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March 14, 2009

Lent, Long Seams, and Violence

Odd group of blog title subjects, eh what? This week as I've had time I've been working on the long seams of the Hydrangea One Block Wonder. As noted before long seams are about my least favorite sewing task, who knows why. Should be pure pleasure as it means the end is getting close and getting to move on to another project new or old... But I will say this, it gives me time to think.

Today I was thinking about the 40 days of Lent. I've only observed Lent once but that one time changed how I view the world and daily life. It is one of the reasons we don't bother with TV reception here; no cable, no satellite, no picture, also no newspaper. I don't know where the idea came from, probably listening to the inane things people give up...but I got a bee in my bonnet about eliminating violence from my world for 40 days.

Sound easy? Don't kid yourself, we immerse ourselves in the idea of violence. How about:

I hate Brussels Sprouts
Stop, you're twisting/breaking my arm
I'll kill you if you tell my age
I'd like to break that drivers phone/head/neck
I'd kill for a ....
That coat is to die for
Squash that spider
Smack that fly
Eat that hamburger
and that is just off the top of my head.

Off the front page news today on Google:
N. Ireland riots after police arrest 3 over killings
Women in Congo speak out about rape despite taboo
Austrian incest suspect Fritzl faces justice
Girl decapitated 700 years ago gets church burial
German town holds first burial in school shooting
Pastor's slaying suspect appointed public defender
Baby hippo won't be fed to tigers zoo says

Movies and TV? From Loony Tunes to M*A*S*H to Clockwork Orange there is no limit to far to cross. Of course I could go on all day long...and tomorrow and the next day, because it never stops. And without thinking about what it is doing to us we go on bathing in it.


Not me. No more. I am So much more careful about how I phrase things, about where I let my mind dwell, what I read. I'm not preaching, to each their own, just throwing the thought out there for rumination.

Saturday Thankies:
Dunker donuts
Salad
Rain on the roof

5 comments:

Judy B said...

SAdly, there is violence everywhere, so eliminating voilence is hard. Sometimes I switch off the human world around us, no papers, TV, radio etc, and concentrate on the natural world.
Got to admit there is plenty of violence in the natural world, but the reason for violence is survival. In our world it is power, greed and cruelty.
Judy B

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Wonderful post - I gave up TV and newspapers about 10 years ago and have not missed it one bit. I too decided there was too much violence in my life - in everyone's life, but I can only speak for myself - and I can do without that. If no one watched TV I'm pretty sure there would be a lot less violence. I'm not one to advocate "Kill your TV" as one bumper sticker says - though really I'm not sure I completely understand that statement either - but no tv and no newspaper works well for me.

I enjoy the long seams of a quilt - too bad we can't switch jobs - you do the short seams that drive me to distraction and I'll do the long. :-)

And things I love - hot homemade vegetable soup on a blustery WA day - yummmma. I think I have achieved the perfect soup!!!

The Numismatist said...

Again, I'm chuckling. I have a stack of pieced blocks on my table waiting to be sewn together. I think I know why this is also my least favorite part. I don't have a design wall so I have to spread them out on the floor and put them in a pleasing order.

My sewing light came back from the repair shop today so no more excuses. Maybe tomorrow I'll line them up and finish the top. Maybe...

Regarding violence: I like your Lent idea. Very little TV in our household, either. Also, a few years ago I decided to replace the word "hate" with "dislike". "Hate" has such a finality to it.

We don't kill spiders in our house. We relocate them outdoors. However, the occasional mouse does not get the same opportunity, simply because I haven't found a way to do it yet.

The Numismatist said...

Update: Main body of the quilt and border are put together. I have to get fabric for the backing and inner border before I can complete the top. But at least the long seams are mostly done. Ahhh, that feels good.

limpingalong said...

Interesting, and so true.