Perplexities Of Human Action

The perplexities of human action have always had me on a leash. I become totally infatuated with people’s methods of interaction with one another and the way they carry out their daily tasks. With that said, I’ve always taken on jobs where I can see and be a big part of this interaction from every angle. I dig it...the more people I meet each day, the more I dig it.

Get to the point Em: Gyms. At 17, I began sales, teaching groups classes, and personal training at a local health club and have done the same at a billion different health clubs since. Quickly I learned that a large majority of the people I sold or trained were gym-ing it to make new friends or meet "women", "men", "chicks" or "dudes" and it was more important than the actual health benefits from the exercise.

PERFECT...I knew how to sell these people exactly what they wanted and my sales records over the years have shown it. I would introduce people to people and connect friends and lovas;) but my infatuation with the ones who didn’t try meeting new people on their own kept growing.

Picture this: You have a big gym, big windows, and there are 30 treadmills lined up in two rows in front of one of the windows. The treadmills are less than a foot apart on each side and each one is taken. Everyone has i-pod chords hanging out of their face and is looking straight ahead, running. Each tread has a personal TV so many of the runners are watching something. You notice that some of the people who’s goals are to meet others are among the group of plugged in runners. They’ve taken a tread next to someone they think is attractive or nice. Who’s mingling? Who’s interacting? Not one person. Everyone is running in place, on a running machine, in the same direction, not moving forward, pretending like no one is around them. Key word: Pretending. I’ve seen it over, and over, and over, and over and it just becomes more fascinating and bazaar.

Then I see it coming. I end up having the same conversation over and over..."God, I really like that hot chick." and I ask, "What’s her name?" and they say, "I dunno. I haven’t talked to her." UNPLUG! This same thing applies at jobs, schools, on the streets, in line at the bank...we pretend we’re not surrounded by people. We’re feeling lonely when there is someone sitting next to us. The last time you went to deposit money, did you look the teller in the eyes? Did you smile at the little 5 year old dude swinging on the line ropes while his mom was telling him to stop? Have you ever wanted to look at someone in the eyes while you were walking by but didn’t?
It’s no secret everyone ignores everyone. I get a kick out of all the make believe. Just understand, it’s silly to tell me you want to ask someone out yet have failed to strike up a conversation and find out their name! It’s silly to go to the gym 5 times a week after work and run next to the same person for a year and not say "what’s up". It’s silly to walk by people and pretend they’re invisible! Shake people up, get to know them, don’t be afraid of people...they’re just people. ...So anyway, what have you been thinking about today? ;) Love, Em