Aristo! Aristo! A la lanterne!: Sharing a thought...

Friday, July 16, 2021

Sharing a thought...

In a former age, one might be walking around their town, or driving down a rural road, and see a friend or neighbor relaxing on their front porch. Sitting out front was the universal sign that visitors are welcome... and we often did. Even if it was just to say good evening, and ask how their day was.

The days piling up with no one sitting out there... that's when we knew it was time to get off our butt and go knock. They might really need us.

These modern days, we don't do after diner walks around town, and few folks go for that evening drive down quiet country roads. We sit at home and twiddle electronics, or work that second job to make ends meet.

Meself? I get to thinking about people, and feel the urge to reach out and touch base with them. Just a note to say hi... thinking of you.... how are you doing.... I'm still here. It's the modern version of saying "Hello friend" as I walk past their front porch.

I don't think there's enough reaching out to people in these times. People get isolated, lost in their own heads, and lack of human contact can make it all turn dark.

Do you do that? Reach out just to say hi? Let the people you know understand they are not alone in this mess?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Robert Heinlein

"Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.

But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants "just a few minutes of your time, please — this won't take long." Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time — and squawk for more!
So learn to say No — and to be rude about it when necessary.
Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you.

(This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don't do it because it is "expected" of you.)"