I find the manner in which people react to events illuminating, informative, interesting. In truth if I said plainly ‘entertaining’ I would be more honest, for an observer in any circumstances can be described quite correctly as being intrigued, involved, absorbed by any theatrical production, which play, movie, manuscript, narrative, or just plain old reality most decidedly is.
That do seem a little harsh, but in truth life is quite exactly performance, and we gratefully indulge the emotions inspired by others public drama carpingly, scathingly, for judicious we undoubted are in all circumstances, ardently intrigued, whether with condemnation, neutrality, or support, sometimes fully, but more often distractedly, one eye fixated, the other flitting hither and thither quite randomly.
The practice of being intrusive, inquisitive, is a wholly human behavior, can be perceived as empathic if supportive, not obviously tainted by ghoulishness or gawking. Remember we are inclined to be fixated upon circumstances that engage our disapproval, invariably articulating such instances with overly great passion.
Certain emotions, feelings, do not read or sound well when presented in the public arena, are best not shared in detail, rather kept to simplistic almost trite expressions, heavy in significance but light in detail. More that a glimpse of an emotion or consideration is overly expressive, risks the appearance of insincerity, disingenuousness, suggesting ulterior motivations originating from some degree of duplicity, perhaps even self-service. Crocodile tears, par exemple, is a perfect metaphoric paradigm, a zoological misnomer entirely presently utilized to describe the human weakness for showing over theatric expressiveness when demonstrating sympathy or loss.
‘Twas a time, not so far gone, that employing professional grievers to weep and wail upon sad occasions was considered entirely proper, as such behaviors performed by the more gentile of persons was considered quite inappropriate. Such daintiness no longer applies, and an extravagant display of affliction is quite acceptable if not expected.
Daily Abstract Thoughts 