I remember as a youngster, part of our little neighborhood ‘gang’, long before most of you were even born, being once asked to push over a mailbox. It seemed such a major issue at the time, but I can see that the idea was to create myself as ‘one of us’ from the perspective of the other fellows.
It had nothing to do with the mailbox. It just meant that when we were addressed by anyone else, we had the sense that we were ‘all’ being included. All for one and one for all! Remember?
Sorta like an initiation and sorta like smearing ourselves with any impending wide brush…..’talk about my friend and you talk about me’. Got it?
That’s indirectly what I am alluding to here in my thoughts today. As I watch person after person being maligned on national television, it suddenly dawned on me that I was seeing the whole thing from a perspective that suggested that it was only about gossip. I was reacting to it like, way too much junk about way too many folks.
Eventually, it started to look, not like there were folks on the outside looking in on those who were apparently transgressing various community standards, but that the announcers, guest psychologists, and other experts were on the inside.
They were looking out at the world and in the context of ‘they dost protest too much’ they are actually ‘pushing over the mailbox’! Even though there was the attitude of aloofness, it was as if they wanted to be included in something, and were testing the waters.
“You guys havin’ any fun over there? Life is pretty boring over here!”
Isn’t it interesting how such a large number of those stating professional opinions, have never been in trouble!
Looking back, I remember the mixed feelings I had and how ‘out of place’ I felt when people in positions of power addressed us teenagers. They always listed things that we were supposed to be doing that upset the more sophisticated or intelligent members of society.
On one hand I wanted those lists to include some serious stuff so that my ‘petty infractions’ would go un-noticed among the more noteworthy ones. On the other hand, I had this secret wish that it would be kinda neat to have been a part of the more exciting ‘slips of integrity’.
It didn’t seem to be about actually doing bad stuff but about doing something, anything that would put a bit of adventure into a pretty suppressed, strict religious upbringing.
So, watching the present talk shows from a new context, paying attention to those who are being critiqued and noticing who is doing the critiquing, I am becoming aware that there seems to be an underlying agenda. No, I don’t think it is about appearing morally superior, but rather to flood the conversation with all the things we find reprehensible so that we can all say ‘I am Spartacus.’
You see, each of us carries the ‘condition’ of all humanity within us. That’s a very strong bond that has gone unnoticed.
If we are ever to come together as a world community and tear down the walls, we need this inclusiveness.
Now, here’s a sobering thought. It has been hoped (by some) that somehow the organizations that consider themselves to be very ‘upstanding role models’ would unite us as humans. Now it appears that we will experience our unity and our humanity in our ‘slips and mistakes.’
That is very humbling, and it would matter a lot if it resulted in a huge outpouring of compassion for each of us in every community.
Rich