CATCHING CHICKENS

182 – Wednesday, July 1, 2009

People can be so cruel at times. Cinnie and I were watching a short segment on TV while drinking our morning coffee and there aired an interview with Jermaine Jackson, eldest brother of Michael. The interviewer asked invading questions, as they always seem to do – pointedly implying that there must be a story that everyone needs to know but has been purposely hidden away as a skeleton that should come out now that the legendary performer is dead. It was as if to say, ‘C’mon, Jermaine, give us some smut that might smear more mud on a deceased icon.’ A couple of minutes after that, there was another video clip of America’s Got Talent, where the panel interviewed a self-described ‘chicken catcher’ – the audience joined the judges in laughing at the man and poking fun at him which continued until the initial strums of his guitar and the first notes of his performance emerged from his heart – then their mouths were agape and awe struck their faces. Stirring music poured forth from the gentle man’s soul and, to the last person, the jeers turned to tears and their emotions were stirred. He showed them – he has talent! Everyone has some kind of value – and each one of us has felt the throes of piercing ridicule when it has been aimed at us. We think little of it when this behavior is propagated by children, but it becomes abusively abrasive when it emanates from those supposed to be adults and mature enough to know better. A personal challenge from me to you – never be one of the crowd who joins in the harassment of a fellow human being with feelings and a need to retain personal worth. I don’t know about you, but my house would be severely lacking dietary fulfillment if there were no one to catch chickens.

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