I could never be the center of the universe.

     With the hurricane hitting the east coast of the US right now.  Specifically New York.  I've noticed that if not for the ability to communicate outside of yelling distance. It would seem to the people in the effected area that the whole world was experiencing this storm.  Before the ability to communicate rapidly across great distance, it would seem like every natural disaster was happening to the entire world.  This mind set can be seen all over.

      Generally most films are based in a city, where the events take place, and the person is immersed into a world where nothing outside of that area exists.  It is easier for the person to follow this kind of story, it is also easier for the write to write the story without confusing the reader.  If it is happening in that area nothing that is happening outside of that area matters.  It is pouring rain in that area it is pouring rain on the world.  If a food shortage is happening in that area it is happening to the rest of the world.   Maybe that food shortage is due to lack of access to your area, roads, rails, or shipping is unable to reach you.  Meanwhile a few 100 miles away there are people sitting down to and over indulgent lunch.  The rain is pouring in sheets but 200 miles away in California there are people sunning on the beach.
     It is the stories that I find most interesting when the story is not so centrally focused as to blur the outside world out of existence.  Where you find yourself not just interested in a single set of characters interacting but several different stories happening in the same world, with different stets of characters interacting with one another and across those smaller stories into the larger story as a whole.  These types of stories give me the most intrigue.  I experienced this the first time with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.  There multiple stories happening at once, and then coming together to finish have always given me a better experience than just a single story following a linear path. This is what the world is like every single day.  Maybe these stories don't come together but they are happening all around us.

       It is that philosophy that at the moment that you no longer see what is going on it no longer exists.  I find myself at times of being alone, that I think about what else is going on around me.  Some one some where is getting into a car accident, some one has just purchased a new TV and are really excited about it.  Some one just burnt themselves on a bit of food that just took out of a microwave.  This line of that that all around you people are doing things you do every day, makes me feel like part of something, as insignificant as our existence is to the universe as a whole.  Knowing that you are part of a larger happening is almost inspirational.  As you read this right now, think about the people working that power the website, as you sit in your chair think about the person who designed and build that chair,  Some working in China, most likely. Not that that I am going to start some political high horse of where we get our goods from.  Think about the person working at the power plant that is allowing you to do all the things you need to work. 

      The thought of the millions  of little stories that go on every single day, even while you are sleeping or doing nothing.  There are people contributing to even allow you to be that sedentary.   It is not something most people think about on a regular basis.  When you start to think about it though it is a bit humbling.  You are not worthless you are part a greater whole.  Something you do is going to effect someone else.  Even the bums on the street, they server a purpose.  They might serve as a deterrent to never give up on what you are doing so you don't end up like them.  They may inspire you to help out the less fortunate.  We are all connected some way or another.  You just have to stretch out to the idea of chaos theory to find connections to the most isolated people, the ones in Africa, the ones in South America.  I'll not get into that kind of connection but it there.

First World Problems

     Now there is a large concentration of people on the east coast of the United States.  It is defiantly going to make an impact in those who's lives are effected by the clash of weather that is happening.  It is cool and sunny here in Central Texas, nothing prefect weather actually, but everyone on the east coast thinks that the weather everywhere is horrible, because they are focused on their own narrow bubble of existence   I am in no way trying to call these people narrow minded.  I am simply pointing out that the idea everyone constantly never looks past their on narrow view of the world.  I am sure this exist all around the world but I know that Americans are particularly susceptible to this.  It has to do with our culture of everyone for themselves, which may appear to be weakness but if fact is hidden strength.  When one person is trying to do all the work it is in fact weak, but when you take many of those people, put a common goal of to achieve that, where they are all striving to do there best at reaching that goal, the team effort will take over.  Everyone individuality wants to be the best so the compete inside that team to be the best, all pushing each other to achieve that goal.  That is capitalism at it's finest.  I can go dark, when sabotage happens inside that in order to be the best, but I digress.  

Haiti

     At the moment everyone is looking to the east coast, maybe a lot of people don't realize that Hawaii is about about to be hit by a tsunami.  I am sure everyone in Hawaii is well aware of this fact but there are people in the east coast right no that couldn't give two shits about that.  Why should they what his happening to the is what is directly more important to their quality of life, not what his happening on a remote island thousands of miles from them.  We also have a very short memory of things that happen all over the world.  We hardly think of anything that happened in Haiti or Japan that crippled those countries.  They are still repairing the damage.  No one thinks about it anymore, hell aren't we still building the Trade Center, that was 11 years ago.  Never forgetting something is actually unhealthy, it is part of the healing process to let go of the feelings and memories of the events.  Reliving them is what they call P.T.S.D. now.  

Joy and Pain

     The next time you think your life is miserable, or that nothing is going right for you, think about the billions of people all over the world, realized that you are 1 among them,  that no matter how bad you feel at the moment, some one just lost their child to a disease, someone just got a promotion, someone just found out they are pregnant.  I'm not saying this to belittle your own problems or rewards in life, I am saying this to let you know that there is a world outside your life, that cares about as much for you as you care for it.  Keep your eyes open to everything around you, and realize everyone is human. Everyone suffers and everyone knows joy.  No one is immortal.