<<I was shocked that the Jolly Bell Ringer who stood in front of the
local Supermarket had only collected $10.00 in two days..and that from elderly?? Any Idea where we are really going here???????>>
Um, to hell in a hand basket? Most people under about thirty don't really remember hard times very well. The last recession was ten years ago, after all. Elderly people DO remember that life is not always good, and that it is very easy to slip on the figurative banana peel of job loss, divorce, illness, etc. and get so far down it is hard to get up again.
Then there is a kind of callousness that I think a lot of urban people use to get them through the streets where so many people are living. After awhile it is very hard to watch. If you really think about their lives you are sad all the time. Unfortunately, once you start consciously deciding not to look around you on your way to work or Christmas shopping, you tune out the bell ringers as well. I know because it happened to me a few nights ago at the Metreon in San Francisco. I ended up feeling really like a jerk because the friend I was with did notice her, and made a contribution. I was just totally tuned out. In my defense, though, I had just finished watching American Beauty, which is a very good movie, but left me in kind of a stunned state. If you are feeling a little down at the holidays because your family is dysfunctional, this movie would definitely cheer you up, however. |
