A few weeks ago 20/20 aired a special on (can’t remember the exact title), but the show was about people in major cities in the US, that are so into their own heads that they don’t see what is right in front of them. 20/20 demonstrated how people, thousands of them did not notice kids, ages 7 to 10, boys and girls from different ethnic backgrounds, crying at the side of the street. It was mind boggling and scary all at the same time. 20/20 further showed that children in the same age group, walking with their parents, and kids in strollers, all noticed the kids crying at the side of the street, and one of them even pointed at them, as their parents continued on, not even noticing the crying kids. Of the thousands of people that walked by during this report, only a handful of adults, mostly woman and seniors, spotted the children crying and stopped to help.
The report was not on awareness or living in the NOW, I really can’t remember exactly what the report was about. But, what I learned from the show was, children all live in the NOW, aware of their surroundings and learning with each passing moment. Each kid that walked by the crying kid, all spotted each other. Why didn’t the parents spot the kids crying? Were they so far in thought, either past or future, that everything around them at that very moment was meaningless? I will never know what they were thinking. Thousands of people deep in thought, with no clue as to the reality of the world around them.
We can learn a lot from children, but that would require us letting go of the idea that we know more than our children do.
Past-Present-Future, where do you want to live? Bruno LoGreco Life Coach Toronto
6 comments:
i'd suspect that the lack of awareness by adults are a combination of stress, self-absorption and social dumbing down... children are lucky enough to escape from the social straightjackets until adolescence and thus are able to see many things adults miss...
i think quietness of mind is an essential feature if one wants to be able to fundamentally appreciate the world around him/her...
keep well...
I was browsing a number of books the other night on a book list from Berkeley -
http://books.berkeley.
edu/2003/psychology.shtml
and I think the comment about 'living in the present' may have been in 'The House of Cards' (open search on Amazon).
Just out of interest, I found that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology publishes a lot of psychology lecture notes etc (zip files) online.
Anonymity becomes more common in big cities where people tend to go into survival mode. They focus on fear and become protective rather than reach out. Imagine what would happen if you took steps to reconnect yourself to humanity, no matter where you live?
Bart - you are absolutely correct - Imagine the world that is really out there--Things that make you go hmmm.
Thanks Julie for the links - I will definitely look through and see what is out there. I read psychology books and workbooks like people read novels. LOL
The world would be an incredible place to live in Liara -- for the fortunate ones, the world you described is reality. :)
I have thought about this problem with people's self-absorption from time to time over the last several years in particular, maybe as I've become more aware of it. I find that it's difficult for me to NOT be aware of my surroundings. I even remember how when I worked as a cashier at a supermarket and was serving a customer, I heard a young girl wailing with cries as she told her mom she got hurt nearby, and I even felt myself wanting to cry (being sensitive that way, but that's for another topic). I've had times when I walked down a hallway at a school and realized people aren't even noticing others right in front of them, they're simply there but not fully there. It's also interesting how walking down the street, lately I've started to want to look at people and give a smile, why not? But people just have such serious faces, and they don't seem to want to respond. If only they knew how we're all connected and how silly it is to be so absorbed in only your own world, your problems, and whatever we make ourselves get caught up in. It's interesting, though, that usually when you're in a smaller city or town, people seem more friendly and caring. Neighbours know one another and help each other out. Elsewhere, you're more like a number.
Welcome anonymous! In a big city there is so much noise. Many that are born in the city know no other way of life - for those that move to the city, they get engulfed into the noise and lose site of everything-- becoming nothing more than a number like you say. In small towns and communities, people are less distracted just by the way of life.
We are all connected -- some can see it, other can not - not that they won't, they just don't know how to. Our purpose is to educate the ones that do not know.
Thank you for your comment!
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