Friday 22 November 2013

feeling fine means....

If life is a series of connected experiences we are perhaps guilty of being arrogantly judgemental of it. I can consider everything that I have experienced this last year. I thus ponder the value judgements I put on those periods of time and how to categorise them.
There is time....a week....a month...a school term a whole year, a decade or a weekend.
'How was your week?' I will ask my offspring electronically. They will reply briefly and almost always that is was fine, enjoyable, busy and perhaps exhausting. But fine. I have been guilty of being unsociable, rude, angry and hard to like around my peers when my recent or daily experiences did not match my expectations of what I am worth. The week then was not fine enough for me.
What experiences make us 'fine' then?
For some it is the delight of feeling useful, valuable and relevent.
For others it is being hugged, touched, smiled at, patted or romanced.
Yet another may only be experiencing their 'fine' when they were aknowledged for their physical beauty often enough over that period of time.
For the grieving it is some relief from the pain and heartache.
For many it is having sufficient food.
For whole communities it is surviving the night uninjured.
For too many human beings it is feeling safe.
But feeling fine wears off.
What makes a child feel fine?
What makes a mother feel fine?
What makes a society feel fine?
What makes an addict feel fine?
What makes you feel fine?
Do other people influence your degree of feeling fine?