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When we have too many things to do we often complain about being stressed. When we have too little to do we complain about being bored. When we are short on money we complain about that. When we have enough money, we say that money isn’t everything. Sometimes we complain about people we know, saying that they are complainers. Men are visual reactors. We like to look at women who are fit and feminine. We like shiny sports cars. We enjoy gazing at powerful pick-up trucks. We are known for viewing sporting events and action films. To get our attention you have to show us something. Interestingly, socks left on the floor or the toilet seat left up seem to escape our visual prowess.
They say that laughter is the best medicine. I find this quite interesting considering that the last thing you tend to do when receiving a doctor’s bill is laugh. Perhaps, doctors could improve the care process by handing us a complimentary book of jokes rather than a bill. Just a thought.
How many things are held up as noble, worthwhile and important only to be ultimately ignored? Frequently, at cocktail parties people can be heard speaking about the importance of poetry, literature and art. After these soirées, many of these same individuals can be found watching reruns of old situation comedies. We do not tend to hear people extol the virtues of old sitcoms, bowling or professional wrestling at cocktail parties. What is the chance that someone would hold forth about the importance of watching dated reruns and then go home and curl up with a good anthology of poetry? Have you ever met a person who told you that they worked with the discipline of a Roman soldier to lose weight? They might explain their strict eating regimen. They may tell you of their exhausting exercise routine. Often these tales of Spartan living are relayed over drinks, or cake and coffee. “Everyone loves a winner”, it is said. Have you ever spoken to someone who just lost a game and asked them how they felt about the person who won? Have you ever noticed the incongruence of geometry and driving? Geometry teaches us that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The next time you are in a car, stuck in traffic, ask yourself if that feels remotely true. Hollywood is spoken about as a place of tremendous creativity. We are told that brilliant minds coalesce to put together penetrating works of cinematic art that are crafted to teach us something enduring about the human condition. We are also told about the tooth fairy when we are children. History repeats itself. So does fast food smothered in onions and eaten quickly.
Whenever somebody tells me that something is impossible, I tell them to look around. All the buildings surrounding us, all the inventions that have sprung forth from the fertile minds of men and women provide a collective testament to possibility. A useful tool in cultivating a forgiving personality is a mind that is short on remembering, but long on understanding our own personal shortcomings. Copyright © 2008 Diaday.com All rights reserved
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