All I Want to do Is Have Some Fun.
Post Corona, Mid Protest and Political Chaos. Where do we look for fun now?
Now that the romance and novelty of the trauma-bonding over Zoom calls and high profile Together Alone fund raisers have cleared, we are collectively confused, annoyed, and perhaps even angry or unemployed. What’s worse-we are just not having very much fun. Not the kind we are used to having anyway, so I guess we are going to have to get creative, if we don’t want our society to collectively turn into a bunch of clean freaks with bad home haircuts who can’t make eye contact any closer than six feet from another human, lest we invite the CV., we all know from every good Fairy-tale, that once you make eye contact, the monsters have gotcha.
So, I think about the things I’ve done all my life, for joy, and entertainment, and for the purpose of simply experiencing life. Not through a screen, or thru a window, or at a distance, but in real time. Throwing caution to the wind, we got drunk in mosh pits, went camping in vague groups and shared cigarrettes and sleeping bags with acquaintences, and we went to sporting events, crushed in giant hugs by the guys at the Stadium on either side of us after a touchdown, or ‘High Fived’ at a minimum. We went to concerts, and casinos, and joined groups of strangers to go rafting and learn to salsa dance. We had celebrations. Weddings, funerals, graduations. Large crowds, all dressed up, no space between us, willing to stand like that on a hot summers day for hours, to congratulate or commiserate with those we love.
Granted, I read, and paint, and make jewelry, which are fairly solitary activities, but even those interests have an end point in exchanges with others. I participate in shows and festivals, I go to see other artists, or meet with friends to talk about the books we’ve read. Posting on Facebook is an empty and shallow substitute for intimacy. I use it for business, and spewing my opinions, as censorship allows. Which it doesn’t. Young people most especially, do not realize that these platforms are private companies. You can say whatever you want, but they don’t have to post it. You can search for whatever you want, and you will be presented with evidence of what that company would like you to know, or the opinion they would like to promote.
Will our children or grandchildren ever know the thrill of being forced to touch the sweaty hand of some weird kid in their class during some bizarre gym class activity, like tag? Are sleepovers, soccer, and gaming parties all but lost to memory for the next generation of tots? I hate to imagine them, each quietly bouncing a ball, alone in their own driveway, like Charles Wallace from A Wrinkle in Time. Will they still question the truth, or blindly accept the path of least resistance, the newest pop star, and Google said so? Will the words, “go outside and play with your friends” draw a questioning and horrified stare? (Alexa, please translate that phrase).
What about us adults? How am I supposed to get a date when there are only ten people allowed at a cafe at a time? And, I guess I can just forget about Meet ups, Happy Hour, neighborhood BBQ, and getting fixed up with your co workers brothers’ best friend. Well, I guess there is always
online apps, or political gatherings, but speaking for myself, I’m about sick and tired of watching people argue, and do stuff on tiny screens.
It’s not fun anymore. It wasn’t all that fun to begin with, living online. I mean, I’ll be glad when I can actually go to a real tai chi class. Following along with some chirpy stranger, alone in my garage is somehow not a spiritual experience, aside from the fact that the neighbors are watching.
I also belong to a social group, and to rat myself out, I have been a wretched and absent member at the Zoom groups. It’s better than nothing, for sure, but there is a power in relationships, there is power in a physical group of like minded individuals, unedited, in person, and not being recorded. Zoom is like watching TV, and since I mostly don’t watch TV., it seems very impersonal, and doesn’t hold my interest. You can go ‘off screen’ and no one knows if you are making a sandwich or using the toilet during the meeting, and no one is going to ask, because that would be rude.
In these last few months I have seen more adults spending time with their children outside, more couples taking walks in the evening, and more businesses realizing that they can save a lot of overhead by just letting a certain percentage of employees continue to work from home.
I have also seen an increase in drug and alcohol dependence, overeating, mental health issues, and xenophobic co dependent relationships. Social tipping points are at an all time high, with issues that truly need to be addressed, but that’s not fun either.
Shopping online was fun for a minute. Until I realized I had nowhere to go, no one to impress, and my money might well be better spent on dirt and soap making supplies. Besides, now we are all aware that the World could go to Hell in a hatbasket at any moment, and I might wish I had bought dried beans, and multi skin toned band-aids instead of leggings.
It was fun to try to figure out what the hell is actually going on, until I got obsessive about it, and I still don’t know what the truth is, and possibly never never will. Alrighty then, not fun. But it was fun to change channels and hear totally different opinions, as well as conflicting science and medical opinions.
I must admit, it is fun to be in Missouri right now. It’s fun to be alive, and witness the events at hand, of which, I believe, are most like the circus has just pulled into town, and hasn’t even begun to unload. I had planned to have a seat a little higher up, but this will have to do for now. (In case you are wondering, I’m sitting on the ground, in the middle, holding the sign).
So, have fun. Be alive. Stay alive. Don’t be a dumb ass about it, use caution and respect, but also use your head. Use your talents and skills, or develop some new ones. Find ways to connect with people, and stay in contact with them. Make your physical and mental health a priority. Question everything that doesn’t feel right. (sorry, but that’s kind of everything).
Yeah, have fun.!
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