For Love of Inanimate Objects
I’m a curator of stuff. A collector of evidence. I struggle to throw anything out because so many things are artifacts that map out my life’s journey. Each relic has a story about a moment that informs the person. In the most egotistical way possible, I’m preserving my legacy. Shaping it, really. Creating my own Presidential Library for a guy who will likely never be president. (Likely… This mid-life crisis I’m in has endless possibilities.)
![I Believe...[We Love Our Guns]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/579fa3912994ca0eff850271/1499967916932-Y8GVXVSX1R941D554SOF/yorick.jpg)
I Believe...[We Love Our Guns]
...that arts education teaches empathy on multiple levels and sports teaches competitiveness. Is it any wonder that we have churned out two generations of people who see empathy as a competition?
The Competing Narratives: Empathy vs. Fear
Giving credit where credit is due: I'm watching Legion lately. If you're into trip, smart science fiction mutant stories, I recommend it highly. In Chapter 4, a character starts things off by explaining the following concept and I found it so truthful and preternatural that I wanted to think on it a bit.
As we are slowly indoctrinated in society, we are told two stories.
The first is that of the scrappy hero thrust into a quest of some sort. The hero is beset by a challenge and is good at heart. The hero goes through tests honesty, bravery and tenacity. The hero overcomes the obstacles and learns something.
The second is that the world is dangerous and if you go out into the water, you will surely die. If you fail to wear a helmet, you will surely die. If you have unprotected sex, do drugs, or take a camping trip in the woods with a smart virgin, a slut and some comic relief, everyone but the virgin will most certainly die.
Anxiety is the thing that’s ripped our country apart. It has divided us, caused us to fear and hate those who think and live differently than us, and even caused us to hate those who only slightly disagree with us. It has led to panic and overreaction. And I worry that American Anxiety is only going to exacerbate the social and political divide in this country to the point that there is no coming back.