It's funny how we, as a culture, tend to think that we're invisible to the world; that we can be standing in a public setting and somehow believe that we are still in a private moment. In a five minute stroll through a college campus or drive down the freeway, one can see example after example of this trend. The teenage girl confessing her worst secrets to the world as she talks on her phone, the student or driver with his finger plunged knuckle deep into his nose, or the drivers singing and dancing away as they speed down the freeway.
I experienced another example this morning. My family is currently renovating our roof. For the past week or so, there have been several man outside of and on top of our house hammering, prying, and cutting everyday from morning till afternoon. This morning they were working on putting new siding in place around the south side of our house, which just so happens to be one of my bedroom windows. Now take a moment to understand the mechanics of placing siding on the area of the house. When positioning ones self to complete this task, they are also inadvertently positioning their face directly in front of, and parallel to, my open bedroom window.
I awoke this morning to singing. One of the workers, completely oblivious to my open window, was singing obnoxiously as he nailed in the siding. I could understand his cultural ignorance if he had simply been working around or near the window and his sound had carried itself to my ears, but he was so close to the window that his shadow was cast directly into the window. If I didn't always keep my blinds closed, he could have looked down and seen staring right back up at him.
At first, I was pretty angry for him having disturbed my perfectly good sleep, but that anger quickly turned to amusement as I listened to him. He would periodically stop singing to partake in even slightly more humorous conversations with his fellow workers, but always return and each time with a different song. Please take note that his songs never corresponded to the music that was playing from their equally obnoxious stereo they had brought out with them. I laid there in bed for a good twenty minutes listening to what was going on until I decided that I wasn't going to get back to sleep and I should just get up for the day.
I know that I am just as guilty as the next guy, but it's still so funny how we can all fall victim to this unfounded believe that we can honestly have a private moment when we're out in public. I encourage you to reflect on the things you do when you're out in public and who might be noticing you. Furthermore, next time you're out, just observe those around you and amuse yourself with what you find.
posted by Christopher SchneseÂ