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Friday, June 17, 2011

Fantasy, whimsy, violence.

"Sheldon: As I will not be engaging in this nonsense, my choice of beverage is moot but for the record I only drink hot chocolate in months with an R in them.
Howard: Why?
Sheldon: What's life without whimsy?"
~Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper / Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory

As a young girl I was very into fairy tales... fantasy stories of any kind really which to me was what was found in all the books I read (I freely admit to being a bookworm). I could at any time escape from the ordinary, everyday life into adventure, suspense, action and later on romance, drama, philosophy - the things I've learnt from books are innumerable as are the hours I've spent reading them. As an adult I'm still very much a bookworm and still very into fantasy stories of any kind (I got myself late for work yesterday because I was rereading Nora Robert's Entranced).

A friend of mine took a photo recently of a giant chess set... it brought to mind thoughts of Alice in Through the Looking Glass rather than Ron and Harry in the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. What is life but a game? What kind of game is life when the players don't play by the rules?  Who sets the rules? How do the players become aware of the rules? Sometimes I feel as though I'm going through my day and everything is so crystal clear that I can understand every little thing that makes up the mystery that is life. Other days there's the feeling of moving through... molasses? very sticky stuff... caught in slow motion and fog. 

There's been a lot of talk (news? discussions? information?) about violence in schools (and out). I wonder about the youth of today ... what do they think about? What do they fill their lives with? Who or what teaches them? I can't believe that their lives are filled with magic or whimsy if they're beating up each other... or engaging in decidedly non-childlike behaviour. I wonder about the parents of these children... the homes... the support systems - it takes a village to raise a child and I think in becoming more of a developed country we've lost that concept. 

I can be grateful that I had (still have) that support... not just from my parents but from the extended family (all the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents that both mind my business and look out for me). I don't know how to go about promoting such a lifestyle... I've been in some of the secondary schools lately (work, work, work) and the attitudes/behaviour/thinking of these children are completely foreign to me. It's so very different from what I (and friends my age) grew up with. 

Where do we go from here? As a person, a community, a country, the world... It's going to be bad in the future if we do nothing now. What needs to be done? How can we improve?

There's always so many questions.

peace,
Ren


Edited to add:
Got home and found my mom reading this book which a friend of hers brought for her today:
 If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules 
Obviously, I must read it when she's done.

Also, if I ever have space for a garden... I'd like a giant chess set... and a labyrinth as well. :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

They are more exposed. It's not just cable and internet. It has to do with... well lack of parenting. Or at least parenting different.

Children seem to worry a lot, I once had someone in my class who had seen six dead bodies.. in one year.

Many of them are into tech,and also do not see opportunity for themselves. And I think the adults are responsible for that.