Yesterday I received a forwarded email from my mother-in-law. It was a survey of 48 questions and her responses. The idea was to forward the survey to a zillion friends and return it to her, replacing her answers with my own. The friends were to follow suit and as a result we'd all know more about each other.
I love the idea... people caring so much about me that they want to know what book I'm reading (Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller) and whether I prefer red or pink (definitely pink.) I mean imagine a world where people were so enamored with each other that they truly enjoyed learning the insignificant details of our friends the way they seem to clamor for such information on celebrities.
Truth be told, however, I believe that more enjoy reporting their own survey answers far more than they like reading the responses of others and most don't have the inclination to be the responder or recipient.
Evidence? One of the questions on the email survey was "do you want others to respond?" Another asked "who do you think is most likely to respond?" and it's reciprocal, "who is least likely to respond?"
Our world is just too busy, too self focused and too intrigued with the winners of fortune and fame to have such an interest in investing time and toil in the lives of their ordinary "friends."
But wouldn't it be beautiful if it were not so? We wouldn't hurt or be hurt by the things said or done without thought... because we'd know and we'd care!
3 comments:
Great post Patti. I read the Donald Miller book this Spring and loved it. Now I am reading Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, just incase you wanted to know :).
I am so often guilty of just wanting to share my own answers. Once in a communication class in college the professor asked us, "Are you actually listening, or just waiting for your turn to talk?". I really try to spend time actually listening-but it is always great to have a reminder!
Of course some of us care! I am so happy to see you back in blogland. Sometimes I don't do "those" surveys because I don't know how to duplicate them because I am not nearly as computer savvy as most. Sometimes I am too busy at the moment I receive them and "think" I will come back to it later.
However, I will admit my least favorite part of surveys is the forward this to your friends part because I really don't want them to feel obliged to fill it out or guilty if they don't.
And just in case anyone is interest I am reading "My heart remembers" as well as several other book. Also, most everyone knows my favorite color has been pink for years and years.
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