"Sed, pues, prudentes como serpientes y sencillos como palomas"

Peruvian thought of the day: (i know i should be all well adjusted and pretend i'm not so obsessed with this country, but...)

When I first went, i was amazed: wow, God created a whole country custom-fit (perfect!) for me!

now, in my overwhelming maturity i think: wow, God created me for that country...

thought one:
being around a lot of people is wonderful because of how often our fellow creatures make us uncomfortable. the "wonderful" part is emphasized by "often," not "uncomfortable." explain?

when we are alone, we fear discomfort. when we are continually mentally/emotionally/ whatever-ally abrased [is that a word? "afflicted?" "rubbed the wrong way?" "invaded?"] we get used to it. our thoughts and emotions lose their fragile, defensive characteristics, and we can learn to simply live... unprotected, undefensive, sincerely.

tonight: go find a bunch of people and be with them. it's good for your ("one's") soul.

thought two:
family defines one more than ethnicity.
community defines one more than ethnicity.
media/brain-food defines one more than ethnicity [jury's still out on that one.]

really, ethnicity defines one not at all; what defines is one's [psychological] response to ethnicity, and one's response to the responses of others to one's ethnicity.

make sense?

thought three:

orderly, efficient, dependable. scheduled, and well modulated.
the mirrors are clearer, less forgiving; the watches are more exact and exacting.
the minutes are shorter. (how do they do that?!)
the days longer.
the lighting: constant and unromantic. not given to making art. shadows are muted. (notice!)
the seats are comfortable and the wait apologetic.

even the air is processed.

smells range from "nice" to "neutral."
sounds from hums to beeps to rustling.
voices are polite... the northern-definition-of-southern.
kids have credit cards at twenty... not laugh-lines.
there's nothing to complain about.
(about which to complain)

so artless... mass produced...
oh, remember, though, actually, this is a good thing!
because"mass-produced" means "industry."
"industry" means "developed"
"developed" means "capital-rich"
just remember geography.

"i'm not unhappy
but
i'd take the train today
if you'd let me...."