There are thousands of people who get killed by traffic accidents each day. People who get killed by doing their job, a brick who flies on their head whilst walking down the lane. Crippled, dead, or somewhat disintegrated.
I rebel against insanity, the stories you are being told, the madness in Eurasia, the stories about incest on the train from Vladivostok to Peking. (Got to be on that train one day).
You know, it used to be simple, but now it is not so.
I ride the train from here to there. All people have "plugs in their ears", they shut off, I do the same thing now, I am almost ashamed. I am ashamed that I can not reach out, so I dull myself with music and vibes. That is really not excusable!
But then there are moments of divine perfection. You look at a face near you and he or she smile´s reassuringly.
Then you know that you have lived for a good day in the present!
A smile can change the world, believe me.
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6 comments:
I know what you mean about people with plugs in their ears. It's like a sign that states they're not really in the world at all and certainly not open for even a friendly 'hello'. Perhaps it's because Halifax is far out in the boonies of north American culture but there's very little of that here or public cell phone use either. So many people here are open to smiling or saying 'hello' you'd feel like a jerk not returning the greeting. It took a little while to get used to.
Hope you're well and staying cheerful. Blogland has grown quieter this past year.
"A smile can change the world..."
It sure feels like it.
A woman fell asleep leaning on my shoulder when I was on the train a few months back. It didn't bother me, but I woke her up after about 5 minutes because I didn't want her to miss her stop.
She was extremely embarrassed, but I re- assured her that I didn't mind.
I like to think that the 5 minutes nap did her good!
Thank you Leon and Mr. Decker for stepping by.
I was sitting yesterday at the busy intersection at the train-station in Basel, drinking a beer and waiting for the tramways to get less crowded. 6:20 PM I decided to head home. In the mean time I had observed many faces, (the Cafe had outdoor seating) some sinister, some stressed, some opaque - but others with a smile. How refreshing!
I love when people recognize the irony of life and still manage to float above it all...
On a positive note: I like the picture.
On a negative note: I often do the same as those people you describe as "shutting off". Why? because people (meaning myself, and I presume others too) are feeling rushed, tired of being hassled and conned, just want to get home or go to work without being bothered, anywhere but here right. There can be no community without trust or a feeling of common ground, largely lacking in our world.
But then again, the world we see is more often a reflection of ourself. Maybe you see in others, what you see in yourself, for better or worse.
keep smiling. keep changing the world.
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