Are we Losing IQ points?
I remember when Google hit prime-time, many years ago, various reports saying how everyone’s IQ increased by 10 points because nearly anything you wanted to know, Google could answer for you. I assume this is based upon a presumption that people actually want to know things and are inquisitive by nature. More and more these days, I’m not sure that’s a presumption I would make.
I find myself really emotionally tired these days. Physically, I am in the best shape of my adult life. I probably weigh less now than the day I graduated, but of course my body is about 20,000 hours older. I’m reaching a point where I’m just tired of dealing with the BS that so many of us foist upon one another. The petty jealousies, the subtle digs and insults, the innuendos and just general childishness are all beyond measurable levels (not that they were measurable to begin with). I’ve become a world champion of passive-aggressive behavior but I’m ready to turn in my belt.
For example, why is it when someone’s crowding the center line, I crowd them from my side as well? Why is it that I feel the urge to honk if someone takes more than five seconds to recognize a green light? Why do I feel the need to be aggressive, after shopping, when selecting which check-out line when I know someone else might cut in front of me? I’m really not in that much of a hurry, right? Why have we become so impatient with one another? Okay – maybe I’m not even passive any more, maybe I’m just aggressive now.
And maybe these are bad examples - I am sure there are many more. I could probably make a book of just how childish adults are on daily basis, but that doesn’t seem like a solution. But during these times when each of us knows someone who’s lost their job, and someone who has lost their house, or maybe had to come out of retirement because the value of their portfolio dropped so far that it no longer supported their modest retirement needs – why aren’t we helping each other more? Have you read about the near financial collapse of Birmingham, AL?
Instead we seem to be polarizing ourselves more – creating affiliations that would align me differently from you. Bumper stickers that proclaim me to be a Red Sox fan versus those lesser humans who associate themselves with the Yankees. Or my political party of choice and why your choice was a poor one. We have religious affiliations we broadcast publicly as well as our educational achievements; not just what college we went to but the fact that our offspring is a borderline genius compared to your idiot child. And why or how is it possible that people who went to college 15 years ago are still putting their university stickers on their newer cars? Even images of angry, evil little people urinating on your least favorite brand of car/truck in the back window. And do I really need your vanity plate to tell me how much better your “MPG” is for your Prius compared to my Jeep? I don’t think so; and stop crowding the line or I’ll crush your tiny little MPG car.
And we are so critical of each other. People just walking down the street, we size them up by what they are wearing or not wearing. Too short, too fat, too much hair, not enough hair, look at those shoes! Try going to a store, any store, and then try to prevent the automatic silent criticisms that run through your head. I hope I’m wrong. I sincerely hope that someone is reading all of this saying “that’s not me” but I somehow doubt it.
We seem to come equipped, as adults at least, with the pre-expectation that someone is ALWAYS going to attempt to take what’s ours. That someone who looks like they are trying to help in a situation is probably just out to make a buck or two. If a man wants to do something nice for a woman, it’s probably because he’s trolling for sex. If a man does something good for another man, it’s probably because he’s just after that man’s wife/daughter/mother/sister/car/boat. Do we make friends for the sake of friendship anymore or is it just about what you might be able to do for me someday?
We are living in a world where news and information now travels instantly. Some will say that’s always been the case, but the reality is only with the saturation of picture taking/video capturing, wirelessly connected, satellite GPS’d pocket devices transmitting back to social networks that seem designed to spread news among masses like wildfire, that’s happened within the last 12 months. Our world is much more transparent now than ever before and the world is much closer now than ever. We need to stop just responding and reacting, retweeting, dittoing and really start thinking about the ramifications of the things we are doing and saying to one another (even things left unsaid). I wish we could spend more time truly helping each other and less time crafting pity Facebook, Tweets and IM replies.
I am going to give it a shot.
At least for the next day or two.
-pjc