The oddest shift occurs when your dear one is no longer endearing. You no longer speak as a ‘we’. Suddenly, the issues are ‘other’ instead of ‘we’. The endearing quality becomes a complaint that is not a reflection of you, but a reflection of ‘other’s perculiarities.
The pundits are now telling us that the economy of America is recovering. The economists and researchers are telling us that 95% of the economic increase (the recovery), is going to the 1% of the population on the very top of the wealth scale. The conclusion, if you combine all of this information is that, in reality, the economic recovery does not exist for 99% of the population.
I think that this is important information for people to know. There is an economic recovery, but it is not for YOU. You do not get to increase your income, or your wealth, because you are not part of the 1%. It is also important to note that the 1% has a controlling interest in the news media and they will report an economic recovery as if it was real and for everyone. This misleads millions of Americans who desperately wish for an economic recovery and also anyone who believes in the news reports.
I often think about economic inequality and I wonder how much people realize what is being stolen from us in everyday life. I think realization is part of perspective as well. I say this because if you have very good insurance, you are unlikely to scrutinize your hospital bill; however, if you are uninsured and you find that the hospital charged you $250,000.00, you will question them about why they have charged you $36.00 for an aspirin. Insured or uninsured, $36.00 for an aspirin is “robbery”, so your perception does not change the fact that the hospital over-charges people.
On an important issue such as economic inequality, I wish that regular, everyday people would try to increase their awareness about this – it’s not okay – even if it is not happening to you.
Based on my TV, the only way I could be enjoying myself is to have nothing to do, I must wear nail polish at all times (as if I never had to do the dishes) and I should ‘lounge’ in my silk pajamas, preferably with a drink in my hand.
There is very little joy and no fun depicted in the normal, everyday activities of working and learning. This has often left me with a strangely unsatisfied feeling about my life. And yet, I am the person who really loves working and learning. I am the person who gains great satisfaction from a clean, crisply folded bed sheets and bath towels. So even while I live my life against all tenets of successful advertising and story boards, I am also the one who is strangely disturbed by my natural self. Am I a failure because I cannot keep my fingernails polished?
Probably the worst part about watching (and believing in) TV is that when I am down, either because I am tired, energy deprived or sad, I actually find myself buying into what TV has to sell. The only way to be young and hip is to drink flavored vodka and get tacos at midnight after dancing at the club. I also have to be clad in designer clothes dripping with jewelry made by someone with a French name. By the way (BTW), the ‘Hamptons’ are never cold. It is always sunny there and you can always wear a cotton shirt with a very short skirt.
In this world that is contrived by my TV, I often feel that I am not enough. But then, then I remember that I was born a hippy and I shake it all off. My value does not come from materialism. I will not live longer, I will not be truly loved, I will not gain anything by having designer clothes and expensive jewelry, except designer clothes and expensive jewelry. Remember that.
We can do things that increase the probability of living longer, and I think that we should do these things. I do not think that we should pursue youth. My mother always said that she never wanted to be 20 again, and I was 40 before I understood her sentiment. She enjoyed and loved beauty, but she did not chase young beauty, instead she flourished in her own beauty.
Appreciating who we are right now is an important principle for all humans to adopt. It also requires an acceptance of right here, right now. Sounds a little bit Zen to me…
It’s the experience! I love the fall, my birthday is next… Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday for me (it reminds me that yes, I did something for my mother) and Christmas is jubilant. Even when I don’t feel like it, I always decorate for Christmas. (Sometimes, it is genuinely difficult to sort through Christmas decorations.) Still, it is always wonderful to spend time with my family!
Experience is why it all goes by so quickly! If I dread something, the time goes so slow. Summer is hot and long – And, it lasts for a really long time, especially in Florida! Wow, once it’s over, it moves very quickly. So those things I want to avoid, I resist, those things I want to have I do not resist – and that has something to do with how quickly time moves. When I thoroughly experience something, when I dive all the way in, the experience moves very quickly. When I back-pedal and resist, the experience seems to run on forever.
So here we go, another year, another holiday season and another chance to experience all of the love and the joy that a family can give to each other. I want to grab every minute.
