Chad's spot for various thoughts, musings, poetry, ideas and whatnot

Thursday, October 31, 2002

Clueless

Ok, so I haven't ranted in a while but I think it may be time to go off a bit. What ever happened to the idea that there is a world outside of person's own little bubble. I am amazed at how unaware many people are as to what's going on around them. An example is going to WallyWorld. I mean I'm navigating my buggy (that's what they call them down here in the south...a buggy...not a cart...a buggy) down some isle of shiny junk when someone pulls out of side isle right in front of me. Now I recognize that this sort of thing is going to happen from time to time. What gets me is that the person doesn't recognize that I'm there and then stops, effectively blocking the entire lane while they examine the shopping equivalent of their belly button lint. A softly cleared throat or excuse me does nothing to remedy the situation. The person is totally in their own little cosmosphere receiving no input from the rest of reality. Usually I find myself amused the first time this happens. What gets to me is when it happens for the fifth, six and seventh time. I'm not making this up. Everytime we subject ourselves to the mind-wrenching experience of 10,00 sq. feet of consumerism this occurs. Why are people so clueless?

In some ways it's worse here at the school. If I attempt to walk to a class in an enclosed hallway at any pace slightly greater than glacial crawl I inevitably encounter a couple of students walking side by side talking about the lastest episode in the residence halls. Repeated attempts to gain their attention only results in an uncomprehending stare. Worse is the prospect of going up and down stairs. Frequently you get people who decide to stop and deliver entire Shakespearian monologues to their companions while the traffic snare of others trying to get somewhere piles up around them. Only after several people push around the pair that are stuck like pieces of human cholestorol to the academic artery do they begin to realize that their prolonged mental vacation has the traffic helicopters circling overhead warning of 45 minute delays and road rage of homeric proportions. I understand that most teenagers think the world revolves round them but we seem to have moved to idea that there is no world around them. The world consists only of their experience. I'm sure a philosopher would have a field day with the implications of that.

If you have any insights as to why this has happened, feel free to help me come to grips with this.

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