Objects at Rest
You know that new John Mayer Song, "Waiting on the World to Change"? Truth is, it's always kind of bothered me. Not the tune--I like the tune. It's the words.
Let me back up.
See, obviously you know I think people should be nice. What you might not know is that deep down, I'm a little militant about it. In the same way my friend Lakshmi has little patience for people who are perennially late or who flake out on their responsibilities (ahem, surprising she still wants to be friends with me, right?)*, I have little patience for people who piss all over others. They just take up space instead of improving the world around them. When I'm feeling fed up with selfish, mean people, what I'm screaming in my head at them is, "Either make the world better, damnit, or f-ing get out of the way!" (Notice the language. That should be a sign I'm getting riled up.)
(*Interesting side note: I just realized it's a sign you know someone well if you can say what really tries their patience. Not what makes them irritated or angry--those are sometimes different things: For instance, I know my friend John gets disproportionately pissed off if people physically hit, pinch, or elbow him, even lightly as a joke. (I got in big trouble on my way to learning that lesson.) But what I'm talking about is what really gets their dander up. Take Christy--she can't deal with people who don't stick up for themselves. ...Which is good, you know? She's right. And if I hadn't had her around all these years to berate me for letting people walk all over me, well then I'd probably be more trampled than I already am. Hmm. I smell a question of the day for later.)
So obviously I agree with John Mayer that the world is shitty and unfair, and I share his frustration that he doubts it's ever going to get better.
But it's the word waiting that gets to me. Waiting on the world to change. When has waiting for something to happen been the best way to get it to happen?
I mean, look, I use the waiting method to clean my apartment. Yep, I sit around, hating the fact that it's dirty, knowing I should clean it, *secretly hoping (ooh ooh!)* that it will just magically get cleaner on its own.
Strangely enough, it never does. Shocker. In fact, all it does if I do nothing is get slowly, steadily worse*.
*Is this like a fundamental law of physics or something? Because it's true of everything. Your favorite sweater, a concrete road, the business you own--if you don't keep them up, they all skate inevitably into decline until you have to give up and start over. Which actually, hmm, calls to mind a certain man with a boat, now doesn't it? (Wow, didn't think I'd be bringing religion into this.) (Gosh, I have a lot of tangents today.)
.....
So since I'm a card-carrying member (and just as guilty as anyone), I'm allowed to say it: Sigh. The collective inertia of our generation is staggering.
Have you ever heard old* people talk about their college days? How they staged protests, sit-ins, organized rallies? They saw stuff they didn't like--inequality, the war--and they actually went and did something about it.
*Of course, don't tell them I described them that way.
Me, I know I should do something, but I don't know what (either that or I'm too lazy to make the effort to even find out what to do), so I basically do the old "lie down until the feeling goes away". Watch some Friends, read some blogs, wrap myself in a safe little cocoon of distractions until the intrusive buzzing sound of the rest of the world dies out.
Woe is me. I don't really do anything... but gosh darn, I sure do feel bad about it.
Ick.
Question: What about people do you not have the patience for?
Big Event of the Day (tomorrow): Continue my search for a sweater to wear over my dress for the wedding Saturday
Percent Chance: Of looking: 71.6%
Of finding something: I'm not too optimistic. 22%. It may be time to dig out a backup outfit.
Let me back up.
See, obviously you know I think people should be nice. What you might not know is that deep down, I'm a little militant about it. In the same way my friend Lakshmi has little patience for people who are perennially late or who flake out on their responsibilities (ahem, surprising she still wants to be friends with me, right?)*, I have little patience for people who piss all over others. They just take up space instead of improving the world around them. When I'm feeling fed up with selfish, mean people, what I'm screaming in my head at them is, "Either make the world better, damnit, or f-ing get out of the way!" (Notice the language. That should be a sign I'm getting riled up.)
(*Interesting side note: I just realized it's a sign you know someone well if you can say what really tries their patience. Not what makes them irritated or angry--those are sometimes different things: For instance, I know my friend John gets disproportionately pissed off if people physically hit, pinch, or elbow him, even lightly as a joke. (I got in big trouble on my way to learning that lesson.) But what I'm talking about is what really gets their dander up. Take Christy--she can't deal with people who don't stick up for themselves. ...Which is good, you know? She's right. And if I hadn't had her around all these years to berate me for letting people walk all over me, well then I'd probably be more trampled than I already am. Hmm. I smell a question of the day for later.)
So obviously I agree with John Mayer that the world is shitty and unfair, and I share his frustration that he doubts it's ever going to get better.
But it's the word waiting that gets to me. Waiting on the world to change. When has waiting for something to happen been the best way to get it to happen?
I mean, look, I use the waiting method to clean my apartment. Yep, I sit around, hating the fact that it's dirty, knowing I should clean it, *secretly hoping (ooh ooh!)* that it will just magically get cleaner on its own.
Strangely enough, it never does. Shocker. In fact, all it does if I do nothing is get slowly, steadily worse*.
*Is this like a fundamental law of physics or something? Because it's true of everything. Your favorite sweater, a concrete road, the business you own--if you don't keep them up, they all skate inevitably into decline until you have to give up and start over. Which actually, hmm, calls to mind a certain man with a boat, now doesn't it? (Wow, didn't think I'd be bringing religion into this.) (Gosh, I have a lot of tangents today.)
.....
So since I'm a card-carrying member (and just as guilty as anyone), I'm allowed to say it: Sigh. The collective inertia of our generation is staggering.
Have you ever heard old* people talk about their college days? How they staged protests, sit-ins, organized rallies? They saw stuff they didn't like--inequality, the war--and they actually went and did something about it.
*Of course, don't tell them I described them that way.
Me, I know I should do something, but I don't know what (either that or I'm too lazy to make the effort to even find out what to do), so I basically do the old "lie down until the feeling goes away". Watch some Friends, read some blogs, wrap myself in a safe little cocoon of distractions until the intrusive buzzing sound of the rest of the world dies out.
Woe is me. I don't really do anything... but gosh darn, I sure do feel bad about it.
Ick.
Question: What about people do you not have the patience for?
Big Event of the Day (tomorrow): Continue my search for a sweater to wear over my dress for the wedding Saturday
Percent Chance: Of looking: 71.6%
Of finding something: I'm not too optimistic. 22%. It may be time to dig out a backup outfit.
posted by Becky at
11:27 PM
|
11 comments
