Many people are troubled in America today. Futures
are uncertain, and lives often unfulfilling, many
have difficult and lonely lives.
We are often reminded of Paul MaCartney's words
when we see "all the lonely people", and we wonder,
where indeed do they all belong ?
And it is into this difficult and lonely world
we introduce a medium which becomes,
for many, a much-needed way to reach
other people.
Email is in some ways like the confessional for some
people, where they are able to express their honest
and true feelings, perhaps for the first time in many
years. There are no sharp glances or angry shouts to
keep one from finishing a sentance, and to some, that
is a welcome relief.
It can be, for others, a way for people to be
something completely different than they truly are.
Not so much deception as from default, people often
try to display qualities they truly wish they had in
'real life', such as consideration, understanding
and smpathy.
We doubt their intention is to fool anyone,
however, for they really wish to be that way themselves.
Maybe in so doing they really do become more considerate,
understanding and sympathetic.
Convincing themselves, or not, they do convince others,
who in turn, begin to exhibit this aberrant behavior of
consideration of others, and respect. Anarchy follows.
In short order, people are thinking twice about what they
say, and holding doors open, and saying "Please" and
"Pardon me." as if they had been doing it their whole
lives.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is that many people
are actually beginning to communicate with one another
openly and honestly, something which most day-to-day
lives never hope to accomplish. Reports of two or more
people actually understanding one another are coming in
from all over.
What misery this portends for the human race can hardly
be imagined. If understanding persists and grows, can
compassion be far behind ? Will it never end ?
So we offer a word of understanding of our own to our
correspondents here on the magical trapeze: do not fault
yourselves for caring about anyone, whether you see them
every day, or have never seen them in your life.
We are like prisoners in separate cells, tapping on the
walls to one another, asking for a glass of human kindness.
There is no shame in that.
April 28, 1996 Charles Paparella The Shore Journal
I thought Bishop Sheen was dead, too !