Comments on: Praying with eyes closed

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 01:46:17 +0000

One of my favorite songs of the early 90’s: “Pray Naked” by the 77’s. I guess that that could include having one’s eyes open.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 23:15:57 +0000

There’s something to be said for helping children develop a healthy self-respect and self-esteem, but also something to be said for helping children understand the reality of their chances of becoming great (writers, ball players, whatever). In watching _Meet the Fokkers_ last night, I must confess I kind of like the “Wall of Gaylord” idea displaying tenth place ribbons and all, that mediocrity (or, really, just being yourself) is indeed something to be celebrated.

Oh, and “me and God will be very disappointed,” that’s just great

By: greypilgrim

greypilgrim — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:41:21 +0000

Oh, I would go farther and say that as parents and educators, we are specifically instructed to make kids feel special. To some extent that feeling is how we all make it to adulthood with a reasonable degree of success. I suppose where young people get in trouble is when their specialness has been exaggerated, or they have an overly optimistic view of their talents and abilities.

I read in the Washington Post this weekend about the Virginia Tech gunman and his inflated sense of himself as a writer. The continual crushing of his dream to be a writer is cited as a motive for his rampage; his sister said a novel he wrote was rejected by a New York publisher shortly before he committed his crime. That is going to an extreme–killing people as an act of revenge against one’s own limitations–but it is one good example of what happens when people have unrealistic expectations for themselves.

Also, consider all the kids out there staking their whole lives on becoming a professional athlete. They don’t study or take school seriously because they just know–and sometimes their parents and coaches have assured them it will be so–that they are going to play professional ball one day.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:32:37 +0000

You know, I don’t always properly express how much I love your similes sometimes. “… are clubbed to death like seal pups by reality.” Fantastic. And apt.

I also wonder if they sell teens and young adults on the idea that they are special in order to propel them through the incredible amount of (as the song says) crap they shove into your skull, on the pretense the act of learning it might actually be useful in your quest to right the wrongs and slay the dragons.

By: greypilgrim

greypilgrim — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:11:10 +0000

I think in late adolescence and early young adulthood, we all think we are the first ones to doubt that God exists, or the first ones to see the beauty of art and literature, or the first ones to discover love and sex. Everything is new to us, and there are still a few more years of idealism ahead before the “big proclamations,” as you say, are clubbed to death like seal pups by reality.

Finding a job that pays well, and where people leave you the fuck alone…the true American dream. And assimilation is part of growing into an adult; at some point we all just say “fuck it, I just want what everyone else wants” and we give up on the idea of making a difference.

God, we’ve turned into cynical old codgers, haven’t we? What must the young people think of us? Not much, I expect.