I was parked in the 7-11 parking lot the other day, waiting for my husband to get his zero-calorie vitamin water and a scratch ticket, when I noticed a man saddling up to the RedBox right in front of the store. And it struck me---people don't want to interact with people anymore. I mean, I think I knew this, given the amount of numbers I have to press when calling my insurance company; if they can get away with giving me an automated answer, they certainly will. But, we were in Fresh & Easy the other day (recommended by my friend Jessica who said it was just like Trader Joe's but with Coke!) and we didn't interact with anyone but the woman giving out samples of crackers. ALL of the registers are do-it-yourself....and then this RedBox thing! Don't walk into a store and interact with (gasp!) PEOPLE!!!! Just swipe your card, get your movie and run home like it never happened! Maybe it's a product of the over-population factor...there are just TOO MANY people to interact with people anymore. But then, there all of these people unemployed...so it leads me to believe it's just us. Just us closing ourselves off to other humans.
Have you noticed all of the illness/ pollution/ struggling out there lately? Because I have. I've noticed the people who come get a massage and tell me it's the only time in their life they're touched. It's tragic, really, and I can't imagine. I think we weren't meant to live this solitary lifestyle we've all so proudly set up. I think, like dogs, we're really pack animals. There are studies that show people who have more than 3 different groups of friends get sick less. That babies who are held more frequently and have skin to skin contact are less likely to become serial killers. There are reasons for this and it comes down to human-to-human contact. We were meant to live with one another; helping each other pay the mortgage, raise the kids, make the food. We were meant to socialize and sing together. A one man band, while slightly entertaining, is no match for a 6 person band (Alright Alright!!!) because it takes a village to create something cool. Sure, there are artists who create amazing things all the time solo, but a lot of them go nutso. Just sayin'. So many folks I know are losing their homes, struggling to work and raise the kids, are depressed because they live alone...and I think a good old fashioned fucking commune is in order. Or, at least, an intentional community. Let's all pitch in and buy 10 acres of land and build some little houses on it...have a community farm...a social space for art and music. We'll grow our own food, live off the grid and cook some amazing meals together. We'll only have one veggie-fueled car and when we want to rent a friggin movie, we'll make it a Blockbuster night so that person can keep his job. We'll have our own little space, but have spaces we share so that we're not doing it all alone. We'll live long happy lives and our children will always have this great extended family to learn from. It'll be swell....what do you say? I'm eyeballing Topanga and I'm talking to YOU.
I know I sound like a dirty hippie. I'm just tired of the traffic, the illness, the hopelessness I see around me. People were all pumped up in electing Obama with their "Yes we can" and I'm wondering if everyone still feels like they're able. I'd like to harness that energy and throw it into an intentional community, a commune, a cooperation-station. We need someone who can teach me how to sew...do you know anyone like that?
