I was once having a conversation with a friend and they pitched me the idea; what if Metropolis and Gotham City were actually the same city?
(For those of you who are not as nerdy as my friends and I, Metropolis is generally the main city in Superman’s stories and Gotham City is generally the main city of Batman stories.)
The point my friend was trying to make was that each character’s world view affected the world around them.
This past week I conducted an experiment regarding this.
Obviously, the current state of the world is not the most uplifting. Many people have lost their jobs, some people are trapped in close quarters with abusive partners, and there is a constant concern for day to day life as we know it.
Which brings me to my experiment…
I have a rather eclectic group of friends on Facebook. I don’t like to discuss politics on social media or on my site, as I don’t believe it is a productive way/place to do it, but allow me to say this. I have friends on both sides of the political fence and going on Facebook offered little beyond concern and anxiety for me.
I saw my friends demanding each to unfriend the other for a difference of opinion. I saw venom and “ad hominem” (against the man) arguments being tossed around. Posts like “if you believe XYZ unfriend me right now because you are too stupid…”, etc.
So, I deleted my social media accounts from my phone; and you know what? It feels great!
I have checked social media minimally and I have glanced at the news. I’m not an advocate of having one’s head in the sand but I wanted to remove the constant bombardment of people’s opinions, which is mainly what Facebook is comprised of.
When you listen to someone speak or read their posts think about whether or not they are appealing to your emotions, count how many times they swear, listen to their stories and be cognizant of who benefits…Truly wise people do not rely on emotion, they simply speak the truth.
Another thing I did this past week was watch the movie Apocalypse Now (Redux).
The current crisis is difficult but don’t forget all those who have come before us and the crises they faced in their time.
Now, I think we have talked about everyone’s favorite topic enough.
This month I would like to give a shout out to some local do-gooders.
Chantal and I were heading out to get some pizza last weekend and we saw our neighbors had put up a sign “free hot dogs!” As we drove by, we saw a hot dog machine and our neighbor’s sitting out equipped with masks, gloves, and tongs. I took the next road to turn around and double back. I have seen many a lemonade stand but this was new to me.
Turns out my neighbor, Shawn, was recently laid-off from USA foods and he had an abundance of hot dogs. So like most people who have recently been laid-off, his first thought was: “What can my family do to give back to our local community?” So Shawn, his lovely wife Rudy, and their enthusiastic son Luke decided to give away free hot dogs to spread some joy.
Check out their Youtube channel here! And don’t forget to subscribe so you can see what they have planned in the next few weeks!
A quick update for Where Man and Monster Meet:
I am happy to say that Icarus Falls has officially launched! I submitted it to Amazon for review earlier today and it should be available within the next few days.
Similar to my neighbors I am just getting warmed up. I have more books to write and hopefully there will be second anthology work coming out in late summer/early fall that I am working on with some of my friends.
So, this month’s advice:
Do something to gain some perspective and don’t be afraid to push yourself. Remember that there are “other worlds” out there. Try getting off of social media for a week or two or watching a movie about the human struggle. Finally, keep an eye out for free hot dogs!
Till next time!
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