Day one of blogging about progressivism in the Pieces of Flair application on Facebook, and I've already found myself heading in a different direction than I had expected. On the first page of the "Recently Popular" Flair, one caught my eye. It was a picture of a stop sign. But instead of reading "STOP," it read "JUST KINDA STOP."
Just kinda stop...I have seen that happen countless times. Someone slows down, almost stops at a stop sign, but keeps on going. Everyone is always in a rush; there's no time to actually come to a complete stop for a few seconds.
So, thinking about this, and appreciating that the creator of that picture was expressing something about American culture in a humorous way, I moved on and began loking for a Flair to blog about. But this sign wouldn't leave me alone, and I kept coming back to it. I kept thinking, "You know, that really says a lot about Americans today."
And it's true. American culture, as a whole, is generally on the move. We're always ushing about, busier than ever before. We don't have time to spend with our loved ones, to sit in a hammock and spend a day reading a good book, or to even stop at a stop sign.
This fast-paced culture really clashes with me. I lead a pretty laid back lifestyle, and I never really rush to get places or to get something done. So I have a lot of free time. I used to spend that time with my friends, hanging out and having fun. But now, they've fallen into the rush that is consuming America, and never really have time for me. They have to work, there's a lot of homework to be done, etcetera, etcetera. And I'm left wondering, "What happened to the days when homework could be pushed aside once in a while to have some fun?"
And to me, that is a very important question. Where did leisure go? Where did all that free time go, that we used to use strengthening the bonds between us? Sure, we get more done in this fast-paced world of ours, but is it worth what we're giving up?
Isn't it going a little too far when you don't even have time to come to a complete stop at a stop sign?
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
