Reality Show

[penpusher]

tamperevident is responsible for sparking this entry, which got inspired by her simple two line comment:

sometimes i wish i was a character in Friends, like my parents think i am. then i could complain about my personal life all i want, but things would inevitably get resolved into laughter by the end of the episode

And, well, of course, that got me thinking about the process of life and control and how much we can control and maybe we really could live our lives in whatever genre we choose.

Two people from the tube come to mind when thinking of this. The first is a guy named Fred Rogers.

Everybody knows Mister Rogers. Even if you never saw an episode of his program, this guy was a part of the fabric of American culture. He was always a respectful, charming, thoughtful and interested individual, whether he was in front of the cameras or just in life. I had the honor of meeting him briefly and it was as though I was on his show! But nobody treated Mister Rogers any differently from how they treated him on his own show. To me, that's what T is talking about...

So, maybe if you act in a certain way, you will get experiences related to that.

The other person that comes to mind is one Regis Philbin.

Reege has done nearly all there is to do on television. He's been a newsman, a sidekick, a commentator, a game show host, a song and dance man and a talk show host. Each weekday morning, he talks about the things that happen to him. And I always am amazed that he always has something to talk about. I mean, we all have off days. And even if we do something interesting, often it's only interesting to us. But this guy always has something to chat about, and it's always got a punch line.

Obviously, since he's on a nationally syndicated program, and people want their films, Broadway shows and night spots mentioned there, he's going to get more opportunities to have experiences... But we could still get a percentage of that stuff!

So, maybe if you go looking for stuff to happen to you, something will.

A lot of what we experience isn't the event itself, but our method of viewing it. It's the eye of the beholder.

Does worry multiply/magnify problems? Worry is something. Worry displays to everyone that you care about a situation. If you are worried, you must care. But what if you cared and just chose not to worry? How would that work? I'm not talking about being "unconcerned" because that's something different still. No. I mean instead of focusing on the potentially bad thing happening, you concentrated on everything being ok, throwing all the energy toward the positive, unabated? How would that play out?

Worry is something that we have been taught to do. But what if we never learned? Can you imagine? Could turning life's little dramas into a sitcoms be as easy as adding a laugh track?

Obviously, not everything would go away with a smile and a wave, but maybe a lot of it could and definitely some of it would! And then, you would have a lot more space on your plate to maneuver the rest of it around. Or in theory, that's how it could go.

Everything would be resolved in time for dinner, and you'd still have time leftover to see your favorite show: your life!

Comments

[twopiearr.livejournal.com]

"Plan for the worst. Hope for the best." - Napolean Bonapart, aleggedly

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

He should know!

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I wish more people were aware of the difference between worry and concern. And I wish there was a good way to display concern.

[serendipity.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you're concerned but not worried about that! :)

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

Concern is good. But yes... no clear and apparent way to express it. Worry is the closest to it!

[serendipity.livejournal.com]

Fred Rogers is one of the reasons I didn't change our cat's name from Freddy to something else. Sometimes when the cat steps outside in the morning I can practically hear him saying "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor..." The cat Fred does have a certain quality that's reminiscent of the man Fred's charm.

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

Aw!! Does he have kitty pals named Daniel and Henrietta?

I think I can see a little bit of Mister R in there!

[tygerx.livejournal.com]

Any time I lose hope in the human race, I think of Mr. Rogers :)

Well in some cases, worry can be unavoidable.. like someone close to you being hurt or sick. And sure hoping for the best is an inner battle.. not easy. Does make you appreciate things more, that's for sure.

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

I think we do worry... but I'm not sure what it accomplishes, which is really what I'm asking about here.

If there was any positive from worry, then we should worry. I'm just not certain there is any, and actually, I wonder if worry gives any energy to what we don't want to happen to take place?

If you knew that worrying that something would happen would create it, you'd try not to ever worry about anything, right? :o)

[tygerx.livejournal.com]

Yes i've heard the theory that negative thinking only brings to you negative events. But I think part of that is that when something bad eventually does happen (cuz it's inevitable), then it just reaffirms that. State of mind really is a powerful thing, and it's also the one thing we do have control over (having a healthy mind of course). Too bad most people don't realize this power eh? But I guess worrying just makes us human.. along with feeling occasional jealousy, self-pity and all that. Just as long as it's not excessive moments of it right? ;)

[ravenfeather.livejournal.com]

I loved Mr. Rogers. I miss his energy.

Notice how no one has said they LOVE or remember, or are attached to Regis? Is that significant?

;)

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

Haha R... I don't know that Regis is nearly as beloved. But then again, he's still around. Regis isn't someone that anyone could consider a "childhood friend," either! Had he hosted a kiddie show, well, then it would be all different.

We'd have a lot of scarred adults!

[ravenfeather.livejournal.com]

We'd have a lot of scarred adults!

*SNORT*

I LOVE the choice of icon you used for this comment. I can't remember what I came here from email to say.. the icon blew it out of my mind!