One of my parents favourite sayings was: “ Vun lauter Beem den Bësch nët méi gesin”, in English: “being unable to see the forest for the trees.”
I liked the expression and I always thought of it when all this teenage bullshit got too much and I went for a perspective changing walk in the woods. (yes, I know, I needed the trees to see the forest) . It always helped me to see things from a bit of a distance and invariably everything looked very different looked at from afar.
Nowadays it seems to me that this perspective is even harder to get, we are more and more immersed in our own little world that we now can take with us everywhere we go. We flee not to a place that gives us perspective, but to a place that drags us deeper into what we believe is right, true, the only possible way to be, look, feel, think. And it pulls us apart. Instead of learning of new and different ways of seeing the world, we believe what our Facebook, Instagram, twitter, account tells us. And those accounts only confirm our world views. No questions asked, no criticism, no space for other opinions anymore. Sometimes I get scared by the refusal of some people around me to even allow for other possibilities to see the world and by their scary acceptance of what people they “believe” tell them is right. Why? Is it fear? Do we need something to religiously believe in and if we don´t have religion anymore we replace it with an Instagram account, or a youtube channel?
Have we become so brainwashed that we believe all the scare stories we are told, that we buy into this entire work hard play hard bullshit, that we believe we need to earn insane amounts of money and buy a new fancy car and a own a well decorated house and buy tons of useless stuff, that it’s great to be constantly overworked and exhausted , that we also need to look a certain way and exercise in posh “health” clubs and travel to the right countries … And that by buying all this crap we are actually doing something good for “the economy” ? And on the other side, just as scary: those people who refuse anything that is remotely “modern”, no Facebook account because … , no Instagram because …. , who judge other people who go to doctors instead of alternative healers when they have cancer and who think that giving your cat medicine is unethical because one shouldn't´t artificially prolong a life. (I always wonder if the same people would refuse help if they were in a traffic accident) and who constantly judge everyone and everything around them, making you feel bad for every “unethical” thing you are doing (like enjoying a good meal or posting a picture online or going somewhere by plane, or car) .
Why have we grown so much apart? It seems that dialogue and discussions with an open mind are things from the past. Or am I wrong and is it only my perception … and do I need another walk in a forest to see things differently?
I liked the expression and I always thought of it when all this teenage bullshit got too much and I went for a perspective changing walk in the woods. (yes, I know, I needed the trees to see the forest) . It always helped me to see things from a bit of a distance and invariably everything looked very different looked at from afar.
Nowadays it seems to me that this perspective is even harder to get, we are more and more immersed in our own little world that we now can take with us everywhere we go. We flee not to a place that gives us perspective, but to a place that drags us deeper into what we believe is right, true, the only possible way to be, look, feel, think. And it pulls us apart. Instead of learning of new and different ways of seeing the world, we believe what our Facebook, Instagram, twitter, account tells us. And those accounts only confirm our world views. No questions asked, no criticism, no space for other opinions anymore. Sometimes I get scared by the refusal of some people around me to even allow for other possibilities to see the world and by their scary acceptance of what people they “believe” tell them is right. Why? Is it fear? Do we need something to religiously believe in and if we don´t have religion anymore we replace it with an Instagram account, or a youtube channel?
Have we become so brainwashed that we believe all the scare stories we are told, that we buy into this entire work hard play hard bullshit, that we believe we need to earn insane amounts of money and buy a new fancy car and a own a well decorated house and buy tons of useless stuff, that it’s great to be constantly overworked and exhausted , that we also need to look a certain way and exercise in posh “health” clubs and travel to the right countries … And that by buying all this crap we are actually doing something good for “the economy” ? And on the other side, just as scary: those people who refuse anything that is remotely “modern”, no Facebook account because … , no Instagram because …. , who judge other people who go to doctors instead of alternative healers when they have cancer and who think that giving your cat medicine is unethical because one shouldn't´t artificially prolong a life. (I always wonder if the same people would refuse help if they were in a traffic accident) and who constantly judge everyone and everything around them, making you feel bad for every “unethical” thing you are doing (like enjoying a good meal or posting a picture online or going somewhere by plane, or car) .
Why have we grown so much apart? It seems that dialogue and discussions with an open mind are things from the past. Or am I wrong and is it only my perception … and do I need another walk in a forest to see things differently?
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