Art and I just returned to the village after a week of vacation or as we say at Holden, "an out". We knew ahead of time that winter at Holden can be intense and that a week away would be very good for our mental health.
After traveling home to Ellensburg for the dog, we visited friends and headed to the beach for our week. We excitedly headed out to the "real world" to experience many of the things that we miss at Holden. Things like television, radio, really fast Internet and shopping. Exposure to the media and consumer world is something that we really don't miss much at Holden. We really do enjoy the peace and quiet and this blessed time away from the hustle and bustle of on the outside.
As we traveled from place to place, I began to notice that I was seeing many familiar things with fresh eyes. Words, phrases, slogans and such that have always been there suddenly took on new meanings and effected me in different ways. For example, we stopped in Lacey WA at the Cabella's store; I was excited to go and see all they had to offer, but when I got inside, all I noticed were stuffed animals and a wide variety of methods to kill and eat them. The camping and hiking that I was looking for was there as well, but I was suddenly overwhelmed by the message of carnage.
As we drove around, we listened to the radio quite a bit. The messages spoken over the radio really bothered me. I felt as if I were being told how to feel rather than assessing a situation and then allowing my own emotions to kick in. It was either joy over Superbowl Sunday or doom over the economy or anger at senseless crime in society. Everything was valid but I was not allowed to feel my own emotions. The emotion was set before the words were spoken. I was exhausted by the end of the week.
Here at Holden, we have very little media. We are encouraged to read and draw our own conclusions; our own feelings about events. We love to discuss and disagree, but we still walk away our with our own thoughts and emotions. Has life always been this way? Is our media just a continuation of a reactive society? What do you think and feel about all of this?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
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3 comments:
Joan, I think the media runs our lives if we let it. When we are "out here" we have to take it with a grain of salt....or ignore it....or make fun of it....or complain about it....but keep an open mind about what we see and hear and not panic or get upset about it.
Well, not sure what I feel about what you wrote. I know what I think though.
We all make choices about believing what we experience. I for example, am out of work. If I chose to listen to and believe all that the media says about the economy my life would be much different. The good news is that God gives us the ability to think, decide, and act and asks that we live in response to God's grace all around us. This is not always easy to do but being and doing that means living in and with hope. I think this was one of your best posts. Thanks for sharing and encouraging us all to think...
it's the media of the announcements that I fear
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