A New Metaphor

Oak Tree on Sapelo

I have my theory that life is like a merry-go-round; there are ups and downs, but you have to stay on the ride. Today, as I was watching Meet the Press, I decided that life is not only like a merry go round, but it is also like a television show. We live life in production mode; presenting ourselves as who we want others to think we are. When we are being observed through the lens of the camera, those watching only see what we want them to see. It looks pretty good to them. We read from the teleprompter and make as few mistakes as possible. We only let a few see the behind the scenes action. The wires that hang free and make the set, when seen in its entirety, look messy and disordered, are cut off when others narrowly observe us. When the camera widens out, others can see that our set is not as perfect as it seems through the selective eye of the lens, so we try to keep them from that wide shot. We try to keep the camera in tight and the frame under our control. When the microphones are turned off, we say things we would rarely say when others could hear our broadcast.

Some may think this is a criticism of the way we live, but it is not. We cannot, no matter how we would like to, walk around saying or doing whatever we please with no consideration of those around us. We live, not only for ourselves, but for others as well. Independence is great, but so is interdependence. I was told by a very wise man once, "Before you say something, ask yourself, Is it necessary and is it kind?" As long as I can present a decent picture to the people in my viewing area, then I can work on the behind the scenes stuff. I can reach back and tuck in a wire that may be hanging in way of the shot. At least I can try.