shame of eden : part i
I have been —
Watching the news. This is almost always a mistake. Watching the news too much makes me near suicidal and definitely over the edge disgusted with and appalled by human beings. Unclean. Ashamed — of what I am and whom and what I come from. It makes me want to disown my own species. Scrub my skin off.
I know the shame of Eden. And it is not the shame of Eve or Adam. It is a shame of now.
*hu⋅man⋅i⋅ty /hyuˈmænɪti –noun, plural -ties.
1. all human beings collectively; the human race; humankind.
2. the quality or condition of being human; human nature.
3. the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence.
0 Responses to shame of eden : part i
When I get too disgusted, I remember a quote that I’ve mangled up…something to the effect
Being a son of Adam or a daughter of Eve is enough to make the proudest King on earth bow his head in shame…and also enough to make the poorest begger stand proud before his maker.
I remember famous people I admire like Gandhi and quieter people like my mother. I think about the kindness of strangers stopping to help fix cars and the strength of neighbors cleaning sick friend’s homes.
It helps erase the greasy smears of stories about just how much we Americans can torture someone and still speak self-righteously about the sins of other countries.
I always wonder what percentage of the reality we would be disgusted by, as opposed to through the magnifier of the news. Say, 10% of the real world? Versus 80% as seen on the news?
But we wouldn’t know which was true without a way to see it. So the thing is to figure out what percentage of humanity you think really is horrible *not* based on the biased, twisted, sensationalist news.
I think it’s really an optimism/cynicism test.
Maggie has a great point. But a reasonable extension of that thought would be to know how much more horrible stuff happens every day that the news doesn’t cover.
That’s very depressing…
Forkboy, you are scaary. That is one bleak view of life. Get out and take some of your beautiful photos to ease the grimness.
Max, Thanks for the visit by Nathan Fillion. At first, I thought it was a hoax until I read that you had sent him. Now I will have to send more choc chip cookies.
Oh cool he visited. I will have to go see what he said.
I remember when my sister found out she had cancer- we were sitting there talking and she said to me,
to quote many a movie ” Failure is not an option.”
I know things are bad, people are bad and the world can be bad AND nasty but I want every single second I can get from it- no matter how bad it and the people on it suck.