TV tragedies, relentless Advertising and Burnout.

Animal cruelty. It’s wrong and it’s sad.  They don’t deserve it. No one does. I hope some good Master or owner will buy them, rescue them and take good and loving care of them.  But—-

…there is a However.  A big however. Nope, its even bigger than that. (this won’t be popular but someone needs to say it).  Have you ever—cared about something, felt empathy for it—-and then, been nagged and nagged and nagged and pestered and nagged and nagged some more?  Until what you had sympathy for is now very annoying.  This is happening.  Now. On TV.

So…I had a day off. I turned the TV on, and left it on.  An Animal Cruelty commercial came on, complete with a sad-sounding narrator and even what sounded like actual Violin-music in the background. Then it gets worse—-

I notice that  “Man, O Man! That has got to be THE lloooonngest single commercial in history! Holy crap.” Yes, its a worthy cause to address but Sheesh!, is this a commercial or a Podcast/conference? That was bad enough, and then it get’s worse. The TV shows this, and re-shows, and re-shows, and later on still re-shows this….Good God, this is Relentless! Enough already! Seriously.  You say: but they need help.—

Fine. Then go buy and rescue 11 dogs,  yourself,  and then SHUT THE F*** UP!!

Because you’ve Exhausted me. With your Fanaticism. And Nagging.

And more Nagging! For awhile, I could relate. But now the commercial is worse than a telemarketer. Congratulations! –Your Un-relenting-ness has now given me “empathy Burn-out”.  They want people to care, but all this persistence and reminders and repetition, on and on, over and over,  is now REPELLING folks, and downright annoying.

And so….I changed the channel. On this channel, there is a commercial asking to donate money for care-packages to starving people in a foreign country.  Then, a bit later, they show it again!  Is there anything else to talk about?

And then….they show a commercial for cancer-kids and handicapped.  Good grief, does EVERYTHING have to be some gut-wrenching Tragedy?!?   Over and over and over…..

I change back to the first channel I was watching. A commercial comes on. Now it’s about wounded warriors. Yet ANOTHER tragedy!  And they keep re-showing this one, too.  And I was -already-  suffering “compassion-fatigue”. But this stuff just goes oonnnn and oonnnn.  Is there ANYTHING Positive to advertise?  Anything?

It’s too much.  Dayyy after Dayyy.  And then someone says:

Well, someday, it might be you! And I say: Yes, that could happen. And if it does, I, too, may ask for help.  BUT—-iiii won’t do it 9-times-a-day.  And then,  tomorrow…….and then…..

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“Making a Difference”

It’s All-the-Rage these days. “Making a Difference”. And—“giving back to the Community”.    But…..why?   Seriously. Why?

Exactly WHAT??–has “the Community”  TANGIBLY done, for you personally?  Did the “Community” buy you a Car?  Or pay for a years-worth of your College classes?  Or pay your Rent? or get you a Promotion? Did they pay your big medical bills?  No? Then why on earth do you feel any need to “give back” in the first place?

No one answers this.  They believe in “Service”, but they can’t (or won’t) tell you Why.

Most of the time they tell themselves they “made a difference” by volunteering, but 5 out of 6 times, what really happens is, they make sure that the next day, they are sure to wear the ribbon, badge or pin that they got for Volunteering, to work with them the next day. So YOU will be curious and ask them about it. They simply want the recognition and to feed their ego.  WOULD THEY have volunteered or “been of Service” IF they couldn’t tell anyone at all that they did it?  I truly wonder.

Think about this!  You, and your sweetie are stranded on some Island.  The weather is warm. There are Coconuts, Guavas, Papayas, Grapes, Oranges, Pineapples and Berries growing everywhere. There is even a fresh-water lake with Trout fish in it. But no snakes or wild animals.  The only problem is, there is only the two of you. There are no other people on this Island. S0…..you have NO ONE, to “be of service” to. NO ONE, to “give back” to.  No “Community” to “make a difference” in.   No community to “recognize your contribution”.  Just you & your sweetie. No one else to “serve”. Would Life be futile and meaningless? Would you kill yourself?  Could you still be happy on this Island?

“Essential Workers “?–what about YOU?

OK, someone has to say it.  How do you feel about other people saying your job is “not essential?”   Really?!?  Are Nurses, Police, and Microbiologists and Truck Drivers who bring food to the grocery stores the only ones who “Count”?

Lately, if you are not already working in one of those professions, it may seem as if  you don’t matter, You are not “essential”. I say that’s wrong.

The world is a better place, for having Nurses, police, etc.—BUT—

Look at the next time your City had elections, and people running for office with commercials on TV—and be Aware—what do 95% of those commercials always make it a point to say?:  (wait for it):…..
“Candidate Kathy Johnson is ENDORSED BY:

A) the local School board or teachers union

B) the Firefighters Union

C) the Nurses Union……….and there you have it!  Haven’t you already seen this on TV last time?  Always the same:  Police, Nurses, Teachers, and Firefighters.  Gawwwd, yes. As long as we’ve got those under-our-belt it’s as if nooooo one else matters!  The rest of you just don’t count, or “measure up”.  If you say they don’t really believe that, then I ask: then why make such a big deal out of this or that person having that endorsement to  begin with, as if its some Diamond Ace-in-the-Hole card to play?

What about YOU?  Are you a waitress?  Admin. Assistant? Anything non-medical?  Work in the Mall?  Bus driver?  Work at Staples or Target?  Computer repair?  Smartphone Salesperson?   Furniture Sales?   Cook in a restaurant?  Don’t YOU matter, too?   Did you go to work yesterday? No? Who decided? When will you go back? Who decides?–and will *that* person or persons be dependent on any gov’t check, loan or relief -for themselves??  If you are still waiting to return to work, when will you “Matter” again?

I saw someone carrying a sign on TV that said: Your fear doesn’t stop my Rights!” Amen to that.

We want safety, and we don’t want to be reckless, but we can’t wait around until someone can guarantee perfection, either, which wont happen anyway.  We can never completely escape all risk.  Life goes on.

The world is a better place by having people who can respond and help during emergencies.  God Bless ’em.   But they are not the only ones who are “Heroes” -or who matter! People have rights.

 

 

Service is over-rated.

Service, is overrated! Serving humanity. “A life of service.”

” Giving Back to the Community. ”

So that we can “Make a difference”.

And feel “empowered”.

Funny how no one ever spells out exactly what “the Community” ever already did for them, personally, so that they would ever feel any need to “give back” in the first place!

Its not that doing good things for others is bad, I’m not saying that. But its overrated. Far too many people do it so they can tell others that they did. They want the recognition.

To show they “cared”. And “made a difference”. Now, they get to feel “empowered.” And they “gave back to the Community” more than you did. It goes too far. And “being of service” far too often becomes a matter of putting burdens and a sense of obligation and Duty onto others –and ourselves!

Far too many people “give back” so that they can wear the pin or ribbon they got for “serving” to work the next day, so folks will ask them what that is, and maybe then they can 1-upmanship you and say how they “cared” enough to “make a difference” and now they “feel empowered” .

How much Volunteerism would really get done if you couldn’t tell anyone that you did it?

And, just suppose, what if loving  and seeking God counted more than how many sandwiches you made at the Soup kitchen, or how many fundraisers you went to, or marathons you ran in?  What if understanding spiritual laws and developing yourself spiritually counts more in the afterlife than your last fundraiser?

In the Bible, Jesus says in Matthew, chapter 22, verse 37 that the greatest commandment is that “you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul and all of your mind.” In the very next verse,  verse 38, he adds that “This is the first and great commandment.”  After that, if you continue reading further, he goes on to say that the second  great commandment is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

In my opinion, the problem today is that too many people are trying to do the 2nd commandment and ignoring the 1st.

While Charity and doing good works are commendable, i feel that “Making a Difference” is todays politically-correct all-the-rage FAD. Everyone-and-their-dog wants to “make a difference” –and while kindness is good,  “service” and  “giving back” can become a burden that robs you of  pleasure and Joy!

Don’t let it. Too much service can drain you emotionally. Some, is good. But watch out– it can become  “Duty gone wild”. And people really can get “compassion fatigue”. No matter how much you do, you can’t save the world.  It’s important to “feel alive!” , to have some Zest in life and to FEEL like smiling! Activists burn out. So do group organizers. Service becomes their “religion” or a 1-upmanship game with them to show everyone how much the “cared”.  But many of them don’t look happy. They may tell themselves they are doing the right thing, but when they are away from “the Cause”, how enthusiastic (about Life-in-general) are they? How often do they laugh? Very likely, not enough. I say: being a helpful coworker, yes. Being a sincere & reliable friend, yes. But being a service-fanatic or community-activist so you can “look good” around others, naaah.  What if you were stranded alone on a large island and couldn’t do anything for someone else?  Would that make your Life meaningless?

I don’t always agree with Alan Watts, especially when he talks (in other videos) about “the Self”. Bleeaugh!  But on some other things, I think he makes good points. But we all must decide for ourselves.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21RwqnB8GrE