THIRTY SOMETHING by Ishi Dinim

I feel genuinely blessed to be surrounded by friends and family who are concerned with the environment, politics and culture. I’m often impressed with the level of contemplation in our discourse and the thoughtful nature with which we approach the world.

But I’m not quite clear if my perception about the greater population I live in is skewed or accurate; isn’t everyone like the people I know? Sometimes, I experience things that sober me: a surgically-sculpted woman in a Hummer; teenagers on the basketball court joking about sexual aggression; a couple ‘walking’ their dog in a stroller; a parent feeding their baby Fanta and chain-smoking around her.

Obviously, there are very different kinds of people with all sorts of drives and understandings that inform their choices in life. I find it hard not to judge when I see such brazen disconnections between their choices and their impact. I know people do things to garner attention, respect, admiration, love, or whatever they’re looking for.

“These sunglasses make me look cool. My dye job makes me look younger. This SUV gets people to look at me. If I look disinterested, people won’t hit on me.” Maybe these examples are too narrow, but I really believe that people don’t investigate fully the significance of the focuses in which they invest themselves and the effect they have on the world around them (the same one the we all inhabit).

Last week, we went to a beautiful wedding on Vancouver Island. At the ferry terminal, I saw this guy walking past me and I couldn’t help but stare aghast. He had on a grey camouflaged shirt that read, “Are you always an IDIOT or just around me?” It made me feel full of wonder and confused about the motivation to put on such a thing, but as I walked back to our parked car to grab a cloth diaper, I noticed the car behind ours, idling. Confusion turned to anger – initially – at the couple sitting in their car, hurting our planet so they could sit comfortably. Then I began to speculate what was going on for them. They both looked very bored sitting in their car and not talking, with dour looks on their faces, just staring forward. Maybe there had been a tragedy in the family. Maybe they didn’t love each other anymore. Maybe it was some form of meditation. In the end, I was dumb-founded. I didn’t ever figure it out.

Having a discriminating mind regarding all aspects of one’s life is a good thing, I believe. However, being judgmental can be a double-edged sword. As critical as I can be about my external world, I can be just as harsh to myself. It’s hard for me to tell if I’m overanalyzing something or sometimes having insight.

It’s obvious that everyone has ideas and thoughts; I’m just surprised at how our thinking might lead us to take such drastically different paths. I’m far from perfect in my everyday decisions. Really, no one is perfect. That being said, I encourage people to make choices that benefit their collective communities and to act considerately to others’ communities too. People are strange when you’re a stranger.

Quote:

Respect! – Ali G

Ishi graduated from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 2001, with a BFA major in photography. He makes films, collects cacti and ponders many things. Currently, he is doing what he can for himself and the planet. contactishi@yahoo.ca.