Dispensing with Pleasantries
I keep a stash of disposable plates, cups, and flatware for when we have guests - but I am forced to wonder why? Think about it. A generation ago we kept a set of lovely china for when we had guests, now it's too much of a burden to clean up behind them so we force them to eat off bits of paper and plastic. When did our society begin to devalue guests like that and how did we get this far without noticing?
We used to sit and talk with our guests, about life and things we enjoyed. Sure we sang and danced and played games - but there was a depth and breadth of relation that is gone today. Now we watch a movie together or play a game - but there is a lack of depth to the interaction. Do you trust those who visit you and who you visit with your dreams and fears? Or do you chat about current events and gossip about others?
Perhaps it is because we are so mobile now that guests are nearly an everyday occurrence, or perhaps they are rare because we are never home. There is never time to "spend" just time to "Save" but to save for what? We have so many timesavers in our lives. Now we have 'everyday' dishes and *special* ones used only for special occasions. Why don't we have more special occasions? We certainly have more free time than our ancestors did.
Our grandparents had china but no dishwasher. We have a dishwasher but not the time to load it? Where did that come from? They made wonderful homecooked meals because there were very few convenience foods. It's a headache for us to have to go to the supermarket to pick up a frozen meal, take it home and stick it in the microwave and then (Heaven forbid!) WAIT 6-10 minutes for it to finish. Then after we eat it we throw the dish away. We *might* have to wash a fork and cup (if we drink something other than a can of soda and don't use disposeable forks to eat with).
I think the answer lies in part in the fact that life expectancy has nearly doubled in the past 100 years or so (in the US at least). We have so much free time and such long lives (comparatively speaking) that we take for granted that there will always be time to do *whatever*. That is why we are so obsessed with saving time but never spending it. Do yourself a favor, make a withdrawal.
Think of it this way - you save 20-30 by having a dishwasher, and 45 minutes if you buy a prebought meal. You have several choices regarding that saved time but only two that make any sense to me. You can go ahead and spend the time to make a wonderful meal that you will enjoy, or you can spend it doing something that brings joy and value to your life. That's over an hour a day to 'spend' with someone you love or doing something you love. Get away from the computer and make a REAL investment.
We used to sit and talk with our guests, about life and things we enjoyed. Sure we sang and danced and played games - but there was a depth and breadth of relation that is gone today. Now we watch a movie together or play a game - but there is a lack of depth to the interaction. Do you trust those who visit you and who you visit with your dreams and fears? Or do you chat about current events and gossip about others?
Perhaps it is because we are so mobile now that guests are nearly an everyday occurrence, or perhaps they are rare because we are never home. There is never time to "spend" just time to "Save" but to save for what? We have so many timesavers in our lives. Now we have 'everyday' dishes and *special* ones used only for special occasions. Why don't we have more special occasions? We certainly have more free time than our ancestors did.
Our grandparents had china but no dishwasher. We have a dishwasher but not the time to load it? Where did that come from? They made wonderful homecooked meals because there were very few convenience foods. It's a headache for us to have to go to the supermarket to pick up a frozen meal, take it home and stick it in the microwave and then (Heaven forbid!) WAIT 6-10 minutes for it to finish. Then after we eat it we throw the dish away. We *might* have to wash a fork and cup (if we drink something other than a can of soda and don't use disposeable forks to eat with).
I think the answer lies in part in the fact that life expectancy has nearly doubled in the past 100 years or so (in the US at least). We have so much free time and such long lives (comparatively speaking) that we take for granted that there will always be time to do *whatever*. That is why we are so obsessed with saving time but never spending it. Do yourself a favor, make a withdrawal.
Think of it this way - you save 20-30 by having a dishwasher, and 45 minutes if you buy a prebought meal. You have several choices regarding that saved time but only two that make any sense to me. You can go ahead and spend the time to make a wonderful meal that you will enjoy, or you can spend it doing something that brings joy and value to your life. That's over an hour a day to 'spend' with someone you love or doing something you love. Get away from the computer and make a REAL investment.
posted by Amber | 4/14/2006 11:41:00 AM
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