THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF
PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD:
THOSE WHO BELIEVE THERE ARE
TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD
AND
THOSE WHO ARE SMART ENOUGH
TO KNOW BETTER.
(Tom Robbins)
No one is all good or all bad, all light or all dark. The man entering the store who lets the door slam in your face might be having a very bad day. The woman at the checkout lane who is all smiles might be having a very bad day. A cranky child might want a cookie...or a hug. A cranky middle-aged person might want a cookie...or a hug. Maybe one day, for whatever reason, we don't give change to a homeless man while another day, we do. Maybe he uses the money to buy booze. Maybe he uses it to buy food. Maybe he gives it to someone he thinks needs it more than he does.
We are broken and wounded, cracked and cratered. We are also bandaged and scarred and healed. We fall, we crawl, we stand, we stagger, we jump in celebration, we dance with joy.
The world and its people are not cut and dried. Let's make sure our art isn't either. Let's fill our stories, paintings, photographs, meals, dances with nuance and shading, angles and perspectives, spices and rhythms. Let's make sure we're among "those who are smart enough to know better" and to embrace it.
We are a blend of many things and many shades of grey. Not fifty shades though...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I try to stay away from that phrase.... :)
DeleteThis post is like poetry. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Nicki!
DeleteVery touching today. If there was one thing I learned as a teacher from my students, it's not to judge a book by its cover or people by first impressions.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this post touched you, Susan.
DeleteLove this post. I could probably use a cookie and a hug right now.
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling....
DeleteOh I love that quote. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteI agree with everyone else that this is such a touching post. And also the quote cracked me up a little bit. :D
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the quote - it did the same for me. :)
DeleteYou synthesized very well the reason why I like to people-watch! There is always a story behind the veneer. And we need to be more aware of that before we judge.
ReplyDeletePeople-watching really is intriguing, isn't it?
DeleteGood stuff Madeline. There is always more to the story. Always more than what we can see on the surface, I think the word 'broken' is the very best adjective for humanity.It's only when we admit our weakness that we find real strength.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea of finding our strengths when we admit our weaknesses.
DeleteAwesome. This was actually my complaint about a book I just finished. The characters were too cut and dried. The bad guys were bad, and the good guys were good. Period. We definitely need to go deeper and dig further to bring out the true human condition, eh?
ReplyDeleteUnleashing the Dreamworld
Definitely. It's the complex characters who are often my favorites.
DeleteLovely, thoughtful piece. Yay for cranky middle-aged people everywhere...
ReplyDeleteWho are you calling middle aged and cranky? :)
Deleteexactly right! we all have our own experiences that give us our perspectives and no two are the same... it would be great if we could borrow someone else's eyes for a bit. there'd be a lot more understanding and less complaining, maybe!
ReplyDeletehappy almost friday!
I'm all for more understanding and less complaining. Happy (almost) Friday to you, too! :)
DeleteExcellent post. Very true.
ReplyDeleteNow where's that cookie or hug?
I'd like both - the cookie from the bakery and the hug from my husband. :)
Delete