1. The world is full of broken dreams, lies, deceit, greed, and lust.
2. It's also full of fulfilled dreams, truths, honesty, compassion, and kindness.
3. How can it be full of bad things and good things at the same time? And are they half and half, or does one outweigh the other?
4. The bad things seem stronger, harder, meaner - and more. But surely, goodness and mercy should follow us all through our days, right?
5. What seems bad to me may seem good to others. We do not all share the same world view. Some people are fine with children starving; I am not. Some are fine with some people being treated as "less than;" I am not.
6. Are caring, compassion, and kindness lessons that must be taught, or do they come in the person automatically, a part of the DNA?
7. I wonder for how long money and material things have been more important than a person. Hundreds of years? Thousands of years? Since Cain slew Abel? Always?
8. I have walked off a job to take care of someone I loved. I hope I would throw myself in front of someone else to save them, though I also hope I'm never tested like that.
9. Everywhere I go, I see a microcosm of the world. In the grocery store, I see good people whose eyes crinkle up behind their mask so I know they're smiling. I see people who gesture for me to go first or I do the same for them. I also see angry, mean people who don't care if they hit your cart or bump into you so long as they get what they want.
10. Mean people are on TV. They are the talking heads who yell and scream and talk over other people. Television used to kind of bring people together; we all watched the same shows and could talk about the same things and have actual conversations. But now there are so many channels and so many varying points of view, no one communicates.
11. Most people appear to be working to form a response that validates their own opinion when I speak with them, not actually listening to what I am saying. I try to listen to others - it was my job as a news reporter, after all. However, I suspect I'm guilty too of trying to form my response before I totally hear another's point of view. I shall try this year to listen harder.
12. Silence is not a bad thing.
13. We're a dying society. We are doomed, really. Don't say I didn't warn you. I feel bad for the children who will have to live with our mess.
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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 740th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
I think we're largely wired to care about others or why else would I be emotionally moved when someone triumphs and choke up when they deal with tragedy. Of course, it isn't always the case as some are born with psychopathic tendencies that come out with lack of caring or abuse. I never thought I would live to wonder about the world going on but I do and I don't feel optimistic... considering climate change and double speak authoritarianism.
ReplyDeleteI think we're born with those things. But upringing either kills them, warps them, or makes them part of us. I'm happy they are part of me.
ReplyDeleteThey do say "silence is golden." Great perspectives today in your weekly 13. They almost read like proverbs. I agree that we are doomed. I too feel for the young.
ReplyDeletebetty
I always jump in to fill the silence. I often regret it. I could learn from you!
ReplyDelete