If you wander around this world and eavesdrop on some conversations you will hear the most boring crap. People tell pointless stories that go absolutely nowhere, and make comments about things that are of no interest anyone. Yesterday I was caught on a train next to a young boy and his mother. They boxed me in against the window and there was no escaping their mindless dialogue.
“Look, look, mum, a tree,” the boy would yell, commenting on the view from his seat. The mother, completely disinterested, would glance quickly from her magazine and respond with feigned enthusiasm: “Yes Tommy, a tree.” The child would then draw attention to the next object he saw: “Look, look, mum, a building.” The woman would offer another enthusiastic response. This exchanged lasted the entire journey.
Perhaps I was witnessing the root of the problem. Rather than simply agreeing with the child’s pointless commentary, the parent could offer some constructive criticism: “Sorry Tommy, I’m 34 years old and I’ve lived in this city my entire life. I’ve seen more trees and building than you could imagine. Let me know we pass something out of the ordinary.”
“Look, look, mum, a tree,” the boy would yell, commenting on the view from his seat. The mother, completely disinterested, would glance quickly from her magazine and respond with feigned enthusiasm: “Yes Tommy, a tree.” The child would then draw attention to the next object he saw: “Look, look, mum, a building.” The woman would offer another enthusiastic response. This exchanged lasted the entire journey.
Perhaps I was witnessing the root of the problem. Rather than simply agreeing with the child’s pointless commentary, the parent could offer some constructive criticism: “Sorry Tommy, I’m 34 years old and I’ve lived in this city my entire life. I’ve seen more trees and building than you could imagine. Let me know we pass something out of the ordinary.”