There is enormous hidden pain in the modern world. I need to develop more tolerance.
A friend sends a response to "You never know!"
I had a somewhat similar situation on a train journey back from London...the chap arrived almost as the train was due to leave and had so much to get off his chest which I think he thought would be riveting to me! ...mainly about how his trip to London had been a waste of his time and his money...he was untidy and unshaven....he was to have played an instrument at a gig which had been cancelled without letting him know. This was a monumental disaster let alone the rail fare....he explained how he was very careful with his money and then gave me a temporary break as he went to the restaurant car and came back laden with food and drink....no, he did not offer me anything, thank goodness, but continued to tell about his thrifty ways and so on. I eventually managed to read the evening paper and being well mannered almost felt guilty.....may be I should have moved to another seat early in the journey.
Did you read? "You never know" ......
I would often browse through bookstore and my focus is frequently on the bargains the price drops that don't reflect obvious poor quality. Yesterday, as I searched for relevant and new or missed sources for my exploration of the philosophy of being, I was approach by a stranger.
"Any thoughts on Japan?" he asked, leaning a bit and slanting his face in a way that would catch my attention. It isn't often that people approach me so openly even though it is a book store. This forthrightness suggested agitation.
"Pretty amazing!"
The man then started into a list of disasters that he had catalogued in his mind finishing up with a statement to the effect that Christians would really have a tough time interpreting them.
"Yeh, that's a long list of disasters." I had no reason to disagree with him.
The man who was a day unshaven and very relaxed in a dark combination of loose jacket and jeans wanted a conversation. He rambled on about how history showed this or that. I can't quite remember what because I too was trying to concentrate while not being disagreeable. I had found three books and was hoping for a fourth.
The man was insistent on prattling on uninvited into my personal space of thought and research. I was aware that he had seen the Japan news about earthquake and tsunami, so I played his game and said, "The earthquake in New Zealand was a complete surprise."
This triggered the man into more statements about the numbers of disasters building up and the possible meaning. He seemed stressed despite his relaxed dress and general no-care appearance.
Now, being in a search state of mind I was not really the person he should have addressed during that half hour in the afternoon, but he persisted in his exposition of calamities and what they meant in his interpretation. My impatience was gathering as well because the man had being going at me for more than ten minutes. I would nod occasionally, but I was not a willing participant in his steady stream of thought and communication.
Having reached a turning point in this marginally interesting business of doing two things at once, I decided that I wanted to do one thing. I decided to present the unfriendly side of my personality in a friendly way. Those who know me well realize that I love conversation and exploration of ideas, but my mood was not good and I was looking for positive affirmation. I tried being positive with the man, but that did not work. He seemed determined to drag me along into negative emotional areas with downer statements.
What am I to do now, I wondered? This guy is really bugging me, so I better deal with it.
I turned to the man and I thought that I was quite rude in what I said, "You know, you remind me of Eeyore!" I thought that my rude comment would be quite enough to send him on his way. He had raised the issue of Isreal several times and Armageddon was not far off, so an Eeyore insult should do the trick. Needless to say, the insult did not work.
"You mean the donkey in Winnie the Pooh?" he asked, and without letting me reply said, "My wife likes those books, but I don't read them."
"You should!" said I, thinking Eeyore was more of a jackass than a donkey. The more I thought about it as I steamed privately to myself the more the man seemed to be a jackass.
"The world is not all doom and gloom," I said, seemingly with authority. The man had described how American debt would never be paid off. "The debt will be paid off. It's not total disaster."
"Eeyore looked at the negative side of life all the time. You should be more positive."
The man was no longer listening. He had no heart for good news. He was in the distance looking for another person to spread his doubts on!