tag 5
i had to think about these for a while. here goes:
1) People talking on cell-phones in their cars**.
Does everyone do this? I know people talk behind-the-wheel b/c they see long commutes as a chunk of time they might as well use productively. But I have a problem w/ driver inattention and the accidents & near-misses they cause. Did you know that researchers think the distraction from talking on the phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk? Also, as someone who recently started biking, these drivers make me avoid roads and stick to trails. Careless drivers veer into bike lanes. And third, whatever happened to downtime? I look forward to my commutes as quiet time to mull over things, listen to music (yay ipod!), or tune in to NPR. **(I mainly mean those who hold the wheel w/ one hand and their phone w/ the other. Hands-free headsets are a must if you must talk and drive. I have one for my rare calls from the road).
2) Pushover Parenting.
There are parents who probably honestly think they're doing good by giving their kids the power to call all the shots, when actually, the little tykes are walking all over them, getting spoiled or behaving badly. Or the lack of parameters backfires and the kids grow up to be inept at making their own choices. Or a combination of the above happens. So I'm not yet a parent. But I think it's common sense that parents shouldn't be authoritarian, yet they do need to provide structure, and initiative in shaping and empowering their children. My sister is a pediatric ear nose throat physician and once said that it amazes and irks her when she sees a young patient and his/her parent in the following typical scenario: little Kaitlin's (or Hailey or Brianna or whatever) has an unusually persistent sinus problem or ear infection. My sister asks the parent if the kid is taking his/her antibiotics or nasal spray, or whatever. These are the type of parents who then turn to their six or seven-year-old and ask, "Sweetie, have you been using your penicillin?" or "Honey, did you remember to use the Flonase that Dr. Y prescribed?". WTF? If you're kid is that young, YOU should be the one administering the medication to your kid. It's YOUR responsibility to see that your child is taking it as directed. It's one thing if the kid is 17. It's a whole different story if s/he is 7! I have something else to say about this later. Remind me. Or not.
3) Workaholic society.
I'm a part of it, you're a part of it and I'm not sure what we can do about it, but it sure is unhealthy. I once read somewhere that Americans are working increasingly long workdays and expanding work weeks. 20 or 30 years ago, the average person was limited to a 9-5 day, and a 40 hour week. Now, however, the average full-time employee is putting in 60, 80 or more hours per week. Work has spilled over into our leisure time and we don�t have the downtime we used to have, and that our bodies and minds still need. Technology can be a double edged sword here, if you ask me. If you can work from home or use a work cell phone that's always on, then your job will probably become an expanding gas, permeating your living room just like your office. It affects children, too. Kids are now stretched way too thin, with parents enrolling little Sally or John in piano, ballet, football, art, math club, spelling bees, science fairs, soccer, gymnastics, girl or boy scouts, chorus, and band. And they STILL expect the poor kid to get all A's at school. Kids don't have time to be kids anymore, just playing w/ other kids after school, or exploring the outdoors. I could go on and on, but what I'll tell you is that it can potentially lead a lot of people to be unhappy and unhealthy.
My acupuncturist raised my awareness of this and we've had conversations about this, b/c I have�and still do�struggle to accept my stamina & chronic illness issues. It's the hardest thing to be ambitious, bright, and capable, and yet feel trapped in a body that doesn't always cooperate. But, bless his heart, Dr. Glick tries so hard to get me to see my illness from a different angle�to see my flare-ups as my body's way of warning me to slow down before I break. He thinks our constant "on the go" culture leads people to break down and "crack" in diverse ways that he sees in his acupuncture practice: people drop dead from heart disease, they drink too much, they develop mental health issues like depression or anxiety, they eat too much and become obese and diabetic, or their bodies reach various other breaking points including repeated infections, or autoimmune responses.
4) Since when was it kosher to pass on the right just b/c you're impatient that both/all lanes of traffic are clogged up? If traffic is moving slowly in both/all lanes of the highway, there's probably a good reason, like maybe an oversized, "wide load" trailer, or just your garden-variety rush-hour. You just have to bear with it and move with the rest of the flow of traffic. Sure, it's no fun, but moving out of the left lane, using the right lane to pass me while I'm traveling at 70+ mph, and cutting back in front of me, and continuing to dart in and weave out of lanes will cause an accident at some point. I just don't want to be anywhere near it, b/c it's a bastard like you that caused me to be involved in a car accident almost one year ago.
5) Tom Cruise. And Paris Hilton.
OK. Done. Now I must pick FIVE MORE PEOPLE to do this survey. Is it fair to say you should consider yourself tagged if you're reading this? If so, you're "it". But if that's a cop-out, I'll have to pick on five people:
Faux-Pas b/c I miss your updates
Shadowdress b/c I also miss your updates
Ray0flight just because
Red-Wine just because
Mrs-Roboto just because.
