Thoughts of a Random Nature

I’m a very impatient person. Always have been and probably always will be. I wish I possessed the trait of patience, because it could save me a lot of grief. With the internet, apps, and all of the little gadgets we use in our everyday lives, I’ve been thinking of how we’ve become a snappy and impatient culture over the past few decades.

Granted, I don’t think I was around when the microwave became a popular kitchen item, but I’d venture to say that it was a giant step towards our society wanting things in thirty seconds or less. With a microwave, taking a significant chunk of time to cook a meal becomes unnecessary. Just pop the dinner in for five minutes and voila! You’ve got dinner. Often times the meal tastes just as good as if you’d cooked it over the stove and for a fraction of the time. Now I’m far from a food snob but I try to stay away from processed and microwave food as much as I can. I enjoy fresh food and I like the process of cooking. But then I understand some people truly are busy and some hate cooking so I suppose it is a perfect solution for some.

Following microwaves were cell phones (eliminating the need to take time out finding a pay phone) and the internet. The internet has revolutionized everything we do, from socializing to shopping to paying bills. Information on virtually anything you can think of is at your fingertips. And with the evolution from dial-up to broadband/cable websites load so fast that it has been said the average reader will move on to another site if it hasn’t loaded in roughly 5 seconds! I think that’s a crazy statistic but I know how true it is. There are too many other sites to waste time waiting for one to connect.

I’m pretty active on Twitter now, but if you told me about 6 months ago I’d have anything more than a fleeting interest in the site I’d have laughed in your face. I thought the idea of sharing random tidbits was stupid and even worse was the 140 character limit. What in the world can you say in 140 characters? (I thought).  But I drank the Twitter kool-aid. Sure it’s amusing to read the random thoughts of celebrities but I also subscribe to a few news sites. And it’s nice to get news without all of the expository info and editorializing that typically goes on in news articles. I think the character limit was an awesome idea because it eliminates a lot of BS. Information tends to be pretty cut, dry, and to the point.

Ironically, given that people my age are the ones who barely remember life before computers and want results and info quickly, we have been the slowest to grow up. It’s taking longer to settle into jobs/careers and to form relationships, get married, and have children. I think many of us are looking at lives like we do websites that are trying to load. We’re not willing to expend much time being patient waiting for results when we realize there are so many other opportunities out there (and if we don’t see them, we create them ourselves). It’s like the world is our internet and we’ll keep clicking till we find what we want.

Are you a patient person? Do you ever wish for a return to simpler and slower days?

J

A few summers ago I read the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. It was published in the early 1950s, on the cusp of notable events such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Red Scare (Communism). The novel follows a young and educated black man, whose name is never revealed. The story begins with him as a student at a southern college but following a series of crazy events he is kicked out of the school. He moves to New York City and becomes involved with communism and black nationalism. Throughout the novel he suffers humiliation and struggles with never being looked at as a human being (this is why I believe his name is never given). The story is told in flashbacks  and the narrator comes to release the hatred and hurt he had carried around for so long by telling his tale.

This isn’t a book review or critique; instead I want to look at the term “Invisible Man” and how change can come about and statements can be made simply by sharing one’s experiences. Often times it’s easy to feel as if there’s no way you can make a change or any kind of imprint on the world. After all you’re just one person. I know I’ve felt this way on several occasions, whether it’s wondering why anyone would be interested in reading what I’ve written or doubting the value in signing petitions and fighting for causes I believe in. It’s so much easier to succumb to The Powers That Be and figure there is no hope. But then I realize that even though a cause or movement may have a face attached to it, they didn’t do it by themselves. Instead they had several nameless people behind them, not worrying about making a name for themselves but determined to have their say. This has made me stand up for issues I feel strongly about, from littering to birth control.

I admit, a few days ago I thought about ending my blog. I enjoy writing it but I wish it was like one of those huge blogs everyone knows. Of course I’ve only been writing for two months so I guess I have to be a little patient on that front. But then, like the narrator of Invisible Man, I realized how much this blog has helped me grow. I’ve become more comfortable sharing my thoughts and writing with the world. And the comments I’ve gotten from acquaintances saying how much they like it and can relate to some of the things I talk about is just really awesome. If the random thoughts floating through my head that manage to make it on to this site is a help to anyone…well that’s a great feeling, it really is. It just reminds me that you can inspire and help in ways you may not even know. And no matter how small your say or imprint is, it’s there .

Have you ever learned a valuable lesson just from listening to someone’s story or experience?

J

P.S. Happy Spring!

This thought is influenced by a remark recently made by Mitt Romney. He said, and I’m paraphrasing, that income inequality is an issue that should be discussed in back rooms instead of out in the open. For some reason this resonated with me, because it made me think of all of the things that even today, in such a liberated culture, we still only reveal in the back room.

For instance, take sexuality. I understand a person’s sexual life is their private business and should not necessarily be discussed with everyone but we still live in a puritanical society. Why are politicians or businesspeople castigated and/or fired when they endure a sex scandal, which usually has no bearing on their job performance? Why is it a big deal when a celebrity reveals they’re gay to People magazine? Because of all the appearances of being a sexually liberated culture we still hold strongly conservative ideals. Lately I have noticed a new fascination with lifestyles that are considered taboo. This fascination has manifested itself in several reality TV shows and documentaries chronicling unorthodox sexual practices. But have we gone from refusing to acknowledge or accept sexuality to treating it like a circus act, putting alternative sexual behavior and lifestyles on display to be gawked at and treated like a spectacle?

Mental issues are another area that is typically considered to be best left unsaid. As with sexuality there has been a general acceptance of becoming more open with psychological struggles but for the most part it’s still better left for the quiet rooms in the back. Or there’s those who tell you there’s nothing wrong with you, you simply need to snap out of it (I heard this often while I suffered with depression). It boggles my mind that many don’t take mental health as serious as they do physical. Or do not believe a person may need therapy or medication to get better. In some ways mental problems are not just relegated to the back room, it’s like they do not even exist.

I called this post “The Quiet Storm” because I think that’s what occurs when we struggle with feelings and issues that are considered a dark part of our culture. How can we effectively deal with what we have been told is disgusting, shameful, and embarrassing?

What topics/issues do you consider “back room” material? How do you feel about taboo issues?

J