[Insert Deep, Meaningful Title Here]
Feb. 14th, 2006 11:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcepsaI wanted to write something incredibly deep, incredibly profound for Valentine's Day.
Now, however, is apparently a time for the Universe to call to my attention that it isn't always necessary to be deep and profound. Sometimes it is good to lighten up, too. Sometimes trying too hard, making something too important can just suck all the joy right out of it and leave behind only pressure and tension and stress. I am working on my tendency to do that, and I think now is a very good time to put some extra effort into it. I deserve it, and the people I love and care about deserve it too, because it's not nearly as much fun for them (I imagine) when I'm stressed because I'm trying to make sure that absolutely nothing goes wrong.
To me it seems fairly obvious that most of the measures that we are taking in the name of stopping terrorists and making America a safe place to live are also making it a much less fun place to live. If your parents ever told you "Don't jump on the bed, you'll fall and break your neck!" you know--at least kind of--what I'm talking about. Giving up things that you want so that something that might have happened will be less likely to happen, while it generally does increase security, doesn't necessarily do so in an amount proportional to the enjoyment that you've given up to have that gain. Why are we obsessed with being secure? So we can live longer? What's the point of living longer? If you have a 20% longer life because you were willing to spend 30% of your time doing things to make yourself more secure, have you really gained anything?
I cracked an armbone playing on a friend's swing once. I was in a short cast for six weeks or three months or something like that. It hurt--when it first happened--and it was a hassle having the cast and being careful to try not to do things that would disrupt the healing, but I'm still glad that I had the cast instead of being too afraid to play on the swing because there was a chance that I might get hurt.
Same with love, but it's a lot trickier because it's an emotional thing, and our brains can get really convoluted when it comes to emotions. It can feel safer to hide all the time--and in reality maybe it is. But maybe you stagnate when that happens, when you wall yourself off from people completely. And even if you still share a little bit of yourself with people, but you still hide most of yourself, is that really the way you want to be living your life?
It's not really how I want to be living mine, and so this Valentine's Day I'm making an effort to lighten up again and let go a little bit and remember that being in the moment is at least as important as planning for the future. If I look only for threats then I'll miss all the opportunities for fun!
Now, however, is apparently a time for the Universe to call to my attention that it isn't always necessary to be deep and profound. Sometimes it is good to lighten up, too. Sometimes trying too hard, making something too important can just suck all the joy right out of it and leave behind only pressure and tension and stress. I am working on my tendency to do that, and I think now is a very good time to put some extra effort into it. I deserve it, and the people I love and care about deserve it too, because it's not nearly as much fun for them (I imagine) when I'm stressed because I'm trying to make sure that absolutely nothing goes wrong.
To me it seems fairly obvious that most of the measures that we are taking in the name of stopping terrorists and making America a safe place to live are also making it a much less fun place to live. If your parents ever told you "Don't jump on the bed, you'll fall and break your neck!" you know--at least kind of--what I'm talking about. Giving up things that you want so that something that might have happened will be less likely to happen, while it generally does increase security, doesn't necessarily do so in an amount proportional to the enjoyment that you've given up to have that gain. Why are we obsessed with being secure? So we can live longer? What's the point of living longer? If you have a 20% longer life because you were willing to spend 30% of your time doing things to make yourself more secure, have you really gained anything?
I cracked an armbone playing on a friend's swing once. I was in a short cast for six weeks or three months or something like that. It hurt--when it first happened--and it was a hassle having the cast and being careful to try not to do things that would disrupt the healing, but I'm still glad that I had the cast instead of being too afraid to play on the swing because there was a chance that I might get hurt.
Same with love, but it's a lot trickier because it's an emotional thing, and our brains can get really convoluted when it comes to emotions. It can feel safer to hide all the time--and in reality maybe it is. But maybe you stagnate when that happens, when you wall yourself off from people completely. And even if you still share a little bit of yourself with people, but you still hide most of yourself, is that really the way you want to be living your life?
It's not really how I want to be living mine, and so this Valentine's Day I'm making an effort to lighten up again and let go a little bit and remember that being in the moment is at least as important as planning for the future. If I look only for threats then I'll miss all the opportunities for fun!
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-14 09:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-14 09:51 am (UTC)When I was growing up if you got on hurt doing something silly or stupid, you just lived with it (rather than taking a lawsuit out for the owner of the land where you got hurt). I think lawsuits are starting to destroy the "fun" of this country (and are a bit of a bi-product of all of these "safty" rules).
I think that part that annoys me the most about all of the "safty" laws they sometimes put in effect, is I know that over 75% of them do not make us ANY safer, and they do take out a large part of the fun as you say. They are there to make people "feel" safer, which is a whole different ball of wax.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-14 12:47 pm (UTC)