Coping with the heat
July 1, 2009 – 7:51 am
As Summer beats down upon the South with a vengeance, I try to rearrange my time to accommodate Mother Nature’s heated disposition. I do the big, outside things early in the morning and late in day, saving the inside and easier chores for those moments when it’s simply too hot. I don’t fight this because I know for a fact whether I argue, plead, pray or wish for it to be different, Mother Nature will not change.
So this morning, as I walked around the garden thinking about the hot day ahead, it dawned on me that life would be so much easier if I applied this same logical acceptance to people. So often, we attempt to mold others to our own desires. We want them to be quiet when we’re watching a television program and resent when they interrupt. We want them to chew quietly at the table and convince ourselves it’s simply good manners. We ask them to understand our point of view when clearly they have points of their own that we may not wish to hear.
Sure manners are simply civilized behaviors that all of us should follow. But when we apply our expectations to other people, no matter how good they seem, we are, in effect, attempting to control them. However we disguise it, in a wrapper of righteousness, good intentions, good manners or group consciousness, it’s remains different flavors of control.
Just for today, try to notice your own wrappers of control: your internal judgments, your teasing manner, your sarcasm, your kind requests for specific behavior. Imagine how much easier it might be if you treated others like you do Mother Nature, just accepting them as they are.
Happy Day,
One Response to “Coping with the heat”
I don’t think it’s always a good thing to accept behaviors open-endedly. Maintaining a civilized society demands an expectation of structure and acceptable behavior from others, not only ourselves. Manners and courtesy are a reflection of respect for others and help avoid self-absorption and slovenly attitudes. Opinions are more often than not reflections of concern and passion, or at least intellectual engagement and curiosity, however the “opposition” feels about them. As for the thought, “However we disguise it ~ in a wrapper of righteousness, good intentions,… or group consciousness ~ it remains different flavors of control,” that exactly sums up my concern over current political decisions by the administration and Democratic congress.
By Hartley on Jul 2, 2009