An Experiment In Human Nature
Todays dissappointment in the holiday and the lack of thought and care humans seem to put into things they do and say reminded me of this experiment I did when I was in my teens.
I think I was somewhere around 17 - 19 yrs old...i can't remember exactly. But I do remember I was doing what I always did which was to hang out with my friends in New Hope on the church steps across from Gerensers Ice Cream shop and just people watch all day and talk to eachother. Typical kid hang out stuff.
New Hope is a really touristy little town with tons of quaint little shops. Some random shopper had lost a bag and it was laying on the grass by the steps we were sitting on. It was all white and had those handles on it to make it easier to carry.
Now me being a teen I of course had a big black marker in my hot little pocket which was handy for drawing on my clothes, on my friends and the occasional graffiti tag or bathroom wall scribblings. So I got up and retrieved the bag and on it I wrote something on each side.
On the 1st side I wrote real big:
BAG -O- LOVE - REACH IN AND GRAB A KISS
and on the other side
BAG -O- HATE - REACH IN AND GRAB THE EMPTINESS
I put my marker away and set the bag in front of me with the kiss side out with a happy grin on my face.
Many people were curious and looked in the bag but mostly just said.."its empty." and walked away. ONE GIRL reached in and grabbed an imaginary kiss but then said "ok now what do I do with it?"
blah... I wasn't grinning so much anymore.
I turned the bag around... to the hate side...
... everyone...and I mean EVERYONE who read the bag reached in...EAGERLY EVEN.. and grabbed a fist full of hate and emptiness. As if they were hungry for it. There was real enthusiasm invovled. It was disgusting.
This truely reflects the general attitude most humans have about life, love, themselves and what theyre worthy of. It's painfully sad to me.
Even sadder still that almost 20 years later my experiance of human nature in others has not changed.
I think I was somewhere around 17 - 19 yrs old...i can't remember exactly. But I do remember I was doing what I always did which was to hang out with my friends in New Hope on the church steps across from Gerensers Ice Cream shop and just people watch all day and talk to eachother. Typical kid hang out stuff.
New Hope is a really touristy little town with tons of quaint little shops. Some random shopper had lost a bag and it was laying on the grass by the steps we were sitting on. It was all white and had those handles on it to make it easier to carry.
Now me being a teen I of course had a big black marker in my hot little pocket which was handy for drawing on my clothes, on my friends and the occasional graffiti tag or bathroom wall scribblings. So I got up and retrieved the bag and on it I wrote something on each side.
On the 1st side I wrote real big:
BAG -O- LOVE - REACH IN AND GRAB A KISS
and on the other side
BAG -O- HATE - REACH IN AND GRAB THE EMPTINESS
I put my marker away and set the bag in front of me with the kiss side out with a happy grin on my face.
Many people were curious and looked in the bag but mostly just said.."its empty." and walked away. ONE GIRL reached in and grabbed an imaginary kiss but then said "ok now what do I do with it?"
blah... I wasn't grinning so much anymore.
I turned the bag around... to the hate side...
... everyone...and I mean EVERYONE who read the bag reached in...EAGERLY EVEN.. and grabbed a fist full of hate and emptiness. As if they were hungry for it. There was real enthusiasm invovled. It was disgusting.
This truely reflects the general attitude most humans have about life, love, themselves and what theyre worthy of. It's painfully sad to me.
Even sadder still that almost 20 years later my experiance of human nature in others has not changed.