Daily Mood Quotes - October 31, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 180 – October 31, 2011

I live in a crazy time.

~Anne Frank

In Anne Frank's time, it was crazy and sad too. But I wonder if she would of thought the same thing about the time we live in today. In some way times are good, still crazy and yes, even some bad. This depends on your situation, your frame of mind and your mood today.

Today is Halloween, I have never been a fan of this day, because it celebrates bad behavior and evil in the name of fun. People dress up in goofy costumes (as if hiding your identity makes it all right) and go out and create chaos and mayhem throughout town. Plus there is the expectation of “candy” at every house you go too or they face the consequences; egg on your house or toilet paper in the trees. I once heard a story where adults actually painted someone's car windows because the homeowner ran out of candy. Are we that desperate for candy? Or, is it the thrill of the bad behavior? Here we go again with the extreme...I guess.

Even when I was younger, I didn't get this day; the horror flicks, the scary costumes, the haunted houses and the haunted parties. I would really like to chalk this one up to me just being a fuddy-duddy, but then, how do I explain not understanding this day as a child? Maybe, it's just one of those things...you know “unexplainable” ooooohhhh scarry... Well like Aaliyah said, “if I don't think about it, it won't drive me crazy.”

I do understand the fantasy of this day, but I feel over time we have stepped over the line in costumes and behaviors for this day. It's ridiculous!!! I can say without equivocation that October 31 is not my favorite. One thing is for sure, life is a crazy ride.

In the special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Linus (played by Christopher Shea) said to Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins), “This is the time of year to write to the Great Pumpkin. On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys for all the children!” Linus also said that the Great Pumpkin appreciated sincerity. It doesn’t seem like there is much of that around any more. I think it is something that we could use more of, pumpkin patch or not. So, in honor of Charles Schultz, I guess it is that time of year...again. To all you ghosts and goblins, heros and villains, stay safe and enjoy your trick or treating. Happy Halloween.

How will the Great Pumpkin find you today?

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Daily Mood Quote - September 19, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 139 – September 19, 2011

The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.

~Ernest Hemingway

I think this is the first time I have ever used a quote from Ernest Hemingway, one of my favorite writers. Seems odd it took so long to quote such a noted writer. I guess it may have something to do with the quote itself, “trust.” An easy word to say, “I trust you” but it's apparently a hard word to understand, since it means so many different things to so many people. Here is what trust means to me. If you say it, you should do it; follow through. Its like making a promise, how many of us have left a trail of broken promises? Broken trusts?

In today's world it seems virtually impossible to trust anyone. A mistake you make ends up on Youtube, an email you write ends up on WikiLeaks, a conversation you have ends up the subject of a group discussion in the week's “after church” social gathering. What the hell? Where did confidentiality go? It seems as if you need to begin every relationship with little tests. Like putting a little air in a balloon to see if it leaks. All to often, you hear that darn hisssssssss...it's enough to make anyone a cynic.

In Mr. Hemingway's time, seems there were a greater percentage of people that could be trusted. Maybe it's because there were fewer ways to communicate. Then the Internet...it is a blessing and a curse. Why do we feel the need to blab everything about everybody, all the time. I feel bad for celebrities, it seems they can't go to the bathroom without it showing up on TMZ or Entertainment Tonight (ET). Imagine how a non-celebrity feels when their latest potty run is the subject of a discussion on Facebook? As Charlie Brown would say, “Good grief” (thank you Charles Schultz).

More and more our friends and loved ones seem to be driven to tell all about everything, all the time. Granted, there is a large percentage of the population you wouldn't ever trust (not picking on anyone but history has proven), anything that has a contract and fine print and some occupations. That's just the way it is. However, when adults and teens are relentlessly being bullied online after trusting “friends” “co-workers” “human resources” and even “family” with personal information, it is easy to see how we have entered an “Era of Paranoia,” rightfully so. And so, we have become less of a community. Here are some safe subjects; the weather, football, and the latest accident on the highway. Beyond that your taking a risk, data in the shredder and secure empty trash. That's a shame, we need to live behind walls, both real and digital, because we can't trust one another anymore.

How do we fix this? We begin by being trustworthy ourselves. In the Menards Sales Flyer this week, my husband read this quote to me this morning (funny where inspiration comes from), “If it is not the right thing to do, never do it, if it is not the truth, never say it. Keep your impulses in hand.” Something to think about. Another great quote came from Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, “In almost every profession – whether it's law or journalism, finance or medicine or academia or running a small business – people rely on confidential communications to do their jobs. We count on the space of trust that confidentiality provides. When someone breaches that trust, we are all worse off for it.” And we are always worse off for it.

Trust is a fragile thing and we are all its origin and its caretakers. If we are not trustworthy the community of humanity suffers a bit more every day. To be believed and to stand for what you say, these are elusive things, but things worth striving for. In the film version of Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, Gary Cooper as Robert Jordan said “A man fights for what he believes in,...” Such is trust and trustworthiness; these two are worthy of being championed, today and everyday.

How will you grow “trust” today?

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