When I was in the 2nd grade we had this really great music teacher. She was a hoot. She was an older lady who wore her greying hair back in a neat bun, and always had a skirt and sweater on. She would warm us up to sing for the “glee” club by doing musical scales, and by doing the “mi,mi,mi,” exercises. It was great fun. I think I enjoyed that year of school just about more than any I can remember.
The problem in the modern world is that the sound of music has turned into the sound of selfishness.
Way too many times over the past few years I have met people so shallow, I could just about see through ’em if there was a good light coming in from behind. When they talk to you, you can tell there ain’t but one thing they are interested in, and that’s what you can do for them! The almighty “ME” Heck, Toby Keith even had a hit song making fun of those type of people with his “I Wanna’ Talk About ME!” You know it: “I wanna’ talk about me, wanna’ talk about I, wanna’ talk about #1, Oh my Me my!!” Is that the kind of society we produced? Now, it may be a generational thing, I don’t know. I am not trying to be prejudiced here, but I do meet more people who are under 40 in this category than I do people who are over 40! Not ALL!..don’t get your dandruff up young ‘uns. NOT all of you are worthless Me, me’s!! Matter of fact, MOST of you aren’t!
I’d like to turn the ship around and head it in the other direction. But, what do we do? Is some of it my generations fault? Probably. Did some of us unintentionally demonstrate by example that the almight “ME” was the most important thing? Maybe. But what’s the solution?
One thing that I do every chance I get is to correct these people when I can. Most of the time I just tell them, “Hey, how about thinking about something other than yourself, poophead?” That usually gets their attention right off the bat, and then once they are focused, you can go further into the lesson. Ask if they have a family at home. Ask if they have a hobby. Ask if they EVER think about anything but work. I mean, c’mon how important is a rug to go into somebody’s bathroom going to be 100 years from now? (Can you tell I work for a rug producing company??) Maybe it’s going to be MORE important that you teach your children to preserve what little in the way of natural resources we haven’t squandered yet. Or teach them to TALK TO other people when they have problems to solve, not just talk AT them. There’s a world of difference there!
Some of them are too driven even for common sense or practical talk though.
If I have to, I resort to the ultimate option for the Me me’s. I tell them that their Mom was right when they were little, and if they don’t stop with the MENTAL diddling around they are performing on themselves, they might just eventually go blind to the fact that there is a GOOD and lovely world out there with a LOT of worthwhile people, places and things that deserve the intellectual processes they are wasting on themselves, so that their progeny might one day still have a world to play in, and love in, and appreciate…. (God I love long sentences!)
Next time you meet a “me” person, tell them Toby Keith was just kidding…ok?
Writing for Sanity's Sake 