a civilized society. Rules, if you will. I don't know if my neighbors understand that shopping carts are expensive and shouldn't leave the parking lot of the grocery store. I don't know if they're aware that someone lives in the house that they abandon these carts in front of.
Do they not know? Or do they not care? Either way, the question is really are they too stupid or lazy.
Well, this entry wasn't particularly funny or witty. Lots of funny and witty things have been going on. This is just the direction this entry took.
Comments:
Links to this post:
<< Home
#1. I think for some of these people, the world extends no further than their field of vision. It's like when you're playing a video game: Ever notice that if you are driving or something in a video game that the mountains or buildings in the distance just appear or "pop up" in the sky and for a split second they look like simple untextured computerized shapes and when you get a little closer the texture or "skin" appears on them suddenly? As far as the game is concerned, if you're character is not in a particular area, it has no need to create that area at that time. It only renders the details of the environment when you are in it. I think the same thing is true for children and criminals. To a certain extent, we all are a little bit like that. If we weren't like that, we would cry every day because of the people dying and suffering in the war. (Or elsewhere.) Most of us in California were upset about 9/11 for a few days. Many people seem to be more upset about it's effect on our bank accounts. Most people don't care that much if people suffer or die if it's someone they don't know. If it's someone that doesn't "pertain" to them. Some people care and somepeople pretend to care, but most people don't for the most part. For the most part, I think it's just human nature. Out of sight, out of mind. So you see, if you really think about it, none of us are really that different from each other. It's just that some of us can see twenty feet ahead of ourselves and some just see ten.
#2. The other thing is: People have two motivations for everything until they learn to love. (It's really the same thing, but it can be broken up into two.) The only reasons people do anything is: People want to be loved and: People are afraid of being alone. If you think about any situation in which there is conflict it will fit into one of these categories. The problem is that to fix one problem, people tend to get themselves into a situation that causes more problems. Like medication. If you take a pill for one thing and it has a side effect, you have to take another one for the side effect and that one has another side effect. It is only when we learn to love (which is the same thing as realizing God) that we can BEGIN to learn to align the circumstances in our lives as to not create more problems but reinforce our succeses. Then everything good multiplies and this is called harmony.
Post a Comment
#2. The other thing is: People have two motivations for everything until they learn to love. (It's really the same thing, but it can be broken up into two.) The only reasons people do anything is: People want to be loved and: People are afraid of being alone. If you think about any situation in which there is conflict it will fit into one of these categories. The problem is that to fix one problem, people tend to get themselves into a situation that causes more problems. Like medication. If you take a pill for one thing and it has a side effect, you have to take another one for the side effect and that one has another side effect. It is only when we learn to love (which is the same thing as realizing God) that we can BEGIN to learn to align the circumstances in our lives as to not create more problems but reinforce our succeses. Then everything good multiplies and this is called harmony.
Links to this post:
<< Home
