Moving on.
Have you ever heard the phrase "I was born in the wrong decade/century/time period/"? I think I should just make that my catchphrase, you know, get a bumper sticker, possibly even a tattoo on my face? But really, it's already tattooed on my brain. It's an idiom that has been consuming my thoughts constantly.
I strongly desire to live in a different time, and I'm not even sure what one. The past seems so lovely right about now. I want to read books for entertainment instead of watching their movie counterparts. I want to learn to play the piano in order to listen to music. I want to write letters to friends and family, and have to wait to hear back from them weeks later. I want to grow food, and harvest it. I crave the peace and quiet that my world today lacks severely. Peace and quiet that requires patience to find the amusement in one's pursuits.
Now please do not take this to be a complaint about the blessing that it is to live in America, in 2011. With luxuries and comforts that make things like communication, entertainment and nourishment so simple, so abundant, and so accessible. I love these things and I take part in them often. So often that I take them for granted.
But when I get the chance to see the person that it has transformed me into, I am horrified. I can't sit still, I'm stuck in a constant restlessness. I need things that no human being should ever actually need. Facebook, iTunes, cell phones, weekly television shows to be watched religiously, my car to go to the nearest cafe whenever want. I am a slave to modern technology. In part because of the convenience (awesome), but mostly because of my laziness (less awesome). I'm restless because I should be working, but I don't because there's no need. I don't have to do it.
There is no effort necessary in speaking to people, in listening to music, in making delicious food anymore! Because of this, there is no substance in the conversations we have (lol!). There is no talent necessary in making some of the most popular songs that people are listening to (what with auto-tune and a good beat there's no lack of "musicians" these days.) There is no appreciation for the food we eat (have you thanked your microwave lately?)
We don't have to truly work for any of these things. And as a result, they mean less. We take them for granted.
What if when you asked someone how their day was you actually let them tell you how their day was? The good, the bad, the funny, the pointless. What if when someone asked you how your day went, you actually told them the truth? Instead of just saying "oh, it was fine."
Music is a bit different, not everyone is musically inclined. We can't all sing or play instruments, some people just don't have the knack for it. But have you tried? How do you know you can't play? Or sing? And when you listen to music, challenge it. Ask yourself, why do you listen to it? What are the lyrics saying? Do you agree with them? Listening to music doesn't always have to be an intellectual monologue, some songs are just great to bob your head up and down to. But some music is, pardon my French, universal crap. It's just bad music, and you know it. I don't judge you for having it on your iPod, but get some other music too. Find artists that create and produce their own music. The kind of music that wouldn't be possible without blood, sweat and tears. The kind of music that never needed a computer program to make it sound good. Expand your horizons a bit. Allow music to inspire you to be better, not to wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy. There's no reward in that.
Food. Cook your food! Know where it comes from! Don't just bring home cans of Spaghetti-O's and granola bars and all the other processed junk that we already eat too much of! Fresh food is truly a gift we take for granted. Take it a step further, grow your food! There is something powerful in growing your own food. I love the summer when I can make salad from the lettuce we grow. Lettuce is foolproof, and it makes you feel all green and stuff! It makes you grateful, it makes you feel good, accomplished even.
The best things in life are only the best because they weren't easy to get. Don't let the fact that we have so many modern conveniences at our disposal prohibit you from doing things the old-fashioned way. There's reward in doing things yourself, it may take extra effort, time, and maybe even a little cash here and there. But it's worth it. I desire a culture that cares about working hard. I desire to care about it myself. I want to see a people that puts their hands to the dirt and sees beautiful and inspiring things come out of it. To see the fruit of your labor is a reward in and of itself.
And if you can find reward in the work itself, well, then your life is blessed.
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