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July 11, 2012
The Entertainments Team and the Hitler Youth
It must be something like the Hitler Youth appearing in your happy German village in the 1930's.
Suddenly you're not allowed to be happy anymore. You have to believe new things, do new things, approve of new things, march to a loud and very different drum.
This is what I feel as the 'Entertainments Team' arrives poolside in their 'amusing and whacky!!' yellow costumes.
The thing is, no one needed them. None of us. But here's the thing - it seemed they needed us. They needed us to help them feel worthwhile, like they're doing a good job, being entertaining. They see themselves as 'completely mad!' Bringers of Fun - and we are the fodder for these needs.
First there's the man with the over-loud microphone, telling us we should all be in the water for aerobics. Should? 'No excuses accepted!' he declares. 'It's Zumba time'
Formerly happy people now looking uncomfortable. Pressure is being exerted.
As life goes on, I feel it less and less a good idea that peole are given microphones. It gives them brief but inappropriate power. No one should have allowed Hitler a microphone to stir those people and no one should have given one to the screechy 'zumba' girl exhorting madly from the side of the pool.
She needs to bring fun, needs us to make her the fun-bringer. And of course when we impose our needs on others, we become abusers.
The evil and amusingly dressed yellow shirted people moved on to another village after a while and how happy we were when they left.
I suppose we all set out in life doing apparently virtuous things but which are more profoundly about our own needs.
But I think as we become more aware of this, and discover a self that no longer has these needs, we become less dangerous, more fun, less like the Entertainments team, less like the Hitler Youth.
Wonderful.
Posted by Mr Bojangles at July 11, 2012 01:21 PM