The man ran over to the television and got close so he could hear what was being said. I was watching the scene unfold in a restaurant where a television is permanently set to show cable news.
“He just makes me so mad,” the man muttered with intensity. I wasn’t sure whether he was talking to me or to himself, but he was clearly referring to the media personality talking on the screen. He was upset, but the flickering image commanded his attention and his eyes were glued to the TV.
I watched him for a minute and finally asked the obvious question.
“If he makes you so angry, why do you listen so closely to him?” I asked. “Why not just ignore him?”
The man first looked puzzled, as though I had asked him a trick question. Then he finally responded with the tone one might use when explaining something obvious to a child.
“Well, he’s on television,” the man said. “He doesn’t like [my political group] and he’s always saying negative things about us. He’s on the news. I have to know what he says — because he makes me furious!”
Dogs, cats and children remind me of all the joy in small things
I’ve lost all interest in begging anyone to fix the political system
What if a key to knowing what to do is built into everybody’s gut?
We’re neither friends nor enemies, just strangers who share the past
‘This path leads to somewhere I think I can finally say, I’m home’
When love finally dies, it’s like a fever breaks and the pain is gone
My drive to be perfect led to lack of compassion for self and others
Two sets of rules: One for the public and a very different set for police
When intense feelings turn numb, something inside has died for me