Go Ahead and Be Emotional
We got to go camping and golfing this past weekend with some great friends. It’s rare that we are ever all together so it makes these once-a-year trips that much more special. I was thankful that everyone was able to find the time to go because as we all know, life gets crazy busy.
One night, as we were sitting around the campfire, a huge moth flew into the fire we were burning. This wasn’t some little creature. It was as large as a butterfly but with a much chunkier body.
It landed close to the edge of the fire bowl and jumped around a bit. I could feel myself holding my breath hoping that maybe it was going to fly up and out of there. My friend next to me was also watching because I heard her say something about it being “another of those big moths.”
A moment later, the moth stopped moving and she said, “He’s gone,” in a matter-of-fact way. He certainly was gone and it made me a bit sad. But what she said next, made me even more miserable.
“Isn’t it funny how we grow so immune to things? Like when you’ve seen it happen once, the next time isn’t such a shock?”
So True
I agreed wholeheartedly. Our friends had been camping all week, but for us, this was the first night and it made me think that was the difference in our reaction. She’d been seeing that same thing happen with each fire, and it was a first for me.
It got me thinking about other things we’ve become immune, or unaffected, or shielded, or maybe even protected from?
When I was a high school teacher a few years ago, I was always shocked by the casual way high school kids talk about sex. They’re having it and to be real honest (I know parents aren’t going to want to hear this), it’s nothing to them. It’s not like it’s the most intimate thing you can ever share with someone; it’s not much of a big deal to many of them.
Settle Down, Sister
Personally, I blame our phones for that. It always makes me chuckle when someone rises up against the latest, most awful book that teachers are “pushing” on kids these days. These are usually the same people who haven’t bothered to look at their child’s search history on their phones or figured out that there are fake apps on their little darlings' devices to hide the naughty photos they’ve sent and received. The books are the least of our worries. And let’s get real - at least they’re reading!
Kids can and do visit sites they shouldn’t all the time. I believe that it’s exactly the same as my moth theory, after a while, it becomes no big deal.
It’s interesting to me that while we’ve become numb to many things that used to shock us, there are other situations that we still keep closely guarded. For instance, it’s common knowledge that white men generally make more money than women or people of color. When was the last time you were in a conversation where people were talking about how much money they make? Teens talk about it, but adults don’t. Money is still one of the great taboo topics. But maybe it would benefit everyone if it weren’t?
Back to the Point
Anyway, back to the giant moth. There’s no blame to be placed here because we couldn’t have stopped that fella from flying into the fire, and our realities put us in situations where we are either numb or emotional. It’s just an observation of what we’re exposed to. I have plenty of friends who love hunting, but this morning when I hit a deer with my vehicle, I was in tears as I saw the deer’s friend or family member looking at it like it didn’t know what to do. Oh, my heart!
When was the last time you had some big emotions? I think it’s okay to be someone who cries often, loves big, and laughs loudly. What an awful world it would be if we were all numb to everything and nothing mattered.