Sneer!
Have you noticed how much more often people sneer at one another now?
I have given this a great deal of thought. Let me show you an example.
Rose: "I rue the day I bought this car!"
Person: "What's the hell does THAT mean?"
Rose: "It means I regret the day I bought this car."
Person: "God, why didn't you just say so? Yeesh!"
I asked my husband his opinion on the matter. (His quiet demeanor is almost Zen-like, so when I go to him for an opinion, it feels like I should have climbed a mountain first.)
He said something interesting. He said that people aren't as curious as they used to be.
I had to agree. Only a few years ago, that conversation would have gone like this:
Rose: "I rue the day I bought this car!"
Person: "What is that word? Roo?"
Rose: "It means 'regret.'"
Person: "Oh. I've never heard it before."
My husband's opinion gave me food for thought. If people aren't as curious as they used to be, why aren't they?
Well, I think the world has become so snappy and fast that people are embarrassed not to know something. And being embarrassed would be modest and sweet if it weren't for this one dangerous thing: It makes people steer clear of the unfamiliar. And what is an interesting life but one unfamiliar episode after another? New people, new romances, new books and music, new talents to discover in ourselves and others.
That's why we build safe nests for ourselves from which we can fly and explore new things!
When I was younger, I made a shocking discovery. It was the realization that most people embrace a polite, curious person who listens. There I was, a scrappy city kid with a catch-as-catch-can education, being mentored by writers, mental health professionals, performers and artists - all of whom had better things to do.
A lot of them weren't particularly nice, or squishy/huggy. But all of them, it seemed to me, responded to the honesty of a kid who said, "I don't know what that word means." Even the fellow who explained the phrase "state of the art" did so nicely - and he couldn't stand me!
If you're out there sneering or being sneered at, may I suggest that all of us slow down and just share the information? It's okay not to know about things. It almost defines the human experience.
(At least, that's what I am going to tell the person I ask about text messaging.)