After watching a movie in a theater, the people I hang around with usually hang around during the credits. This serves at least three purposes...
It keeps us out of the exit crowd.
It helps us savor the mood of a good movie.
It helps us get a feel for what it took to create the movie.
We are usually the last ones out. I constantly marvel at how many people are in such a rush to leave.
Tonight as we sat alone watching some credits, I was struck by how different we are. It seems that about 1% of our population takes time to savor things. About the same percentage is in our local counterculture that takes environmentalism seriously. It gives me pause to think about how big the task really is if we want to get a lot of people involved in any kind of positive lifestyle change.
This just re-iterates to me that we can’t change anybody. The best we can do is inspire by creative example.
4 comments:
Only one per cent? That's discouraging.
1% is discouraging. But it does explain alot.
I was just feeling similarly discouraged after a meeting with other teachers. It felt as thought I was part of the 1% who felt that teaching to the "whole" child took more than just a few extra minutes of manners and values discussions. A friend pointed out that there are more of us out there than is obvious. Many of the teachers who feel as I do are afraid to speak up about it. Is it possible that the percentages of people who WANT to savor things is higher than we can see? As you said - we must lead by example to get them to act on those desires rather than following the crowd.
A faculty member with whom I used to work said that he taught for one student per year. Most students sat through his classes and were unaffected but each year one student would come alive and take root and blossom and begin a new life. One sounds discouraging until we consider the next fifty plus years the student will live and the children he or she may parent and the influence they will have on other people. I learned from his example. He taught me to temper my youthful impatience and that it helps to look beyond quantity to quality, present influence and future impact. I agree, "we can't change anybody" but we can inspire by example.
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