No need to complain
06/07/16 05:12
Its pretty hard for me to work up much self pity. As lives go, mine has been very fortunate. I found a vocation and meaningful work early in my life and have had work that is challenging and interesting all of my adult life. I met my soul mate when I was young and have enjoyed a wonderful marriage that continues to enrich and bring deep joy to my life. Our children grew up without some of the major challenges and problems that some have had to face and overcome. We have wonderfully delightful grandchildren who are healthy and whose parents are committed to their role. Our lives have been lived in places of peace and we have escaped the trauma of major accidents. If I am ever tempted to practice self pity for some little thing that seems to be going on all I have to do is look around and the world is filled with people who are less fortunate and who have enjoyed less privilege than I.
It is a good thing, because the world doesn’t really need the sound of more complaining. There is enough of that noise in the media every day. If you listen to a television channel that seems to be a favorite of doctors offices and a few other waiting rooms that I occasionally visit, you might come to the conclusion that our nation is falling apart and our leaders are out to ruin us all with excessive taxation for unlimited spending that benefits other people. You might feel that we are somehow oppressed by university admission programs that seek a diverse learning environment for all students. You might conclude that providing health care for those with low incomes somehow limits the amount of health care available to others. You might believe that unemployment is caused by people who come to this country who are wiling to take jobs for low pay that employers can’t find local people to do. Judging from all of the complaining that one can hear from television, it seems as if our nation was on the verge of collapse and our people are terribly oppressed.
My recommendation is to turn the television set off.
I woke this morning, as is my usual in the summer, to a chorus of birdsong. The birds like to sing and be active before the sun rises around here. I’m not sure what gets them going. Perhaps there is an abundance of their favorite insects at that time. Perhaps they can sense the light that appears before the sun rises. Maybe they just get up in a good mood every morning. After all they too live in this beautiful place.
Some mornings I can see as many as three fawns in the yard at the same time. The twins were born in the neighbor’s yard where the grass is still high enough to hide them from sight when they lie down. The other little one is just a tad older and occasionally the white flag of its tail shows its location. It has a highly developed startle instinct and sometimes will run around and around with the slightest motion or commotion. The woman delivering newspapers can inspire it to excited motion.
I wonder if the television news would be different if the reporters had time, on occasion, to take a canoe out on the lake before heading to work. I doubt that they do. There are a lot of people in this world whose lives are filled with constant motion and action. Because the news cycle is now literally 24 hours a day seven days a week, those who report have to keep some strange hours. They live in fear of some other media outlet getting to the news before they do. Their lives are based on quick reporting, not careful analysis. Then, like many others, they become addicted to electronic devises. Even when they are not working there are e-mails, text messages, Facebook posts, twitter feeds and a thousand other applications cluttering their devices and their lives. Then there is the mad rush of modern child rearing. Children have intense schedules that require elaborate planning. Modern families are on the go all the time. There is scarcely a moment for quiet or reflection and when there is a brief moment, out come the devices.
Yesterday I rode an elevator from the ground floor to the ninth floor, stopping occasionally. People were getting on and off of the elevator. I was the only passenger on that trip who didn’t have a smart phone in my hand tapping at its face. I was able to watch the other people and imagine what might be going on in their lives because they were not paying attention to me. There was no music on that elevator. The people were perfectly silent. I could have prayed the entire time without distraction.
Maybe all of those busy people are simply too engaged all of the time to complain about the pressures of their lives. I suspect, however, that when they do get time to be with a friend or family member, there are plenty of complaints about all of the pressure in their lives and the fact that they never get a moment to themselves. I’m pretty sure that they don’t know that they could have a quiet moment to themselves on every elevator ride if they just slipped their phones into their pockets. I took the stars going down. I had the entire stairway to myself all the way. I could have recited poetry out loud without bothering anyone. Instead I just sang a little song in my heart and listened to the echo of my footsteps in the stairway.
Today I need to drop my pickup off at a shop for some routine work. I could easily get a ride to the office. I’ve decided, however, that my circumstances have given me a perfect excuse to take a walk. A ride would only save me ten minutes and the walk will give me time to think about some things that require more than a fleeting thought. And the walk will be a gift to those who work with me. I’ve already voiced a few complaints in this blog. By the time I get going and take a little walk, I’ll be in a good mood and they won’t have to listen to any of my complaints: a little gift to them that I think they might appreciate. After all the world doesn’t need the sound of any more complaining.
It is a good thing, because the world doesn’t really need the sound of more complaining. There is enough of that noise in the media every day. If you listen to a television channel that seems to be a favorite of doctors offices and a few other waiting rooms that I occasionally visit, you might come to the conclusion that our nation is falling apart and our leaders are out to ruin us all with excessive taxation for unlimited spending that benefits other people. You might feel that we are somehow oppressed by university admission programs that seek a diverse learning environment for all students. You might conclude that providing health care for those with low incomes somehow limits the amount of health care available to others. You might believe that unemployment is caused by people who come to this country who are wiling to take jobs for low pay that employers can’t find local people to do. Judging from all of the complaining that one can hear from television, it seems as if our nation was on the verge of collapse and our people are terribly oppressed.
My recommendation is to turn the television set off.
I woke this morning, as is my usual in the summer, to a chorus of birdsong. The birds like to sing and be active before the sun rises around here. I’m not sure what gets them going. Perhaps there is an abundance of their favorite insects at that time. Perhaps they can sense the light that appears before the sun rises. Maybe they just get up in a good mood every morning. After all they too live in this beautiful place.
Some mornings I can see as many as three fawns in the yard at the same time. The twins were born in the neighbor’s yard where the grass is still high enough to hide them from sight when they lie down. The other little one is just a tad older and occasionally the white flag of its tail shows its location. It has a highly developed startle instinct and sometimes will run around and around with the slightest motion or commotion. The woman delivering newspapers can inspire it to excited motion.
I wonder if the television news would be different if the reporters had time, on occasion, to take a canoe out on the lake before heading to work. I doubt that they do. There are a lot of people in this world whose lives are filled with constant motion and action. Because the news cycle is now literally 24 hours a day seven days a week, those who report have to keep some strange hours. They live in fear of some other media outlet getting to the news before they do. Their lives are based on quick reporting, not careful analysis. Then, like many others, they become addicted to electronic devises. Even when they are not working there are e-mails, text messages, Facebook posts, twitter feeds and a thousand other applications cluttering their devices and their lives. Then there is the mad rush of modern child rearing. Children have intense schedules that require elaborate planning. Modern families are on the go all the time. There is scarcely a moment for quiet or reflection and when there is a brief moment, out come the devices.
Yesterday I rode an elevator from the ground floor to the ninth floor, stopping occasionally. People were getting on and off of the elevator. I was the only passenger on that trip who didn’t have a smart phone in my hand tapping at its face. I was able to watch the other people and imagine what might be going on in their lives because they were not paying attention to me. There was no music on that elevator. The people were perfectly silent. I could have prayed the entire time without distraction.
Maybe all of those busy people are simply too engaged all of the time to complain about the pressures of their lives. I suspect, however, that when they do get time to be with a friend or family member, there are plenty of complaints about all of the pressure in their lives and the fact that they never get a moment to themselves. I’m pretty sure that they don’t know that they could have a quiet moment to themselves on every elevator ride if they just slipped their phones into their pockets. I took the stars going down. I had the entire stairway to myself all the way. I could have recited poetry out loud without bothering anyone. Instead I just sang a little song in my heart and listened to the echo of my footsteps in the stairway.
Today I need to drop my pickup off at a shop for some routine work. I could easily get a ride to the office. I’ve decided, however, that my circumstances have given me a perfect excuse to take a walk. A ride would only save me ten minutes and the walk will give me time to think about some things that require more than a fleeting thought. And the walk will be a gift to those who work with me. I’ve already voiced a few complaints in this blog. By the time I get going and take a little walk, I’ll be in a good mood and they won’t have to listen to any of my complaints: a little gift to them that I think they might appreciate. After all the world doesn’t need the sound of any more complaining.