American Man Expresses Despair Over Dead Eyes Of Walmart Shoppers: "People Walk Around Like They Have No Soul."
Is It Time To Prioritize LIVELINESS?
“In my country there is no such thing as a cold greeting.”
(René Char, paraphrased from memory.)
I wish he had chosen a cap without a Masonic symbol on it but never mind for now, let’s assume he is “for real.”
What he’s talking about is painful and important. Yet I puzzle over where all these video figures come from. How they always express exactly what we are thinking, and then “go viral.”
People are altered, and yes I know the book and I know how they did it…but this post is about what we can do about it.
Clip here.
My question is whether soul, public manners, eye contact, and even the concept of getting together and socializing, even just to talk, could make a comeback.
One thing that “makes no sense:”
Spain is heavily vaccinated and not having this problem from what I can see.
Public greetings remain enthusiastic, manners are intact, traditions, gatherings—why did their version of the shots not knock out their souls?
One thing of so many I register and marvel at:
No person enters or exits any shop or store in Spain (that I have witnessed) without a complete exchange of greetings tailored to the time of day as well as good wishes. It’s not about “friendly—” but it is a form of form. A pattern of social fabric that has meaning and value and is upheld. No silent glum slinking in or out of a store without acknowledging the shopkeeper with: Eye contact, verbal exchange of greeting, and an implicit vow to say goodbye once you have said hello.
After Covid I make mental notes of these things for my collection. I appreciate them so much more than I would have in, say, 2017.
What is different in the US that caused this Zombie apocalypse effect we have all observed?
Did the Zombie effect happy in…Ireland? In Hungary? In Morocco?
Feel free to report levels of ‘zombie effect’ from wherever you are. OR its opposite.
I relentlessly push old fashioned ways of communicating to counter this, even at the risk of seemingly pollyanna, frivolous, and maybe annoying.
Why?
I’m very afraid of the potential for a collapse of the human frequency, and believe we are duty bound to fight it. It’s as important as “de-toxing.”
“Be Friendly.”
—Pete Townshend, “A Friend Is A Friend.”
Our voices, alone, our tonality, our self-governed levels of enthusiasm, all make a huge difference now.
Speaking of sound, this is what it sounded like outside my window this morning. The distinctive sorrowful brass instruments, and drums, winding through the streets on a freezing cold bright sunny morning.
Some have argued that these processions are too tied in with an old Catholicism, which needs to be rendered more egalitarian etc. but 4 years after the Covid assault, I just cherish every single public sound and expression that is not them. (Not “public health.” Not “Covid” or next fake pandemic propaganda.)
How were different countries and cultures left, after the masks came off, after the assault shifted? I wonder about this a lot.
I’m interested in stories of how people remained as they always were.
Un-hackable humans. “Team human.”
Human.
All typos have been fixed now. Sorry about that. I do need to proof read better but was racing to my Spanish lesson. Thank you, those of you who have the gift of helping me understand how important copy editing is without being underhanded or insulting. ANTI thank you to the shamers. Took one of them off the email list. There was nothing to reimburse so that was good.
Anyway, I am reading all the interesting comments and will hopefully be able to respond either later tonight or tomorrow. Thank you all so very much for joining in so enthusiastically. I love this place.
This is such an important post.
I live near DC and have experienced this (people avoiding human connection; averting eyes from one another) for years, but it has been getting worse, rapidly, since COVID. I had attributed it to cell phones, those earplugs (which I refuse to ever use), and constant attachment to some form of electronic stimulation (podcast, music, being on the phone, etc.) rather than ambient vibes of nature, or even just background noise while waiting in line somewhere.... it's as though people can no longer be human with one another -- no patience, avoidance of the reality of the space and time we find ourselves in..... needing some type of escape or whatever. I don't get it, but I'm grateful that I am so old that I remember what it was like before all of this technology and yes, of course, the shots and poisons (we did have shots and poisons, of course, but not mRNA).
I go where the people like me are -- I go to locations where people put their phones away and talk to one another, looking directly at each other. Whether friends or strangers. I like nature. I go for walks in my neighborhood and I deliberately say hello to people -- a lot of the older ones respond in kind, and the ones younger are more likely not to. It's very noticeable.
I am concerned for humanity. And knowing, too, that these shots definitely have harmed or killed off a bunch of us olders, the ones who are the keepers of the memories of the way we used to be. How can we pass that information on? Many youngers have no idea what it was like, unless they tune into old movies to get some hints.