Saturday, January 31, 2015

Stay Outta My Grill

In the movie 'Friday', Chris Tucker's character 'Smokey' talks to a 'blind date' on the phone who claims she looks like Janet Jackson. After having met her in person, he concludes that she looks more like the male singer Freddie Jackson, and tells her that right now he has an errand to run. She requests that he call her later on, and "Smokey' responds as follows: "...If you come by, I won't call you. Don't ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever come by here, ok?

At a meeting last week I asked other staff members if I might visit their respective venues later on to take photos, and it was suggested that I not visit but allow them to email the pictures to me. Now I don't think that my appearance appalled anyone, but what I suspect is that at least since the movie Friday’s production in 1995, we as a society have unawaringly allowed technology to compromise our humanity.

With the advent of the telephone we were able to call those who weren’t in close proximity, but we did periodically visit those who were. Like ‘Smokey’, we sometimes preferred to converse from a distance, but  there was a verbal interaction that allowed us to at least hear the voice of who it was we were talking to.

What we have now, with the subjugation of texts, email, Facebook and Twitter, is a cold, unfeeling connection with others whose countenance and sensibilities we are totally unaware of because we can’t see or even hear who it is we’re communicating with.

My young nephew, when asked why he preferred to text rather than call, very honestly proclaimed that when he texted he didn’t have to answer questions. No desire for accountability ya’ll, that’s what’s happening to us. The fact of the matter is that we are here to love and support one another. Even if we don’t especially like each other, our ultimate survival is predicated on our ability to amicably coexist. Our tendency toward machine like behavior is leading us toward a cold-hearted and non-compassionate consciousness that causes us to maintain that unless I need or want something from you, “Stay outta my grill (face)”.

What we gon do? I’m going to continue, cordially of course, getting in people’s grill (which is a synonym for face), and taking their pictures even if I don’t have a camera. You see I want to know that people, especially those that directly affect my life, are well. My intent is to fortify whatever ties I have with others because whether we want it or not, at some point we’re going to need another and since we don’t know who or when that might be, it is in our best interest to treat everyone like we want to be treated. 

Now there is certainly no need to cease using the technology we have available to us, and there will be times when it’s in another’s best interest that they don’t see or hear from us at certain times. I implore all of us to take the opportunity, whenever we can and no matter how brief, to use our eyes, ears, and actual voices to interact with another so that the warm, human energy that ensues will bless the entire universe in ways we never imagined. 

Kindness and concern works ya’ll, and it benefits us all to work from those perspectives.

I’ll holla… 

To comment or respond please click on the word comments at the bottom of this page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com



No comments:

Post a Comment