Go Public

Have you ever compared how people walk in contrast to how they drive? When walking we are usually politely graciously sliding in and out of each other’s paths with a “pardons” or “excuse me’s,” thrown in; it is a civilized procedure that for the most part is enjoyable. Then people get behind the wheel, wildly swapping lanes, cutting each other off, honking the horns, giving each other the finger, refusing to yield and generally acting like deranged imbeciles. Why is that?

A similar thing seems to happen when folk talk about politics of Facebook or other anonymous types of conversations. Generally polite people who at a dinner table with the same folk the demean and deride in print, would never say the same things; usually anyway. We seem of have Jekyll and Hyde personalities.

Parker Palmer talks about the loss of public life in our society. Malls and replaced the shops where folk used to meet and talk while making their purchases. Online conversations just don’t have the same feel as a party phone line (think I just really dated myself there.) When I was a kid the rural families would all come to town on a Saturday night. Women folk would make weekly grocery purchases and converse, men would stand or sit with the hands inside the bib overalls and discuss farming and the issues of the day and the kids would head for the movies or a candy treat. It was a social time. There is no counterpart for that today that I can see. Mobs of people all over town having a good time socializing.

Now when folk gather in groups it’s a demonstration. Though it intrigued me following all the hoopla of the Tea Party gatherings in the Press and how long it took for the Media to report about folk gathering to protest Wall Street actions. And then at often these peaceful gatherings somebody blows it and people start banging each other around and causing a ruckus and we don’t like ruckuses.

When I was on my internship in New York City in the 60’s I would see folk standing in various public squares or parks talking to anyone who would listen about issues that were important to them. Now people go to the mall and if they did that the mall police would soon arrive and take them away so they wouldn’t disturb folk from America’s passion for buying stuff.

We also work too much or play frivolously so that there is little time for any serious conversations. “Go Big Red!” is a far cry from a civil discussion about religion or politics. We live such privatized lives that we have little skill in real social interaction.

I believe this is part of the reason why the parties in congress seem incapable of truly talking to each other and looking for common ground. They don’t have any. Unless we find that common ground and learn civil discussion again our country will be in big trouble.

We need to go public. We have a little coffee shop here in Fountain City, where that type of thing happens. I need to go more often, I need it and most all of us do as well.