Empty Seats

A friend of mine from the neighborhood has got a new job in a butchery, so tonight he has picked up some of his wares and we will have a "boys night" grilling meat and drinking some red wine. Yep - red wine, not beer. Which I am very happy about, as I am not a big fan of beer. Drinking culture has changed a lot in Finland over the years, which is a good thing, because it was far from healthy earlier.

It isn't a guys night by design, but a few of the wives are going to some concert or something, so my own wife chose to go to a crayfish party at her sister's place instead. I kind of would rather go there because these parties are very rare, but I committed to the barbecue before the other was on the cards. Finns have a habit of changing their decision if something better comes up, but I am not that flaky.

Both will have good food.

And, I think that the conversation is far more valuable with the neighbors, because firstly, they will speak in English with me for the most part, unlike my wife's family. And then of course, men tend to have different conversations when they are in a group - not about what women think men talk about - mostly work stuff, investing, perhaps some politics. Also, various health issues, how people are feeling.

Normal stuff.

I have never really understood the stereotype of men only talking about women and cars, because that hasn't been my experience in life at all. I have heard some guys trying to have those conversations, but it comes across as forced, like a parody of a man, a caricature based on some outdated book written about how men behave. And, it doesn't resonate at all with me, nor with the audiences I have observed it happening within.

I think a lot of people seem to get their understanding of others through media these days, without actually having much interaction with real people. I guess it is due to living life through screens, instead of over the table, face to face. There is a disconnection between what people think they know and the actual experience. But of course, many of those experiences are never had, so that means people act on what they think they know.

That is confusing.

But, perhaps you get the point anyway. I just think that pretty much everything we find important in this life, is out of balance and as complication increases, the ability to deal with it decreases, driven by a reduction in our individual abilities also. As far as I have observed, not many people seem to be getting better at interacting with other people, and this is especially true in the younger generations. I think it is going to be a very weird world in a couple decades from now.

But, it all starts somewhere, doesn't it? Results are the outcome of the journey taken, and the path we are following doesn't seem to be leading the majority of us to a life of health, wealth, or happiness. Perhaps it is because we have so many choices now, that no matter what we have in front of us, when we choose one, we are hyper aware of what we are missing out on also. Maybe this is also driven by the constant media notifications that draw our attention, and tell us what we don't have.

Grilled meat or crayfish?

Both are good.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]