What will we be?
This is an image that I often think about which had quite a profound effect on me. It's a photo of husband and wife, Democratic strategist James Carville & Republican strategist Mary Matalin grieving after Meet the Press host Tim Russert died at age 58.
It's a reminder that we can still hold differing opinions, but as long as our goals are the same and the dialog remains active, we can still be friends, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers. Like Anatoly Dobrynin, Soviet Ambassador to the US during part of the cold war once said, 'As long as there is dialog, there is always hope'. Fast forward to 2011 where we are too busy to write 3 paragraphs that summarize our thoughts. When it's too inconvenient to call and talk on the phone - or worry you may be inconveniencing the other person. We're 'friends' with businesses, celebrities, and people across the continent that we've never spoken to or can't recall the last time we've seen them in person. We can, however, hit a button that broadcasts a snarky quip about a policy or action in some far away state or country that summarizes our frustration with bemoaned discontent.
There's a disconnect. We've become exposed to only the extremes. Our foreign born president is a socialist out to destroy our once great republic, and his foes are ignorant racist in some flyover state who don't care about the poor.
I don't expect anyone to 'come back to LJ' as this was just a common medium that we had found, and has since passed. It's frustrating to try to grasp at relationships we see slipping away as we grow older. Time and friends, I suppose, are both fleeting things. We can't have it all, nor can we have them all. Priorities change, lives become rearranged, and we're left with the few who decided to make the personal sacrifices it takes to retain friends for the long-run. I'm not sure how many of the original group I will retain. I hope that most of the ones who make it a priority to attend the various 'brofests' will be with me for years to come. It's nice to have a couple of fellas who you've been through the argumentative and cantankerous political debate phase, and know that they are not dumb, have shared their wants and beliefs, and have honorable intentions for whatever the outcome may be on any given issue. It's hard to dislike a person when you know their intentions are true.
What it seems we're missing is the opportunity to know one another so that we can have that honest, respectful, and occasionally heated dialog - arrive upon a shared opinion, and then share a laugh about what you've just been through. (the great ocean eats oil debate , anyone?) I don't really see that happening given the mixture of communication mediums happening right now. Other mediums, I've been told, are not for personal interaction but instead are information aggregates and social compilers. Again, further disconnect.
I guess all you can do is try. The only thing that stays the same, is that things change.
It's a reminder that we can still hold differing opinions, but as long as our goals are the same and the dialog remains active, we can still be friends, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers. Like Anatoly Dobrynin, Soviet Ambassador to the US during part of the cold war once said, 'As long as there is dialog, there is always hope'. Fast forward to 2011 where we are too busy to write 3 paragraphs that summarize our thoughts. When it's too inconvenient to call and talk on the phone - or worry you may be inconveniencing the other person. We're 'friends' with businesses, celebrities, and people across the continent that we've never spoken to or can't recall the last time we've seen them in person. We can, however, hit a button that broadcasts a snarky quip about a policy or action in some far away state or country that summarizes our frustration with bemoaned discontent.
There's a disconnect. We've become exposed to only the extremes. Our foreign born president is a socialist out to destroy our once great republic, and his foes are ignorant racist in some flyover state who don't care about the poor.
I don't expect anyone to 'come back to LJ' as this was just a common medium that we had found, and has since passed. It's frustrating to try to grasp at relationships we see slipping away as we grow older. Time and friends, I suppose, are both fleeting things. We can't have it all, nor can we have them all. Priorities change, lives become rearranged, and we're left with the few who decided to make the personal sacrifices it takes to retain friends for the long-run. I'm not sure how many of the original group I will retain. I hope that most of the ones who make it a priority to attend the various 'brofests' will be with me for years to come. It's nice to have a couple of fellas who you've been through the argumentative and cantankerous political debate phase, and know that they are not dumb, have shared their wants and beliefs, and have honorable intentions for whatever the outcome may be on any given issue. It's hard to dislike a person when you know their intentions are true.
What it seems we're missing is the opportunity to know one another so that we can have that honest, respectful, and occasionally heated dialog - arrive upon a shared opinion, and then share a laugh about what you've just been through. (the great ocean eats oil debate , anyone?) I don't really see that happening given the mixture of communication mediums happening right now. Other mediums, I've been told, are not for personal interaction but instead are information aggregates and social compilers. Again, further disconnect.
I guess all you can do is try. The only thing that stays the same, is that things change.