It's all about me!

A while back somebody said that we wouldn’t be concerned about what other people think of us, if we really understood how much them do.

Pulling into a parking spot at the grocery store today there was a cart in the middle of a prime parking spot. If I wanted to park there, I would have had to get out of the car and move the cart before I could claim that spot. It appeared that someone loaded their purchases in their car and left the cart in the other parking space, avoiding rolling it across the lane into the cart corral. They could have done it to be mean, but I think that it was more a matter of not considering those that would come after them. They had gotten what they needed, What more was to be considered?

I find it ironic that all of us fail to consider the needs of others, yet at the same time we are starving to have others consider our needs.

It boils down to this simple truth. Either we think of others or we make it all about ourselves with each act we do, regardless of how insignificant. The grocery cart was not a big deal. The leaders of Enron, Skilling and Lay, by bilking people out of life savings and retirement funds was a huge deal. At the end of the day however, it is the same spirit, just on a different scale. We all fail to realize the needs of others.

So much could be avoided by following the words of Jesus when he said that we should treat others as we want to be treated.

The fragile bond of polite society

At a local restaurant I was getting up to pay my bill for my meal. While I was walking to the cash register a cell phone went off. While it chirped my gaze rested on a woman in her mid 70’s. She was glaring at the owner of the cell phone that was ringing. It looked like if it went ringing on too much longer, she would get up and act somehow. (I’m not sure what she was capable of, but her face was scary!)

Steven King’s novel “Needful things” demonstrated how a fragile tolerance could unravel quite quickly. Freud talked about Superego and how it makes sure we comply with social norms of polite society. Superego appeared to have a strong grasp of this little lady, but it looked like it wouldn’t restrain her much longer if the situation didn’t change

I was struck by how thin the cement is that glues a civil society together. We are all together in a room with our own likes and dislikes, and we all act civil to each other. In one sense it truly is a miracle.

My soul for cheap

Our couch at home has been a bit saggy. You can feel the supports through the padding. It has been time to purchase a new one for a while, well at least for the lifestyle we live.

We started looking and before we knew it, we had found one. It was less expensive than some other couches and the sales clerk informed us that the leather was shipped from Italy to China to be assembled at a cheaper cost.

I wonder what that means. Was it because wages are less there or are the pieces assembled in a sweat shop? Is that how they kept the price down? The harsh reality is that by purchasing the items, I am connected to the assemblers and perpetuate the conditions with which they do business, either good or bad. But without research, I have no idea what the conditions are.

It is hard to live in the awareness of the global community. It is so easy to go to the store, shop for the item, compare prices, assess whether you can buy it, and then make the purchase. To be honest, it’s a lot of work to consider the world. I don’t want to think about the condition of the people who assembled my furniture. More shopping, more research.

I could be critical of others for not caring to make this world a better place. But I would be a hypocrite. Putting it bluntly, I chose indifference. It was the cheaper of the options.

Confronted by a mystery

On my walk today a little critter lay expired on the path. It’s unclear as to what it died from. It Watching a documentary on Hurricane Katrina, there was footage of bodies floating and bloating in the toxic waters of New Orleans,

How can it end? I have such a hard time comprehending that. One minute I am alive and active. The next minute i am not and rather quickly you need to separate yourself from my body.

There are shows on how to catch fish, shoot game. The animal or fish is alive and then it is not. A pheasant is shot, flounders to the ground where a dog snatches it up in it’s mouth. We watch carnivores grab their next meal.

Humans around the world successfully kill people around them. Children and adults open fire in schools and students are killed execution style.

Death is a mystery. I don’t understand it and I don’t want to understand it. It frightens me. And yet, like a slap in the face, all around us there are steady reminders on TV, in print, on the internet, and on the walking path...life ends.

Foley, FoxFaith, and Desperate Housewives

The Rep. Mark Foley scandal that is continuing to grow has the republicans shrugging it away as irrelevant, while at the same time attempting to be the party of moral values, as well as the party that ripped President Clinton a new one. Regardless of who knew what when, it seems is that this behavior has been tacitly tolerated. And I don’t see any evangelical leaders denouncing Foley too loudly. Come to think of it, I haven't heard a peep out of Falwell, which may be evidence of great restraint.

About a month ago, FoxFaith was promoted. This is entertainment’s attempt to encourage the faith of the faithful. This from the company that brought a lot of sleazy and irreverent programing to the airwaves. They have however, been successful in winning conservatives over with Fox News and allowing them to forget Fox's contribution to the moral landslide in this country.

A new video game based on the TV series “Desperate Housewives” is being released by Disney’s Beuna Vista Games company. The rationale for this move into predominantly male territory is that marketers were starting to realize that there were more women playing the CSI video game, and they realized there was a whole demographic that was emerging that they could profit from.

Our country has moved away from conviction and honor, and toward niche marketing and promotion. At least Desperate Housewives: The game, is able to admit their true intentions and no one gets offended. TV programmers call it family entertainment and politicians call it “playing to the base”.

Are we so far down river that we accept being played to, regardless of reality? FoxFaith isn’t about strengthening the faithful, it is going after the wallets of the faithful. Family values isn’t about strengthening the flagging morals of this country, it’s about getting the votes so they can hold on to power.

And we are the “sheep” that eat it up. The sad reality is that we are hungry, but we aren’t starving. Those who set the agenda will continue to feed us as much as we can ingest, as long as we have votes or money.