The other day my mum told me a story that had been stuck in her memory from when I was a kid.
We were in Miami, or Colombia, or New York; somewhere where my brother and I were little. She, my brother and I stepped out of a supermarket to find the world watercoloured as it poured with rain.
My brother and I went crazy; we ran outside and jumped and played and screamed and laughed in the water, puddles, mud. And my mum didn’t stop us. She just watched us play and get soaking wet and filthy dirty and; what did it matter? She didn’t care about the ruined clothes, about the people that looked at the wild children and smiled or frowned. She let us be, let us live, let us loose because isn’t that what’s great about being a kid? They are the personification of ‘ignorance is bliss’. They’re not in charge, have no responsibility; all they have to do is live and survive.
I loved the story and was immensely glad of how my mum is. So many other parents would have somewhere to go, or something to do, or wouldn’t want the display of freedom and loss of control.
We were in Miami, or Colombia, or New York; somewhere where my brother and I were little. She, my brother and I stepped out of a supermarket to find the world watercoloured as it poured with rain.
My brother and I went crazy; we ran outside and jumped and played and screamed and laughed in the water, puddles, mud. And my mum didn’t stop us. She just watched us play and get soaking wet and filthy dirty and; what did it matter? She didn’t care about the ruined clothes, about the people that looked at the wild children and smiled or frowned. She let us be, let us live, let us loose because isn’t that what’s great about being a kid? They are the personification of ‘ignorance is bliss’. They’re not in charge, have no responsibility; all they have to do is live and survive.
I loved the story and was immensely glad of how my mum is. So many other parents would have somewhere to go, or something to do, or wouldn’t want the display of freedom and loss of control.
(But they want to run through the air with no barriers or obstacles:
Gunmen or guard dogs or priests)
But the fact that she didn’t says a lot about her, and about what a respectable person I find her to be.
And I hope that other people achieve that quality. I call it the ‘Big Picture Feature’ because it’s when a person does not let themselves be stressed with little things; being late, ruining a material possession, getting into trouble, embarrassment, if it means that they can’t do something they want to do. (Dance in the middle of a street, laugh loudly in the cinema)
A few weeks ago Freddie and I were walking on the beach and we looked at each other and Freddie said ‘I really want to go in.’ I looked at the crashing wavs and said ‘Well lets go in!’ so we walked to the edge and I didn’t pause, I didn’t take off my clothes, I just walked into the cold waves and let my black dress bubble with air around me and then stick to my skin. Freddie looked at me from the shoreline and said ‘but what about my phone?’ I looked over my shoulder and said ‘leave it! Leave everything, JUST DON’T THINK.’
And I hope that other people achieve that quality. I call it the ‘Big Picture Feature’ because it’s when a person does not let themselves be stressed with little things; being late, ruining a material possession, getting into trouble, embarrassment, if it means that they can’t do something they want to do. (Dance in the middle of a street, laugh loudly in the cinema)
A few weeks ago Freddie and I were walking on the beach and we looked at each other and Freddie said ‘I really want to go in.’ I looked at the crashing wavs and said ‘Well lets go in!’ so we walked to the edge and I didn’t pause, I didn’t take off my clothes, I just walked into the cold waves and let my black dress bubble with air around me and then stick to my skin. Freddie looked at me from the shoreline and said ‘but what about my phone?’ I looked over my shoulder and said ‘leave it! Leave everything, JUST DON’T THINK.’
So we didn't.
Popeye what?
We both swam under so that my head hurt from the coldness, so that my hair stood on end and my dress scratched against me, but who the hell cared?
What the hell did it matter, in the ‘big picture’?
By being careless and spontaneous we gained another moment worth remembering and for me that’s worth a million words behind my back, a thousand raised eyebrows and dirty looks or telling-offs.
People are afraid of other people. We are pack animals, I believe.
As we get older (though I don’t mourn the process) we will be more harshly judged and in return that means we will guard ourselves better. And I say; DON’T. Don’t care. Don’t think. I’m sure I can find a million reasons why weighing the consequences are good but sometimes you just have to forget, you just have to ACT and let go!
I want you to do that!
Popeye what?We both swam under so that my head hurt from the coldness, so that my hair stood on end and my dress scratched against me, but who the hell cared?
What the hell did it matter, in the ‘big picture’?
By being careless and spontaneous we gained another moment worth remembering and for me that’s worth a million words behind my back, a thousand raised eyebrows and dirty looks or telling-offs.
People are afraid of other people. We are pack animals, I believe.
As we get older (though I don’t mourn the process) we will be more harshly judged and in return that means we will guard ourselves better. And I say; DON’T. Don’t care. Don’t think. I’m sure I can find a million reasons why weighing the consequences are good but sometimes you just have to forget, you just have to ACT and let go!
I want you to do that!
Don't worry.
Be happy.
9 comments:
*smiles the smile that you know so well*
You know, I'm actually jealous of how you guys can so easily let go... I definitely need more spontaneity in my life :) I was thinking when I wrote that long reply to the God discussion that maybe I'd go for a walk (it was about 2 in the morning). So I think I'll do that tonight instead :)
^Even tho it's not spontaneous. But it's a start!
:) it is.
The trick is- you always think. It's always: but....- stop it there. For example if it's really late and i have something to do tomorrow and so i think 'i should go to sleep' i stop myself and think- what the hell is life for?
We're all gonna die. Personally I don't think it's depressing, i think it makes these moments more...alive.
All this shit is better than the light at the end of the tunnel.
Remember that.
Yet again, you don't cease to amaze me. It's all well and dandy putting this into words. As for your "ignorance is bliss" comment, it is completely irrelevant. Why should children be ignorant, just because they're not aware of the social implications of their acts it doesn't mean they don't know they shouldn't do it. This recommendation to let loose is just condoning unacceptable behaviour based on animalesque instincts. We are not feral beasts. There is a point to civilisation. Another thing, would you honestly do something you would do something truly humiliating in public (even though according to what you claim you wouldn't feel embarrassment), regardless of what people were to think? By the way, it is my sole objective to contradict everything that you say, it isn't personal, you're just victim of a hobby of mine.
The point isn’t doing something embarrassing in public or being ‘feral beasts’ (RAWR, by the way) just for the hell of it. The point I’m trying to make is that if you want to do something, truly want to do it, those two aforementioned conditions shouldn’t stop you. Yes, I would do something ‘embarrassing’ in public if I wanted to do it. I wouldn’t walk around topless or shave all my hair off, but that’s because i don’t WANT to; I see no positive outcome.
Doing something as simple as singing in town, or holding my mum’s hand when we walk I would do, have done, will do because I just don’t see it as a big deal.
And honestly, it’s all well and dandy saying that civilization has a point, but I don’t think it’s making the right one. We’re supposed to be submissive lambs in some occasions and then feral beasts in the wrong ones. For Fucks sake look at us! We’re a bloody mess. If you truly think about it, think about how we have enough food to feed the whole world, enough resources to house everybody, and yet we don’t just because how society is structured, it seems ridiculous. So if you’re arguing from the point of society then I can’t say I agree, enigma, I really can’t. I know the whole issue is much more complex; need the poor for the rich, we need this, we need that blahblahblah- yeah, whatever. The point is we suck at this. We’re going in circles. Worse yet, we delude ourselves with our modernisation, we believe that technology makes us modern. Not really, people. Hello, we’re having a war based on religion. We are still racists. We still have massive poverty and hunger. We can’t be bothered enough to prevent HIV when all you have to do is use a fucking condom.
All in all, that comment is complete nonsense. We are feral beasts, wolves trying to fit in lamb costumes and it’s not fucking working.
So yes, whilst all you people are trying to fit into those, and you’re busy with civilisation’s point, I’m happy being driven by my animal instincts.
And as to the fact that children are ignorant, I believe they are. At least, I was when I was little, and so are the children I have babysat. Isn’t not really a case of right and wrong, it’s just they are not as subject to peer pressure.
And as to your last comment... -_-
I don’t respect people who say something JUST to agree with someone. And I don’t respect people who say something JUST to disagree.
How am I going to make fun of your arguments if they’re not even yours? Gah.
*mighty appluade!* (I dont know who to spell, cant be arsed to look it up) And I actually agree with EVERY word yo've said to do with this blog post. EVERY WORD. (which, btw enigma, I dont always agree with her, trust me.) but yes, well said my dear!
Read my latest blog please, entitled "so very true."
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