Jerry (picking at his moustache): You know I cannot stand this thing anymore... I told you, we should have taken some kind of vacation.George: Well, why didn't we?
Jerry: Because you said this would be better. Remember? A vacation from ourselves; that's what you said!
It's a funny idea. Impossible, yet strangely appealing - having a break from yourself; your responsibilities and concerns.
Malkanthi and I are on holidays for a few weeks now, getting some much needed rest. Far from a holiday from ourselves, but a holiday none-the-less. The responsibility and rewards of parenthood remain. And our thoughts are also still with those suffering around the world, for whom there will be no holiday nor immediate relief.
As we look at and consider our beautiful yet suffering world, much of the problem seems to reside with the reality that too many people are on permanent vacation from caring (or at least meaningfully acting) about the suffering of others.
Is this a fundamental flaw of our human nature, or a habit we can overcome? I don't know. Hopefully the latter, and hopefully we have reasonable grounds to hope we can become more humane (human) than we are at present, both individually and collectively.
