Okay, I try not to be too pissy in my Blog. But, there is something I have been noticing that has been bothering me bad. I promise it has a happy ending.
It seems to me that everywhere I go, people are absently walking wherever they are, that they have no idea where they are going. I notice they do this especially in public places, like malls or on city streets. They wander down the center of aisles and sidewalks, aimless, blocking the path of all around them. They also do it in their cars, which to me seems dangerous.
But, then I am not any better. I generally like to think of myself as a person who goes where he is going while knowing where he is going. I mean, generally. I end up being the asshole tapping his feet and hustling by as soon as there is an opening. I am the one stressing about getting there.
I can’t blame them. The world is designed to distract. There are billboards, piped in sound, signage, sales, street signs, confusing architecture, and on, and on. You know, they design malls to be confusing? Yep, if you are confused, you are easier to be manipulated by marketing. It’s a herding behavior. When we are lost, confused, a little scared, something familiar or friendly will give us comfort. Logos, warm lighting, shiny things, even carpeting. That store over there is more comforting than the loud, bright mall out here. Lets wander in there.
We are moved around by subtle coercion. (I suggest Douglas Rushkoff’s Coercion, it’s really incredible, it will change the way you consume.)
So that’s the problem. We are being led, open mouthed, by our world. And what is the answer? I say it is to walk with Intention.
I really learned this on film sets. It is a conservation of motion, and an awareness of self. On set, we need to get heavy objects all over, quickly and through a mess of other people. Every person on set, with a few exceptions, has to do a similar thing. So everyone is careful to not stand in the only walkway. We are usually working very hard, so extra work is the enemy. We try and do things once, and using the shortest route to our target. We only go where we are needed, and when we need to be there. It is a dance. We listen and watch for what’s next. It is a state of being highly present (and this is all very idealized, generally it’s a clusterfcuk).
I try and apply this presence to my life. I wish that people around me would do the same. And I could fume about this all day long. But I won’t. So I propose a game. I am borrowing from the brilliant movie Wall E. So good!
GAME: Walking With Intention. Practice being present when you are doing whatever you are doing in the world. Follow your intention, one at a time and try to stick to it. Now, when you are annoyed with anyone moving slowly or seeming confused. Heck even if you are not annoyed but see someone in that vacant herdlike state, take a moment. Connect with them. Say “hello!” or introduce yourself, or smile broadly, or touch their hand. Nothing bad will happen, I promise. But you may be able to snap them out of it a little. Or you might make a lifelong friend. If you have seen Wall-E, imagine the innocence of his interactions when you are snapping them out of it.
Yeah, this is a game I will be playing all week. I will report on it very soon. I was thinking about heading to Costco in a minute to get some printer cartridges.
