What's the point of painting these walls and ceilings when in a couple of years' time I'll do it all over again?
A painter expert told me that first I should scrape the old paint off, clean the walls properly, paint an under-coat, and then when it's dry paint another coat.
What nonsense. I just paint one cover over the other. Much quicker. Just splosh the new paint on to the old one. Over the years the walls have become thicker and thicker with one layer of paint over the other. I bet our house all round is now six inches smaller because of the many layers of paints on the walls and ceilings. Pretty soon the house will be so small that even the mice will have hunchbacks.
And that's what led me to think ... what's the point of it all?
What's the point of doing something over and again? Like painting the house. Mowing the lawn. Vacuum cleaning. Dusting. Washing plates and cups and cutlery. Washing clothes. It's all repetitive and leads to nowhere. And it uses scarce resources which in turn harm the planet.
Some people buy clothes several times a year to keep in with changing fashions. Spring collection. Summer Collection. Autumn and Winter too. And on and on the fashion industry gets us to buy too many clothes we don't need. Can you imagine all the materials and resources used to make new clothes that are out of fashion in a very short time? That can't be good for the planet surely.
Come to think of it. What's the point of wearing clothes anyway? If we are to save the planet why not start by not wasting materials making clothes? What a different world it would be if we wore no clothes at all.
Do you realise how less pompous people would be if they all wore no clothes? These days people use their clothes to influence one another. Power dressing, that's what it is. A man would have the latest fashionable suit on; a woman would have padded shoulders to make her look bigger and more impressive; or the latest shoes or jewellery or fancy hat.
With no clothes on we'd all be equal. What would matter is what sort of person we are - kind, gentle, knowledgeable, helpful and so on.
Without clothes on my boss at work would be much kinder if we could all see her naughty bits. And I suppose we'd all be much nicer too if she could see ours. And we'd help save the planet.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that there are many things in life with no point at all.
For example, what's the point of me writing books or blogs if I'm going to be ignored anyway? After all, there's only you and me reading this right now. And not everyone seems to comment in support or in disagreement anyway.
As my old school friend Willy Shakespeare put it:
To Blog or not to Blog
That is the question.
Whether it is nobler in the mind
To keep one’s thoughts to oneself
Than reveal them to all
On screens large and small.
And by doing such
Suffer the slings and arrows
Of outrageous readers
Who’d rather Block you
Than read your feeble Tweeters.
Or to bravely face your qualms
And courageously Blog on
Regardless of your audience
Be it great or be it small;
Just Blog on into eternity
And have yourself a ball!
That is the question.
Whether it is nobler in the mind
To keep one’s thoughts to oneself
Than reveal them to all
On screens large and small.
And by doing such
Suffer the slings and arrows
Of outrageous readers
Who’d rather Block you
Than read your feeble Tweeters.
Or to bravely face your qualms
And courageously Blog on
Regardless of your audience
Be it great or be it small;
Just Blog on into eternity
And have yourself a ball!
So there you have it. Stop painting the house and wearing clothes. But keep Blogging.
I have to admit, you present some sound arguments. In particular, 'power suits' and fashions designed not so much for attraction but intimidation. (Yes, I once worked for a female of that species.) Just be kind! … and blog on!
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the power suits, (for men and women - e.g. in the UK pin-striped suits), but the ever changing fashions. It seems so wasteful to me.
DeleteGod bless you, Mevely.
❤️
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
DeleteGood question. Questions.
ReplyDeleteOne reason I keep going is the thought that maybe someone who doesn't respond has read my stuff - and learned something as a result.
Then again, maybe not. But I keep going anyway. :)
That's a very good point, Brian. We never know who visits our blogs without commenting. My stats show that I get many visitors but not so many comments. About 75% of my readers are first time visitors.
DeleteChristian blogs like yours and mine serve to spread the Word on the internet. If only one person is encouraged to learn more about God then it is worth blogging on.
Let our blogs be the ones that Jesus loves to read.
God bless you. Thank you fro your support on MeWe.
Yep! Ditch the fancy clothes and the paint, but keep on blogging (and writing those books)! Can't wait for a new Fr. Ignatius novel, Victor. Are you working on one?
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
I thank you for your encouragement and support, Martha. You are a loyal and much appreciated reader of my books. I am not planning a full novel right now; but I am writing another book like "Laugh N Pray" - a selection of humourous posts and Christian ones, including short Fr Ignatius stories. Hopefully ready by Christmas.
DeleteGod bless you, and thanx once more.
You can add those fashions and painting to the boring part of life category. I dislike the latest fashions unless it is already in a charity shop. It's a lot cheaper and the money goes to where it is needed and not to some corporate business.
ReplyDeleteYou never know who reads your blog, you know only the people who comment but still it gets viewers and it serves a purpose. So I wouldn't worry about comments, they come when they come. You don't want to miss the person or people who are looking for something like your blog. Blog on, my friend!
Thank you for your encouragement, Bill. Yes, we need to keep blogging regardless of who visits us or whether they comment. Your Blog records photographically history as it happens. It is much appreciated and I'd recommend people visit it.
DeleteGod bless you, Bill.
I think that even if people walked around with no clothes on we'd come up with some way for some people to feel superior to others. It's part of human nature.
ReplyDeleteI guess you are right, Kathy. But at least we'll probably help save the planet by getting rid of all the unnecessary clothing, washing and ironing it, buying new fashions and so on. People would be free to air their own differences.
DeleteGod bless. Keep smiling.
If we walked around with no clothes on I'd be freezing!!! It gets pretty cold here!! : )
ReplyDeleteI'm happy with jeans and tee shirts and sweatshirts with a few skirts and dresses for church. My clothes closet is pathetic for a woman. : )
That's exactly what I mean, Happyone. Many people have hundreds of clothes that they wear once and never again, just to keep in fashion. It is so wasteful.
DeleteGod bless.
But the fact that people's homes are going to get dirty again and i will need to go clean them again is my job security!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. I can't argue with that.
DeleteGod bless, Mimi.