After reading Garrison Keillor’s Oct. 8 column in The Herald, (“Maybe we could use a TSA worker to bark at us daily,”), I’m thinking perhaps we do have a “TSA worker” bark at us each day. Not literally, of course, but in the form of parents, teachers, pastors, police and others. So why do we not pay more attention?
From the beginning there were parents and others guiding us, setting limits and warning us of dangers. As we matured, we have been bombarded with direction and knowledge that others were all too anxious to share, including newspapers, TV, computers and even our phone. The intensity of all this stimulation drives us to seek just a moment of quiet.
Why do we not pay more attention? We begin to see hypocrisy, creating doubt and hear conflicting reports on climate change, health care, taxes and much more. There are so many religious beliefs, how do I know that mine is right? Some of the dietary recommendations are now debunked. How can I know who to believe?
So why haven’t we paid more attention? Like 75-year-old Garrison, I know I could have done better. The TSA worker was there and is here today. Perhaps we simply can’t take it all in and make sense of it, so we tune it out. We see the speed limit sign, but we’re running late. We know better, but that Danish pastry is so scrumptious. How can I know which talking heads speak the truth?
We do the best we can, Garrison. I’m sure that you said, “yes, ma’am” and moved on, boarding your plane when you heard yet another set of rules. So do we all, everyday of our lives.
Brenda Stewart
Monroe
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