1. to lessen the sensitiveness of
2. to make indifferent, unaware, of the like, in feeling
Isn't funny how easily we can become desensitized without even noticing it?
The whole process usually starts when we're young, with cartoons. Bugs Bunny slaps the spit out of Elmer Fudd. Wile E. Coyote suffers a case of "Starz" as a giant anvil drops on his head. America's Funniest Home Videos...nuff said.
But this is not a rant on how crappy cartoons are now. I'm taking this in another direction.
How many times have you said something serious to someone, only to have them respond back:
"...Are you serious?"
It's almost insulting. You're standing in front of them, talking about a very sober topic, only to have them doubt your sincerity. They don't believe you. Whatever you are saying is so abstract, so strange to them, it disturbs their current worldview.
The tragedy is in how thick it gets some times.
We have all seen those commercials about the starving children in different parts of the country/world. We can almost quote them.
And we know that they need our help. We know that what is going on is wrong. We know that if they only got a fraction of what we throw away on the daily, their lives would be set.
But, we are frozen, numb to it. Its easy for us to say to ourselves, "Man. That sucks...ah well. Someone will take care of it...". We are stuck in ourselves, caught up in ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME. ME wants the new iPod. ME is trying to get to McDonalds before ME's lunch break is over. ME is complaining, claiming to be "starving" because we haven't had our daily Butterfinger fix. We are desensitized, blocked to reality, surrounded by a wall of hedonism and a fast-food mentality.
We are desensitized to the needs of others, especially those who need it. It doesn't even have to be starving children in other countries. It be anyone in our path who needs our help. How many of us have seen someone struggling with something? Okay. How many of us have seen people continue to walk away, walk around or walk faster from them? Okay.
How many of us are one of those people? Maybe you really have something important to do. Maybe your day is really hella busy. But is it really that hard to just...help? Even for a few seconds? Think about how much you would like to have someone help with something?
In all seriousness, think about it. How hard would be to brighten someone's day by breaking the "MYOB" cycle?
In an attempt to inject humor into this post, I believe that Dane Cook said it best:
The tragedy is in how thick it gets some times.
We have all seen those commercials about the starving children in different parts of the country/world. We can almost quote them.
And we know that they need our help. We know that what is going on is wrong. We know that if they only got a fraction of what we throw away on the daily, their lives would be set.
But, we are frozen, numb to it. Its easy for us to say to ourselves, "Man. That sucks...ah well. Someone will take care of it...". We are stuck in ourselves, caught up in ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME. ME wants the new iPod. ME is trying to get to McDonalds before ME's lunch break is over. ME is complaining, claiming to be "starving" because we haven't had our daily Butterfinger fix. We are desensitized, blocked to reality, surrounded by a wall of hedonism and a fast-food mentality.
We are desensitized to the needs of others, especially those who need it. It doesn't even have to be starving children in other countries. It be anyone in our path who needs our help. How many of us have seen someone struggling with something? Okay. How many of us have seen people continue to walk away, walk around or walk faster from them? Okay.
How many of us are one of those people? Maybe you really have something important to do. Maybe your day is really hella busy. But is it really that hard to just...help? Even for a few seconds? Think about how much you would like to have someone help with something?
In all seriousness, think about it. How hard would be to brighten someone's day by breaking the "MYOB" cycle?
In an attempt to inject humor into this post, I believe that Dane Cook said it best:
"Are you serious?!"
Yeah. I am.
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