the doing of things and people

it is as if the people in the world can be divided into three groups, obviously on a material level, those who have far more than they could ever need, those who have enough, and those who have nothing or very little or nowhere near enough.

but to me a more interesting grouping is that the people who like it when other people tell them to do things and who like doing the things that other people tell them to do. and then there are other people like telling people what to do because they like it when they tell someone to do something and they do it.

the third groep is people who see and hear or think for themselves, and/or in discussion with others, about the things that need doing and do them.

but what puzzles me is that there are clearly people who see and hear or think about the things that need doing but they don’t do them — or is that they don’t see or hear or think about the things that need doing and that’s the reason they don’t do them?

why would they not see what needs doing? how could they not?

well because they are not here often enough, that would be one reason. if you are not here you can’t see that the plastics bin is full to overflowing and needs emptying and the bag needs replacing and the full bag needs to be taken to the recycling point.

this is super trivial and yet it’s symbolic.

you walk or cycle past the bins that have been put out the night before but you don’t think : i’ll bring the bins in. maybe you don’t see them? or maybe you think, it’s not my job to bring the bins in? or you might have a sore back, fine, there are enough people around who don’t have a sore back.

or you think, i keep bringing the fucking bins in and i am sick of it, let someone else do it. that is also possible but dangerous.

but i also think that being conscious in a more comprehensive expanded sense about this place and what it is and what it could become, or as someone put it in a conversation i overheard what we want it to be’.

no. it is not about you want, even if you try to soften it by using the first person plural rather than singular. it is about what is needed and it is about whether you are able to see that and respond to that — and that ability comes by present and listening and seeing.

so for fuck sake take off those fucking headphones and be actually present and in touch with what is happening and think for your-so-called-self about something other than yourself

and think about what is actually needed right here right now.