Disconnected

[Gelatinous Pope]

Most people are. Disconnected from their planet home, from eachother, from themselves. So disconnected from eachother that we even resort to text on a screen as someone to talk to. We live in neighborhoods but we only see eachother through the windows. People are more attached to how sophisticated their lives are and less attached to eachother. Materialists, they have everything and love nothing. Thinking of their gluttonously unhappy lives as hard earned quality existence. Just look at all the peoples' lives tucked away in their homes, can you say that people don't live in caves?

When I see people on the street or in their cars, the look on their face is usually one of disgust, mistrust. A feeling arises that everyone is thinking terrible thoughts about eachother. They are all stray cats watching eachother over a food bowl. There is no human community among our established cities. All the morality and political correctness is just pretentiousness.

So many interactions with the people whom I cross paths with seem fake. People don't see eachother and they just pass by. When some bit of interaction is offered, it tends to be just polite and meant only to make a pretty face without actually making any effort to make a meaningful connection with someone.



In fact we teach it to our kids not to trust. I can remember my early years of school when the 'stranger danger' program was being prescribed to children throughout the state. I was warned of the suicide bomber walking his dogs in the park and the ice cream truck turning onto the proper road for a drive-by shooting.

Since the day we are born we are taught to be afraid. Afraid of a time-out or being grounded, a form of isolation. Or even far greater parental punishments. At school we are afraid of the teacher's authority. We learn to accept having no power. Having no power of our own we are attracted to joining a 'greater' cause. Changing our identities. Our thoughts are processed just like our food.



We generally feel inferior to our desired identity; not pretty enough, not as much money. We are distracted by all the concepts of our society and we forget who we are. we don't appreciate eachother and live life as a contest. We are not in touch with ourselves and the earth. No one knows how to live, only how to perpetuate life. We abuse pleasure and demand it all in vain. We do not bother to enjoy every passing moment. Love is lost to addiction. We work for addiction. We eat for addiction. We exercise our bodies for addiction. We even have sex with one another for addiction. People falling in love or having sex as an addiction shows that people aren't satisfied with their relationships with others, and themselves. And it is a clear sign of the massive scale of disconnection.

A true feeling of meaningful communication and understanding is a rare thing for me to experience with someone. When it happens I am happier than I can tell you.

[MelissaTaylor]

I'm surprised that nobody has responded to this yet. I agree with this passage completely. I feel very disconnected from the people and the world around me far too often.

So many interactions with the people whom I cross paths with seem fake. People don't see eachother and they just pass by. When some bit of interaction is offered, it tends to be just polite and meant only to make a pretty face without actually making any effort to make a meaningful connection with someone.
I experience this far too often. When I'm passing by someone in the halls at school or on the sidewalk when I'm taking a walk, we either avert our eyes from each other to avoid awkwardness (which the situation still feels awkward) or we just smile at each other out of politeness.


All the morality and political correctness is just pretentiousness.

Our thoughts are processed just like our food.
I love these two statements. :)

A true feeling of meaningful communication and understanding is a rare thing for me to experience with someone. When it happens I am happier than I can tell you.
I think I love these two sentences the most out of the whole passage because I can relate to them so much. This is exactly how I feel. I think a lot of people in the world may feel this way as well.

[Thomas Knierim]

It's definitely a powerful statement.

Somehow, I have overlooked it when GelatinousPope posted it in February. Although I don't identify with it, I find that it describes very well an awkward aspect of life in big cities.

It's almost like certain big city communities turn schizoid over time. Strangely, I have only perceived this Europe and America, but not in Asia, not even in places like Hong Kong and Tokyo, which are really modern cities. I've certainly not perceived this in Bangkok, which -at times- feels more like a 6-million people village with its permanent markets and street vendors.

Life in some European metropolis can be awfully lonely, especially for older people. I don't think this is enviable at all. I'd prefer to live in a wooden hut in any Thai village.

Cheers, Thomas

[kris]

When I see people on the street or in their cars, the look on their face is usually one of disgust, mistrust.This is up to each one of us to change, not just complain about. Most strangers will treat us the way we treat them. I moved to Montana a little over a year ago and all the "strangers" so far have been kind to me.
In fact we teach it to our kids not to trust. I can remember my early years of school when the 'stranger danger' program was being prescribed to children throughout the state. I was warned of the suicide bomber walking his dogs in the park and the ice cream truck turning onto the proper road for a drive-by shooting.I grew up in India in a crowded city. In the morning at about 6, we would open our front door for the milkman and then it remained wide open, not just unlocked, rest of the day till we went to bed past 1o at night. Neighbors, friends and relatives would drop by, walk in with greetings, go about their business and so it went on. As children, we were taught not to trust total strangers, but neighbors were expected to take care of children in the neighborhood and that seemed to work.

My daughter grew up in the US of A. She was taught in school about stranger danger and I did not mind it perhaps because I kept myself too informed about the goings on in the society. But I did not teach her total distrust of every human being. Most of all, I prayed for her safety and still do even though she lives miles away from me now.

We generally feel inferior to our desired identity; not pretty enough, not as much money. We are distracted by all the concepts of our society and we forget who we are. we don't appreciate eachother and live life as a contest. We are not in touch with ourselves and the earth.Growing up is supposed to take care of this. I was afraid as a boy of many things. And I grew up not to be afraid of just about anything.

We even have sex with one another for addiction.If you are rich and famous, you can check into sex addiction facilities these days. :D

Every individual, if he desires, can stop being disconnected and learn of his connectedness to the world around him.

[Gelatinous Pope]

Dude, don't read my bullshit. :P

[MelissaTaylor]

Dude, don't read my bullshit. :P

But your bullshit is good! :)