Temptation
You should use the word as your inspiration as either a theme of the Sijo or in the poem itself.
There are:
It’s a human temptation to react according to heart.
Only the wise know better from lessons of such a folly.
Our hearts inspire but sober minds are vital to evolution.
What an interesting morning in the ‘blogosphere’ I’ve had. It seems to have produced a treasure trove of thoughts and questions.
My Unanswered Question for today was inspired by one of those exchanges. A subject of great interest to me is the evolution of environments kids grow up in.
I’ve already examined the dynamic changes in the make-up and size of nuclear families. There’s still ‘meat’ on that bone to take up later.
But my unique vantage point afforded by providing childcare for 46 years, has given me a clearer view of the timeline of changes in the realm of ‘being a kid’ than most people would have had.
The most mind-blowing thing I discovered my granddaughter doing recently was observing her watching videos of other children playing. It didn’t seem to be a curious inquiry that might inspire a game that she could play. It was merely a form of entertainment.
Her response when asked (probably a little too judgmentally), “What the heck are you doing?!” was, “I’m just bored.”.
She predictably rolled her eyes at my ‘all too familiar’ response of “Read a book.” before I pulled out some paints and invited her to the table.
Then it hit me. How many of you had parents who answered the “I’m bored.” complaint with a chore or a request for us to “Go outside and play with your friends, then.”?
Kids just can’t go outside on an impulse anymore. And sadly, there aren’t a bunch of other kids nearby either.
We had something they don’t… The opportunity to explore and ‘boredom’ inspired some of our best adventures!
The changes to our children’s and grandchildren’s environment didn’t stop at ‘less safety’ and fewer friends. It came from an attitude adjustment inspired by those things. Exploration had been replaced by entertainment.
I hope those of you still reading this can imagine the tragedy in the last statement. One broadens the mind, and the other broadens the “behind”. One embraces curiosity and creativity, and the other discourages those things.
Too many ‘old folks’ tend to immortalize their childhoods as the BEST, but this ‘old person’ can’t imagine that this ‘kernel’ of change is a ‘good’ thing.
Knowing that kids are learning to require entertainment certainly explains a lot of our current troubles. It comes down to expecting ‘boredom’ to be a ‘bad’ thing AND suggests that a person’s environment has an obligation to offer ‘entertainment’ instead of it coming from within.
My head is banging the table as I consider today’s question.
WHY DID BOREDOM HAVE TO BECOME A ‘BAD’ THING?
There is more going on in Nature than natural selection. Natural selection adds polish to a perfection that takes my breath away.That perfection cannot be denied.
An old school friend , once smugly answered a question I had placed online with, “It’s called natural selection.” My question was from an observation about dead frogs. They become more visible to carrion feeders when they die and their white underbelly turns upward. The contrast against the darker colored water becomes another mechanism in the amazing life cycle. While, I do believe that the white under-bellies happened in order to disguise frogs against the silver surface of ponds. Those who could be seen by underwater predators were eaten in greater numbers therefore, “selecting” the white bellies as a helpful genetic trait. This still did not explain how the white bellies also helped the “clean-up” effort. I find these unintended perks very interesting. Of course, as an observer of nature, I notice many perks and find them to be evidence of a perfect order that cannot be categorized as coincidental.
I am not inclined to bring religion into the discussion. Nature herself is an enigma which is tangible to our studies and senses yet cannot be explained by pure science.
Nature can be violent and seemingly unkind from the human view. Ah, even our own senses often betray us. Yet, we refuse to accept our own limitations, often at our peril. The global warming debate, our manifest interest in saving animals from extinction, and our refusal to realize that humankind is part of the natural order are not even hiccups to Nature’s plan. We may have a hand in our own destruction but we are not guardians of Nature.
I studied the Valdez Oil Spill, once upon a time. It was a horrible event with much destructive force. Our scientists rushed to help.Helping and doing is an honorable endeavor. The scientists developed enzymes and “soaps” to break down the oil. When the horrors of the event faded it was found, and not as widely reported, that the “soap” impeded the natural bacteria which took over and cleaned up the environment twice as fast. Individual wildlife suffered…Nature recovered. Nature recovered in spite of our well-intended cures not because of them.
When an animal, humans too, experiences severe bodily trauma, they go into shock. Shock can be a deadly condition but it also is a Natural reprieve from pain and worry. Folks who survive shark attacks seldom pause to relive the pain endured while losing the limb. They have pain during recovery but talk freely about pulling the unwhole body part away. Their natural response was not inhibited by overwhelming pain but was directed by adrenaline and the interest in surviving. I find this amazing. Even our bodies are kinder to us than we realize.
There are many ways to look at our world. Often we defer to experts when problems arise. I think Mother Nature is the quintessential expert when it comes to environmental issues. Our job is to care not to waste and destroy but it is arrogant to assume we can manage “her”.
There are many jokes about the many ways by which men and women misunderstand each other. They are ALL funny because they are mostly true.
If we avoid anecdotes pertaining to individuals in our lives and concentrate on what seems to be really basic differences, the discussion can be quite interesting.
As an student of human behavior with many years of observations of young children, I think the most striking difference in the sexes is how we deal with frustration.
Boys most often blame forces outside of themselves before blaming themselves. Girls are much more likely to react in the exact opposite manner. If you believe that this is true, it’s no wonder how women are often emotionally misused by their spouses. Women accept blame and Men tend to blame.
Seems so simple but I believe if we consider the natural role of the sexes, men=providers/women=caregivers, there is good reason for the contrast.
First, anyone who thinks human beings can be type-cast entirely is naive.
Second, if you are not willing to believe that we evolved from and are a specialized kind of animal, you need not read further.
Third, these observations are just that, and not intended to favor one sex over the other. In fact, this whole piece is intended for us to understand and accept that we are different yet equal.
As hunters and providers, males would be less effective if their nature was to wallow in self-doubt. Being headstrong and confident are the best qualities for hunters/protectors/providers. Women, as caregivers, would be less effective if they were unable to empathize and use emotionalism in their strategies. Tending to others requires a sensitivity and willingness to sacrifice their own comfort more readily.
Bottom line men and women, need each other. Their roles are not as clear cut in our modern times. I believe the striking differences in our basic philosophies are fading too.
Laugh we must, as our roles redefine themselves through further evolution!
So here I am with writing time…
I recently noticed that my right foot must be larger than my left because I can’t slip it into my tied sneaker OR my right sneaker just may be a factory “second” and is a fraction smaller than my left. Whatever…
I have learned to embrace the unevenness of the world. Many people have what I call “Perfect Order Syndrome”. You know who you are. I’ve watched you mow your lawn and plant your flowers. Red, yellow,blue…red,yellow, Yikes! Off you go to the nursery for blue. Have you guys noticed the “perfect” randomness of Nature? Many things must appear “out of place” to the syndrome sufferers. Wow! It’s like what I imagine a dog’s sense of smell is, an overpowering input of too much information!
As much as I poke fun at gardeners with plans, I am as bugged by a crooked wall hanging as the next guy. If only to relieve the “fun house” effect for my senses, I will straighten as I go. How each of us perceives the world on an individual basis is very intriguing to me. Guess this is why we put our interests in best friends. They are our closest fit and the proof that our personal quirks are NOT crazy.
What IS crazy anyway? Out of the norm? I’ve yet to find two individuals exactly alike so how could we have a notion of a “norm”? The American Kennel Club is a perfect example of the hazards of searching for a norm. The breeding of dogs for special traits and norms has created “monsters” and weaklings in the canine world. The many breeds are human curiosity and a natural atrocity! Most purebred dogs would perish in the wild,as would most modern citified folk too.
Here we come to the human condition. The softening and weakening human beings who expect to be “cared for” by the government. Those who turn on a water faucet and have never considered where the water comes from and that it is a limited resource. Those who turn on a light switch never considering the energy, its source and how it is produced. I’m sure it’s easy to get, once,twice,three times removed from Nature in the city. But I consider it a dangerous trade-off for country “horse sense”. Now, I am not planning on an apocalypse in the near future. My warning is about losing ourselves in the city. Whether we were planted on earth by Aliens or come from Adam and Eve, we are part of this physical world and a rung in the “natural ladder”. Knowing how to “make do” using ingenuity and by conserving our resources has been replaced with, “I’ll just buy another one.”
I’m not one of those super “greenies” who believe THEY can influence and protect Mother Nature. I am a person who believes Mother Nature is the one who knows best. By communing with her we learn the “perfect disorder” of living.
Have you ever watched ants working together or realized the balance of ecosystems? Let me tell you, mankind may affect them but Mother Nature will correct them. Most creatures who have inhabited this earth are evolved or extinct. No exceptions. No welfare, no bail outs, no mercy for the weak. Natural law is the only law that really exists.
I am not uncaring about others in need. In fact, we are supposed to help each other, like those ants. The one thing that mankind needs to learn is help your own. Taking care of family,friends and neighbors,IS the right thing to do. Our own communities need us. To reach out beyond that cannot be useful to our survival and without survival, who cares how large your TV is? The impending collapse of our capitalist system does not worry me. It could have worked and would have worked if left to “natural selection”. I know how to conserve. I am willing to lose my remote control for the TV. I know many ways to put food on the table. Do you?
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