caught unawares

The title of my blog post could actually have multiple references, but for this post it is referring to my brother's speech.

I came home tonight after a delectable (isn't that such a fun word: the four syllables roll off your tongue - de-lec-ta-ble - and of course, using the handy dandy dictionary.com so appropriate) evening with my boyfriend (yes, my boyfriend - I know I haven't really mentioned too much on this here blog - that whole MOPE was a reference to the bricks falling - hey, prayers are answered. And speaking about "boyfriend" you know what I did a little bit ago? I actually changed my "status" on myspace from 'single' to 'in a relationship' - so I guess if Myspace now says it, it has to be true!!!) However, back to the topic at hand - this whole dating does have that effect on me though, distracts me from my first intentions...

Home again, Ronnie is finishing up practicing his speech for his communication class and I ask to hear it. After laughing (both of us) a few times, telling me he can't do it, he starts, but I couldn't help it I just kept laughing - but not because it was funny, it was a laugh of love - he looked and sounded so 'grown up' and all I could see was my baby brother. Eventually we worked at a compromise - I would hide under the cushion and merely listen, so I did just that, and peeked out to watch his mannerisms as he spoke (which by the way echo my father's).

Ronnie's opening paragraph challenges the listener to the fact that they are unaware of what is going on in the world. We live in our own pockets of life and society and take little notice of what is shifting and being revolutionized across the world. He makes mention of how the news, specifically American newscasts fail to adequately arm the American public with knowledge of what is happening. Ironically enough this was illustrated this evening - in watching the 10 o' clock news one of the stories was about beavers, and how some people want to get rid of them, yet others are arguing that they should stay and have brought goodness to the society (I don't mean get rid of beavers permantely, but just where they were residing in a residential setting). You had signs up and people making songs up about advocating the beaver and the beaver's rights. This was a news story and across the world you have thousands of children serving as soldiers in the plains of Africa - this is in fact what Ronnie's speech focused on.

He emphasized the fact of how many children are currently child soldiers and are losing their innocence daily at the hands of evil in a country "far" away yet here we sit in America taking care of the beavers, and wondering if Tom and Kate are going to make it.

I too am not immune to being in a bubble. It is easy to do so, and with the internet and the numerous tv stations it is easy not to. There is no excuse to not knowing what is shaping the world, what is transpiring in nations across the globe.

As I sat there peeking out from under the cushion listening and watching Ronnie expand on a topic dear to his heart, I realized that image is true of many of us in society. We are listening and watching, but we are listening and watching perched beneath a cushion of success and comfort and we peek out to see what the latest devotion and plight of heart is; but do we come out from the cushion? Do we take what we hear and do something with it?