Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art? I remember John Houseman articulately and quite professorially posing this question to a roomful of law students at the beginning of The Paper Chase. Since the 70s when this show was popular, television as an ‘art’ form has certainly changed.
The advent of ‘reality’ TV has not only changed the meaning of art, but of reality. While I must admit I have been sucked into watching a couple of these shows, the reality is, they are the least realistic of our television viewing options. Seriously. There’s not too much that is real about the housewives of Orange County. And don’t we all find the love of our life in six weeks, while vacationing in some exotic location competing with a plethora of scantily dressed spray-tanned beauties, in front of cameras and millions of people?
Other than my guilty pleasure of tuning in to visit my friends who work at General Hospital (where evil twins, amnesia, and returning from the dead ring truer than the Kardashian dumbbell), I haven’t watched much TV since Private Practice went off the air. That was until my daughter insisted I join her in watching the first season of Parenthood, now in its fifth season. So, the past few nights have been a time of pure joy for this parent as we have had a Netflix marathon of cuddling, crying and laughing watching this show about a family; the love, dysfunction, frustrations and expectations that exist amongst its members.
You observe the camaraderie of a brother and a sister, as well as their frustrations with each other. You see the irritations and love that exist between spouses, and kids with their parents. At the end of the day they manage to take time to play ball together and enjoy family dinners with all the sibs, kids and grandparents. In short, they make time for quality time together—something I see missing in real life.
As much as I’m enjoying the wit and authenticity of the characters, it has caused me to contemplate a sense of loss. While my brain occasionally runs a reality check yelling at me saying, “Nancy, it’s a TV show, not real life!” I yell back, “I know, but …”
But why aren’t people taking the time in real life to nurture important relationships?
What happened to making time to talk with the people we care about most?
What happened to the art of sharing dinner, coffee, or even a phone conversation without being interrupted by a more important text, call or e-mail?
What happened to the concept of calling someone back?
When did maintaining our closest relationships become a lost art in life?
We’ve allowed ourselves to become so damn busy that we don’t make time for the people we love. The reality is that we’ve lost the art of connecting. A harsher reality yet, would be if the importance of connecting were no longer a priority.
Studies show that those who stay connected are healthier; so if nurturing important relationships is important to you, pick up the phone and let people know you’re thinking about them!
Pay attention people. We have become slaves to our electronic devices, and our hectic schedules. The fast-forward button is stuck in the down position and life is flying by while our noses are stuck to the grindstone. What’s going to happen when we pick up our nose and open our eyes to see that we’ve all aged twenty years and realize it’s too late to make up the time we’ve lost?
I just wanted to connect and say hi – Most folks have lost the art of communicating – really sad. I try ti keep up my end. Good luck, Nancy – things won’t change unless we are made aware of them.
Thank you Loretta!I hope this helps increase awareness and ultimately communication!
Our society is fragmenting and becoming more, “me, me, me” rather than becoming part of a community. How often do you see couples, or just friends, scrolling their phones rather than having direct communication with each other. Not returning either phone calls or emails is commonplace. I find it interesting that there is much talk about the social media, telling everyone what you had for breakfast on facebook but yet unable to have meaningful person to person conversations. People come in an out of our lives leaving only a faint trace of their presence. As it has been said–“Progress allows us to do some of things we shouldn’t be doing.”
Beautifully said. Ironically, the people that most need to read this, will probably be too busy.
Next to your family and your health, there is nothing more important than good friends. We need to treasure those relationships and to thank folks for being there for you. Loners, and folks who don’t know how to connect are missing a valuable part of life, and one that keeps us vibrant and busy.
Amen to that Polly! Thank you!!
Next to your family and your health, there is nothing more important than good friends. We need to stay connected and to appreciate all they do for us. What would we do without them??