Energy returning in fits and starts so I’m adopting, temporarily, the advice given to those who’ve lost heart with cleaning house and home. ’Use the five minutes.’ As in: ”It takes five minutes to make a pot of tea or coffee; rather than stand around and wait, use that time to clear and wipe down your kitchen counter tops.”
Sound advice, that. Once you get over the urge to bop the pompous little git on the nose for his impudence.
So, while observing pomposity, I seem to be brewing up a little bit of pomposity myself. My writing group is much engaged by the problem of what it’ll take for humanity to adopt a world approach to the spectres of war, famine, and sickness. They seem to look for some kind of Hollywood solution to Armageddon, invasion by aliens, collision with some stellar body, cataclysmic climate change… you name it.
I don’t think my solution would appeal to Hollywood. It’s simply that, seems to me, we all, individually, carry Armageddon within us. It is expressed and given life by our every-day acts of carelessness, mild cruelty, and indifference. Not big actions, just the little things we do or don’t do to avoid ‘being involved’ with what is so easily described as ‘someone else’s problem’. So, use the five minutes it takes to be cruel, and use it to be kind, to improve the common state of us all.
A day without a small act of kindness is another day closer to Armageddon.
See. Told you it was pompous.
14 responses so far ↓
Brigitte // July 14, 2009 at 9:38 am
See, just five minutes of energy and, voila, we’re on our way to save the world!
But I’d like to say also pompous words can be true!
And for the record, I’m first!!
Wendy, NC // July 14, 2009 at 11:03 am
Well, if that’s being pompous, then we need more pomposity in this world.
Rian // July 14, 2009 at 11:18 am
I hardily agree. I have always believed, ‘when in doubt… be kind’. It may not solve the world’s problems, but it sure helps me.
Bonnie // July 14, 2009 at 11:34 am
Would be nice if I extended that to hubby some days.
It’s easy for me to be kind to strangers.
Shirley, in PA // July 14, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Random acts of kindness – something that makes everyone feel better.
oldgreypoet // July 14, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I must’ve been half-asleep when I wrote this and now I feel I ought to go back and edit it rather heavily.
Don’t think I shall bother, though.
[Stretches, yawns, and wonders if it's not time for a little something followed by a tiny zizz...]
Mage Bailey // July 14, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Hey, don’t edit, wipe the computer off. I never mind a bit of pomposity.
gary // July 14, 2009 at 3:55 pm
With 5 mins, of course, you can scratch cat ears…
Dee // July 14, 2009 at 4:10 pm
I like what you did with your five minutes, John. It reminds me of this quote: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it.
Hillel, Talmud, Shabbath 31a” See? You dispensed with all the frippery and went right to the heart of everything.
Lou // July 14, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Be the change you want to see in the world – you have it so right John. Not pompous in the slightest.
novie // July 14, 2009 at 9:18 pm
What a lovely sentiment. Truly, we should hold that close and think about it every day rather than offload our problems. Thanks for that inspiring post.
Sharon // July 14, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Best advice I’ve read in awhile, and I can think of at least one person I’d like to send it to right now! But I’ll try to just focus on being kind. Thank you, John. Them’s good words.
JohnG // July 15, 2009 at 2:10 am
Just do it and don’t tell anyone and don’t judge
Andrew Duffin // July 15, 2009 at 11:32 am
I don’t think that is pompous at all, I think it is a nice little bit of wisdom.
I will try to remember whenever I am feeling mean and grouchy.
Like gas stations in rural Texas after 10 pm, comments are closed.