Friday, April 07, 2006

Friday snippets

* I'm wearing sunglasses again. I usually don't need them in the winter. This picture is from Sunday atop Mont Royal (the 1000 foot hill in the middle of the city.

* I noticed that they're selling new shoes with a "dirty" look. Dirt as fashion statement. Agape doesn't begin to define my facial expression.

*Lebanese food is big in Montreal. I like it, but I usually don't know exactly what I'm eating.

* The personal lives of celebrities hold no interest for me. (Currently anyway. I do recall some interest in OJ and Woody Allen some time back)

* If voting (like driving) is a privilege, why don't we have to pass some kind of test first? Shouldn't people have to prove that they understand the question before they answer it?

* The sun is a good teacher. It is necessary for survival but too much gives sunburn.

* I've never seen a baby pigeon or seagull. Do they hatch as adults? Have you ever seen a seagull or pigeon "chick"?

* I've been thinking lately how western culture/media encourages us to indulge our every whim. "You deserve it", "Just do it" , "Because you're worth it" and the like are teaching us not only to respond to our every base desire, but also to avoid any and all instances of discomfort.

And it breeds the feeling of entitlement, which I abhor.

I'm sorry, but I don't think our purpose here is to sit around, indulging every whim and hiding out from discomfort. There's got to be more to it than that.

20 comments:

Snooze said...

I wish slogans like "just do it" were linked in our minds to helping others. I agree with you about there needing to be a greater purpose in life.

toobusyliving said...

Are the fun "drum" people out on the Mont yet? I miss looking up and seeing the glowing cross...anyway, oh yeah, social justice. I'm still getting over the shoes, but there shouldn't be anything surprising about it. I was just thinking, after reading what you wrote, that you might be living in the right province in the right country. Does that make sense?

The Wisdom of Wislon said...

Well said Torn!

Have a fab sunnytastic weekend!

Ps: liked your titbits!

CoffeeDog said...

Pigeons - they are everywhere, they are like the rats of the sky. I have never seen a baby pigeon either!

St. Dickeybird said...

I wish I could write as well as you...
:)
You're just so... right.

Adam said...

The last one was perfect! What a gem. I used to know someone who felt as if she deserved a break all the time and her resulting behavior was very selfish.

Shauntae AuPair said...

Student self-entitlement - the bane of all teacherdom. "I deserve an A! I know I didn't come to class, but I was busy or tired! It's not my fault your texts are boring or that your tests are ridiculously hard! My tuition pays your salary!" God bless their cotton socks....

I needed sunglasses in the winter to protect from evil snow glare. Perhaps Albreta snow is brighter than Quebecois snow?

Jason said...

Actually entitlement was something I had a problem with. Not anymore though -- it made me miserable.

In fact I read a book, that lists entitlement along with 3 other behaviors that lead to misery.

Victimization, Entitlement, Rescuing (needing it) and Blame. VERB

Lee said...

Loving that pic. Grr!

toobusyliving said...

Who do you have to blow to get linked here, btw?

GayProf said...

Yeah, it’s that feeling of entitlement that also leads people to hurting each other. "My happiness is the most important thing," some people are willing to say, "and it really doesn’t matter to me if I hurt you in the way of obtaining it. I am the only one who matters."

Anonymous said...

Wait! I have seen baby seagulls. It was under the boardwalk at Bolsa Chica. Girl discovered them which maade me very glad. They all had their mouths wide open in a very entitled way. (smirk)

Patricia said...

i wear sunglasses most of the winter. the reflection of the sun on the snow is sometimes blinding.

i used to make my mom crazy by scuffing up my brand new white tennis shoes. it just wasn't cool to stand out like that. who knew it would be a paying gig one day.

entitlement isues are huge. it saddens me how easy some kids have become comfortable thinking the world (or mommy and daddy) "owe" them the latest and the greatest. nothing ever felt as sweet as saving for something i really, truly wanted.

ink said...

Unfortunately, the concept of "rights" has become virtually disconnected from the concept of "responsibilities," when they're really just two sides of the same coin.

I just wonder who's making money off all the resulting misery.

Anonymous said...

Very insightful bullets, Tornwordo.

Say, do you like those Black Crows -- Dots that are all black? Those are sticky crows.

Perplexio said...

In the U.S. (and I'm guessing in Canada as well) it seems that the more vocal people are about their freedom of speech the quicker they are to forget that same freedom of speech has been extended to people with views which are diametrically opposed to theirs. They seem to forget that freedom of speech does not come with a freedom from being offended.

r said...

I didn't come up with it, but the "but it's me" syndrome is what I call that weird sense of entitlement that some folks have.

You know, those people that cut into line "because they're in a hurry" or those folks that try to squeeze in from the right when two lanes merge into one... when the two lanes have already merged into one, the ones that... well, don't get me started.

Although, sitting around on my ass, drinking a glass of wine, doing nothing isn't a bad thing once in a while.

Chunks said...

I hate that dirty look...my oldest is always trying to sell me on that. I have enough real dirty looking things here, I don't need any fake dirty things!

Nice list, very random!

Anonymous said...

I just wonder who's making money off all the resulting misery.

Wow Ink. That is a great question. My FIL always reduces things to the money. It is depressing, but useful.

Also, my pleasure, T.(grin)

Anonymous said...

oh pleaze.............
no one knows better than you about "indulging every whim" and is it better to deny yourself? How healthy is that? And what is wrong with "avoiding any and all instances of discomfort".
You yourself said, "why choose unhappiness", mr man.
Don't mean to bust your bubble but I'm from the ME GENERATION, and proud of it.
Oh yeah, I'm nice to dogs and old people too, and I volunteer too and all that crap.......
you can sign me,
Miss Self Absorbed and Proud of It