Nobody Wants to Know
A few months ago I heard a song by that venerable songwriter Kris Kristofferson. Called "To Beat the Devil", it was about a crusading singer feeling discouraged to the point of giving up in his quest to compel his audience to listen and heed the message in his songs. He's broke, hungry, and listening to the Devil who's telling him to just give up; nobody is listening, nobody cares.
By the end of the song he concludes that he will keep going, that somewhere, somebody will hear the message and his travails will not be in vain. That song spoke to me, having spent a large chunk of my life in essentially that same struggle. I marvel at my friends who manage to keep going, seemingly never discouraged by the lack of results and always maintaining hope. At this point I am like the guy in the song, ready to just pack it in and forget it. But somehow, I and we never do. We keep going.
What motivates us that is not present in other people? A co-worker once told me she admired our commitment, noting that in her own life she really didn't care about anything but her immediate family and the next vacation. She thought she should be ashamed, but admitted she wasn't. That conversation has stayed with me, and for years I have tried to figure out how to reach people like her, to make them understand that caring about our fellow humans is our only hope. It is what separates us from the other creatures on the earth who just exist to hunt down their next meal.
It would be much easier to coast through life that way; nothing to keep you awake at night except deciding whether to holiday in Mexico or Florida. Trouble is, for some of us, that just isn't possible. But why? What makes us different? Why do we bother at all? The loving spouse of a friend of mine thinks we're crazy, tells us we should mind our own business and that absolutely nobody wants to hear from us.
Is that spouse right? I don't know, but I sure would like to figure it out. Any thoughts on this topic are welcome, it could be quite a discussion. Or maybe nobody cares...
6 comments:
A long time ago in a behavioural science course I was taught that normal healthy people learn from experience and if they are continually unsuccessful in achieving task they give up. Paradoxically a successful salesperson is one who does not learn from experience. Even though 50 doors have been shut in their face they will continue to knock on doors and ultimately someone might buy something, or at least ask what they are selling. This was shown as an example where lacking an experience gene ( or reflex) was seen to be necessary or advantageous. Equally well lacking this capacity to learn from experience might also lead to gambling addiction, so it goes both ways.
In the case of political struggles, or struggles to improve the human condition, there is the realization that the result of ceasing to struggle is a foregone conclusion: nothing will change, so the only thing to do is to continue. It is a bit like a lottery: if you don’t buy a ticket you can be 100% sure of not winning.
Greg H
Sounds like you have a case of the February 'blahs'. You'll get over it.
And, in case you are running out of goals and commitments, I have a project I think you might be interested in. We'll talk when there's something a little more concrete I can present to you.
So now there's suspense in your life too....:-)
There is also a condition called "learned helplessness". A dog can be trained to not jump across a line to get some food because it will receive an electric shock. In this case the dog still will not cross the line even if the electricity is turned off. (Don't blame me, I didn't shock dogs, it was a scientist that did it).
In human terms the lesson is that sometimes it requires an extreme effort to persuade people that their apathy or reluctance to act is in fact misguided. The condition is easier to diagnose than to cure. The good news is that a certain percentage of the dogs refused to become helpless.
"It is what separates us from the other creatures on the earth who just exist to hunt down their next meal."
That's why I read the BurdReport -those wonderfully delicate and nuanced swipes at the Rotary Club, this being but the latest fine example.
So, a percentage of the population's going to have red hair, and so on.... Don't fret it Deb, you are what you are, and you ain't what you ain't. Personally, from what I've read on these posts from you, I'm glad you're still kickin'. You go girl !
Unfortunately, THIS is what people around here care about. Care so deeply about as a matter of fact that it has led to an epidemic of ghastly purple prose flagwaving, designating snowboarders and kids killed in military 'accidents' by their own mates, and the declaration that the Canadian flag (in which the author of this horrifyingly bad piece of writing is firmly wrapped) is a female. Who knew? Frankly, it's been a long time since I read anything as unintentionally hilarious as this:
http://www.northumberlandnews.com/article/148401
Post a Comment