Rock On People!
What makes people so self-conscious? I remember this one time, probably about a year ago, I pulled up to a red light and there was this girl in the car next to me, about my age. She was completely rocking out. 
I thought it was great. She didn’t have a care in the world that someone might pull up next to her and see her belting out lyrics,bobbing her head to and fro, and tapping the beat on her steering wheel. No, for her, the next two minutes were a time to shine, her own little Carnegie Hall. I was amazed. But then all of a sudden she sees me seeing her and stops. An embarrassment falls over her and she starts laughing. I had caught her in the act. She was flush. And just like that, the record stops, the curtain falls, and all of her adoring fans rush out of the concert hall. Why?
On a dime this girl’s emotional state changed from having a really good time to being really ashamed, all because she thought I was judging her. Sartre claims that judgment and shame naturally arise from the social condition. All’s good in the neighborhood so long as there’s only one person, who has sole power to judge good and bad. But when someone else comes into the picture, the judge herself is potentially under scrutiny. Enter shame.
What made the girl amazing under my initial estimation was that she didn’t take herself so seriously. She didn’t care (or so I thought) what some random person who pulled up next to her might think of her singing. She wasn’t up for promotion. My opinion wasn’t the opinion of someone she loved or cared for. But then all of a sudden, she made the situation out to be more serious than it was.
I think we can all learn from these folks that it’s ok to let loose every once in awhile, and not just when you’re home or at a bar or at a friend’s house for a party, just on a Tuesday in the middle of the day, when you’re favorite song comes on. I'm convinced that singing at the top of one's lungs in a moving vehicle is good for one's soul. Because the only way to make life something more than shame and judgment is to act the fool every once in awhile... and be ok with it.
I thought it was great. She didn’t have a care in the world that someone might pull up next to her and see her belting out lyrics,bobbing her head to and fro, and tapping the beat on her steering wheel. No, for her, the next two minutes were a time to shine, her own little Carnegie Hall. I was amazed. But then all of a sudden she sees me seeing her and stops. An embarrassment falls over her and she starts laughing. I had caught her in the act. She was flush. And just like that, the record stops, the curtain falls, and all of her adoring fans rush out of the concert hall. Why?On a dime this girl’s emotional state changed from having a really good time to being really ashamed, all because she thought I was judging her. Sartre claims that judgment and shame naturally arise from the social condition. All’s good in the neighborhood so long as there’s only one person, who has sole power to judge good and bad. But when someone else comes into the picture, the judge herself is potentially under scrutiny. Enter shame.
What made the girl amazing under my initial estimation was that she didn’t take herself so seriously. She didn’t care (or so I thought) what some random person who pulled up next to her might think of her singing. She wasn’t up for promotion. My opinion wasn’t the opinion of someone she loved or cared for. But then all of a sudden, she made the situation out to be more serious than it was.
I think we can all learn from these folks that it’s ok to let loose every once in awhile, and not just when you’re home or at a bar or at a friend’s house for a party, just on a Tuesday in the middle of the day, when you’re favorite song comes on. I'm convinced that singing at the top of one's lungs in a moving vehicle is good for one's soul. Because the only way to make life something more than shame and judgment is to act the fool every once in awhile... and be ok with it.
posted by Donkey Boy at Thursday, December 22, 2005
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home