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| Royal Typewriter Awaits |
A new year brings resolutions ..seldom kept.. and a breath of what might be fresh air. We connect with old pals.We entertain new ideas and new inspirations and all those 'atta boy' memes on Facebook.
My first really awful FB issue blossomed over a year ago when an artist with whom I'd considered to have been a very close friend for over thirty years.. a trusted friend.. posted that it was a "stupid idea"that I had: that to never call the president by his name should be a thing. Call him #45 was and is the idea. Not being totally hip to the workings of FB, my first error (being ignorant of all the FB workings), was followed by my limbic reaction to 'unfriend' her. I didn't really mean to do that. I just wanted to be distant until she could explain why she thought I was stupid.
I think it's a good idea to dismiss the president with a slight. I made the mistake of 'unfriending' her and this 'close' friend took it as a major slight.. I guess I can't blame her.. After I'd attempted to reinstate the FB friendship by asking her pals to go to bat for me and to apologize, she sent me a scathing email that cut me to the quick. Evidently, she was not as 'close' as I had thought she was. Evidently, I'd used the term 'mean' in contacting her FB pals. The slight felt 'mean' to me though if anyone would have asked if I thought she had any meanness in her at all, I'd have said that was unthinkable. It just felt mean to me and that because of social media..It is on me.
All of this upset was done on line. Email and FB and tweets and messaging and whatever else electronic is current may be the end of civilization as we have enjoyed it unti a few years ago.
I tried to call the woman on the phone. She did not respond. I have not heard her voice in almost two years. I miss our friendship.
The point is that when we rely on the safety of knocking out nasty notes when we are upset.. as I sort of did in reverse by 'unfriending' my "trusted" artist friend.. it can easily be misunderstood. And! Often is!
An email or a post or a tweet can easily seem mean or cruel or nasty when that is not the intention at all.
The woman wrote that she'd deleted the post that I was so insulted by and declared that she had not called me 'stupid'.. (only my idea was stupid). She may have been done with me for other reasons for years? That remains a mystery. When our communication descends to only email or messages, that's a big big problem. Fact is that I love and respect her. I tried to send funds when I heard that her car and expensive equipment had all been lost in a fire. No response. Check uncashed. I'd welcome her with open arms today in spite of it all. No conditions.
Of course, the very issue that I'm complaining about is now part of the phosphors HERE with no intonation and no facial expression and no body language. It's my only recourse for now.
Am I sad about this? Yes.
Do I take responsibility for my reaction?
Of course.
Is this a way to expiate myself a bit? Well, yes..
I take responsibility for my actions and when letters in the mail and phone calls go not responded to and angry vibes are floating in this E universe with no real solution, that needs resolution and that can only happen in a personal way. Phone call, a personal meeting? Skype? Hand written letter? .
I took the photo above of my typewriter today and the art that I'd made and decided to just let these issues come to light in this semi-personal way. It's no fun to take heat : guilty or not. But, we may calm the waters with love and caring and making an attempt to communicate. I see people dissolving into the air almost literally with the use of social media as the only connection that we may wind up with.
I'd fly to Kansas in a minute to fix this issue I discuss here if I wasn't afraid of having the door slammed in my face.
To understand one another, first, we must care enough to want to fix the issue. There are issues that will remain broken because of refusal of folks to meet face to face or at least hear each others' voices on the phone. Our society is spiraling into the land of distant communication that ends in silence. This is a shame. Really.
I may return here with questions for us all but have bent your eyes more than I've intended.
Yes. Happy New Year. Tell people who matter that you care. Do it in person. Sit and be still.
It matters.
Michael Sheehan
January 8, 2020
Glendale, California
