Society

Reflections on Society

Sometimes when I walk in my neighborhood, I’ll say “Hi!” or “Afternoon!” to people that I encounter.  Some will respond with the same greeting while others will totally ignore me.  These folks will often have ear buds in their ears.  Occasionally, someone one will respond with small talk that leads to a pleasant conversation.  I have to confess that when I don’t get a response back from a greeting, I sometimes fantasize that I’m saying to them, “I’m sorry, you must be deaf!” or “I’m so sorry that no one ever taught you social skills!”.   Both of which are likely untrue. 

This reminded me of a time a few years ago when I traveled with a group to New York City.  We were riding the subway to a stop near our hotel, and as we prepared to depart, we encountered a young man holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  One of the older ladies that we were with stood in front of him and said in a loud and kind voice, “Those flowers are sooo beautiful.  Are they for your wife?”  His eyes never moved up from his feet.  I think seeing this behavior, was a first for some of us. 

When I was a kid, I loved spending some of each summer with my Uncle, Aunt and Cousins near a very small town in Wyoming.  In that community, it was just expected that we would always wave if we passed anyone in a moving vehicle.  If we spotted anyone in the distance that we didn't know or hadn't seen for a while, we would drop what we were doing, and go to greet them.  This was just the way that people kept up with the news in the community.  In this farming community, conditions were often hard, especially in the winter, so people were always ready to help each other out at the drop of a hat.

Musings

Social/emotional health is more important that academic growth.

Possibly one of the greatest evils is to manipulate others using religion.  Could this be taking the name of our Lord in vain?

It doesn't work to force compliance through restraint.  Compliance is gained through trust.  When one is caused discomfort or pain, they may not remember “why”, but they will remember “who”.

*Those with schizophrenia often cannot control their thoughts thus behavior, and cannot be expected to comply.  They may need restraint with kindness. 

We usually get back some of the treatment that we give out.  One can never go wrong with kindness.