Observations Pt. IV

 

The Color of Food
Take a moment and observe the food you eat. An orange? Probably spray paint. "Whole wheat" bread? Molasses to make it look that healthy. Cherry-flavored jello? No one would eat it if it weren't red. We have certain unspoken expectations of the color of food, to the extent that if something isn't naturally the "right" color, it must be altered to fit the mold. Why do we assume these colors to be "right" though? Are we discriminating by color? If we suddenly change the color, add food coloring to our pancakes, don't use any color for the Christmas cookies, people suddenly become distrustful of the food. How can we hope to be capable of not judging others by what they look like if we can't even do that with our food?

Curbs
Step up, step down, don't trip. America is filled with them, curbs. Who came up with the concept? Why? And how did they come to exist all over the world? They are so normal that we don't even really notice them unless we're parallel parking, and even then we don't take a minute to wonder. Why do they only line certain roads? Why do they have that rounded shape? How do we know that they secretly aren't being used for a confidential government purpose?

The Frisbee
Frisbees. Who came up with that? A plate, flying through the air. Did it stem from a food fight? It is strange how we may see it as normal to throw a plate like a disc, but not to throw our cups like balls, our forks like darts, or our napkins like paper airplanes. Yet somehow, it happened. Manufacturers took on the challenge and started producing the plates that aren't plates, resulting in nation (and maybe even world) wide knowledge and skill regarding the game of frisbee. How can we reprimand children for throwing food while teaching them to throw an item resembling a dinner plate?

Observations Pt. III

Sports at School
Football, swimming, golf, track—there are many options when it comes to playing sports at school. But why is it that sports are connected with school? Why is free time connected to  a student's "work?" Unless you work for Google or are the manager of a fitness center, your job isn't going to present you with the choice to join a sports team! So why is it that in the time of education it is connected? Some might guess that it is because "school" comes from the Latin word for "leisure." However, many European countries have the same word for or a variation of the word "school" as well, yet they do not have sports teams offered by schools. How is it that this phenomena is found in the United States, but not in Europe (and in other continents)?

The Grass is Always Greener...
For some reason, most people I've ever met have idealistic views of what the other side of the world is like. As strange as it may seem, Europeans dream of visiting L.A. in the same way that Americans dream of visiting Europe. We live a few hours from Hollywood, they a few hours from Paris.

"Oh it must be so romantic there!" we cry, "Do you see celebrities every day?!" they yelp, not realizing that the other side of the world is still the world too. Cities are dirty, people hide away, bombs drop, traffic jams,  cars pollute the air, homeless people sit on street corners. Why do we tend to have such a dreamy view of other places? Is this because we hear stories from tourist friends who saw what they wished to see? Do we value maintaining that perfection over actually traveling and becoming acquainted with a country?
Despite our idealism though, with this drought, the grass definitely is greener on the other side.

Fire!
 The fire alarm goes off and we walk out of the classroom, recognizing the sound of alarm. Why do we associate this sound with emergencies though? Who decided that this particular sound would signal that something was wrong? There are so many sounds in the world, shrill sounds, loud sounds, beeping sounds, yet somehow for some reason someone chose these certain special sounds. If we can chose our own alarm clock sound, why can't we chose our own fire alarm sounds?

Observations Pt. II

Power Lines
Every single day I drive by them—power lines. Wires connecting to tall wooden poles, strung across roads, houses, yards, fields. How often do I actually notice them? At the most, once a week. They are so normal, so completely ordinary that they come to blend in with the surroundings. The only time anyone notices them is, well, when someone crash into one and forces the whole neighborhood to eat their ice cream before it melts. These leafless trees are not as commonplace as they might seem nowadays though.

More and more of them are being replaced with underground lines so that we can blame the groundhogs rather than mankind for the obesity epidemic. In many suburban neighborhoods this is the case, as well as in a number of progressive foreign countries, such as the Netherlands. For myself, returning to the States caused me to notice them again as they seemed strange and a bit old-fashioned all of a sudden. Why don't we all stop and think about power lines once in a while? Admire their rustic "beauty"?  Imagine ourselves tightrope walking across them? Or remember to thank the PG&E workers next time we see them fixing one?




Alone
"Person" plus "alone" equals "lonely". At least, according to "society," whatever that may be. But why do we believe this equation to be true? According to Sir Google, the definition of "alone" is "having no one else present; on one's own." His definition "lonely" on the other hand is "sad because one has no friends or company." This shows that being "lonely" is actually but a subcategory of "alone." By this logic, I'd be a whale, simply because I am a mammal. Does this mean we are afraid to be judged for being alone simply because someone else is bad at math? Why isn't this something we strive to fix? Being alone provides an opportunity for deep thought, seeing the world, using all five senses, creativity, new ideas, prayer, rest, inside jokes with yourself, and so much more. How come, in this culture where "innovative thinking" is so prized, we don't encourage being alone?

Grinmacing
"Say cheese!" my friend's mom yells as we pose for a picture at her graduation party. The poets may have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese, but moms with cameras sure haven't! Why do we even say "cheese" to smile for a picture? Who thought of that? Why not say "beans" or something of the sort? And why do we smile for pictures anyway? If you ever come across a picture from 19th century you'll notice that no one is showing off his or her pearly-whites. Solemn and staring straight ahead, it sometimes confuses us. We wonder why they didn't smile back then. But why don't we turn it around? Why do we smile when posing for pictures nowadays? Do we value our masks more than our honesty? Why do we hide the grimace with a grin?