Mirrors
Reflect back on this past week. Think for a moment.
What did you watch on TV?
Did you listen to music? What music did you listen to?
What did you read?
Electronic or ink on paper, did you read a book, a newspaper, a magazine?
What type of content did you consume? What was on your (media) menu?
Did you consume News (current events information)? Who delivered the News to you? What was the source? Who was the source? A company? A person, a personality, a favorite talking head?
What genre of TV show, movie or music did you consume? Comedy, drama, science fiction, romance, fantasy? Rock n roll, classical, jazz, opera?
What Stars did you revolve around? Who are your favorite TV Personalities, Actors, Singers, Writers, Comedians, Commentators?
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And here is the thing, my thought for a day, the reason I write. The reason I write today.
I’m thinking that we live in a House of Mirrors, a Fun House - House of Mirrors.
All the images we see, they’re all distorted.
The politicians we prefer, news media we choose, tv programs, movies, music we consume, athletes we watch, all of it, all of them…
They are all reflections, exaggerated images - of us, ourselves, distorted reflections in a fun house mirror.
Some are Acrobats, some are Clowns, some of them, they - are - Monsters.
All of them, the media that we consume, what we watch, those we listen to, they’re all creations of ours. We made them. Without us, they’re nothing. Without us, in essence they are not real.
Without us, Pinocchio never becomes a real boy. Without us, we are Geppetto, without Geppetto, Pinocchio is nothing but a piece of carved wood.
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Now, right here, right now, at this point in our shared history, herstory, ourstory, we live so much of our lives surrounded with seemingly infinite media choices, a galaxy sized, big bang, house of mirrors, the wildest fun house ever.
What if we stepped out, walked away, turned off, tuned out, logged off, put all of it away, back in a box. What if we, somehow, shove Pandora back, packed her back into her box, a lock box, do not open, not one crack, no peeks - just for one, for one (whole) week.
Yes, you heard me, imagine, try to imagine fasting, no media, no moving picture, no recorded sound, nothing broadcast, no print on paper, nada, nothing - for one - whole - week.
Silver Me Timbers… Imagine that.
Try.
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If The Circus were to leave town, what would we be left with?
I ask myself and I will share with you my thought, usually my best impulse = my first thought.
PEACE, that is my answer. Sweet, sweet peace.
Crickets chirping, birds singing, children laughing, Saturday in the Park (it’s a song, an old song, look it up), Snow White whistling to birds, Julie Andrews climbing mountains, lemonade, hot chocolate, apple pie - goodness, grace, sweet grace.
All the Monsters put to bed, gone away… we made them, we can make them disappear. Honestly, just - like - that.
It’s us.
Mirrors. The Fun House Mirrors.
OK, keep the mirrors. Ditch the Fun House. Step back from the Fun House.
It’s us. It begins with us. It ends with us.
We are the problem.
And, we are the solution.