Lincoln Place, Miami Beach on right good-looking strangers, buying? looking? stealing? And lady behind them thinking: "Was I ever that young, with a shape like that? Do YOU think she was, (of course, young once, unless an 'imported' being) and do you think this way at times: "Will I be old like that, will I need a cane, could I have run like that once, could I eat that much pizza etc. etc. etc.
Harvard Square, Boston (technically, Cambridge) and a photo of a family member, and also including a total stranger - the man whose face we're looking at - who will now be a part of 'our history'. But, that's not what this is about - it IS about the people we see, in our photos, like this, or in the mall, or on TV, you get the idea. With no idea who this person is, obviously certain assumptions can be made: he walks, he can get to 'here' from 'wherever', he is (hopefully) of our species, i.e. human, born of parents, has vision problems, (or wears glasses to look 'intellectual' - this is HARVARD after all)), so has to have a source of income in order to have obtained the glasses, he has hair (or a good hair piece), likes, again, fashionably popular, longer sideburns, is not a sun worshipper, wears 'regular' shirts. Now that may seem like a lot of info on a stranger, but of course we know it isn't - we really know nothing.
Since I have time to do so, I 'guess' about people I see - give them whole lives. Sometimes I've even asked a question of a stranger, framed as e.g. "You look like someone a friend of mine worked with as a systems analyst on Wall St many years ago." And, it may surprise you as to how much the 'stranger' will tell you: profession, employer, where resides, how long, a visit to e.g. Wall St (whether or not a native New Yorker - MOST New Yorkers have never been to Wall St - (source: GENE'S WORLD instant observation)). Maybe even volunteer 'sneaking' a kid (tells family status) under a subway turnstile (hard to do now with so much security) (tells you ethics? or practicality? (or nothing, 'cause you think about it?)).
Have you done these things - do you have these thoughts - have you ever been approached by a 'inquirer' (different from being 'hit on')???
Billions of strangers - plenty of speculation to engage in (unless of course you have other, REAL responsibilities to accomplish, unlike, e.g. me) (Not true, I DO have responsibilities: (thought I was going to list them?? Why would I open myself to .....??)
Are YOU interested in these 'strangers' who populate 'your ' world? If so, why? Curiosity about the 'human condition'? or just nosiness or both? Or, if not, why not? Lack of curiosity re: fellow earthlings? Just don't have time? Just don't care?" And, if don't, why, where, what??? (Endless......... just like LIFE's questions, right?)
Enjoy Life..maybe we're just entertainers on "SOMEONE's" stage, (and we want to be kept around to continue to entertain , don't we?)
2 comments:
I just went through two days of the ultimate random compilation of strangers: Jury Duty. I didn't get selected (thankfully) but did sit through two days of selection. It was interesting though to see the diverse cross section of people (a white Executive sitting next to a Jamaican "collision technician" sitting next to a Hispanic Nurse etc etc) who slowly we all learned about as each person was questioned by the judge and attorneys: the big black lady with the oxygen tank had been involved in a hit and run, her husband killed, the lady from Argentina had a $35,000 boat stolen and never recovered, etc etc etc.
dad-
I love having you provoke my thoughts!
I love stranger watching, I love building a story for them where I am sure I am never right since I always want them to all turn out happy, but sometime I would love to follow that one mom home who seems to be so rattled with her kids in the store and (even though it is weird,) to hug her after I have helped her unpack her car, rock the kids to sleep and tell her that everything is going to be alright or just sit and listen to the stresses of her day and nod understandingly.
I don't think that in this world that is ever really a possible situation to happen, but I always try to put myself in other's places and wonder what is going on in their lives that they are a)wandering the streets, b)smiling stupidly while filling up their cars on the way to where ever they are going.
I love that if I am standing in a line, sometimes just sometimes I can meet someone who enjoys Phantom of the Opera as much as I do (while in Vegas waiting for Phantom to start,) and know that she has begged her husband to take her but finally acquiesced to going with a friend instead since he "hates" the theater! While my husband is standing across from me looking over the playbill and very happy in his own little world excited that he is going to really see Phantom in person instead of the movie version.
So as always, thank you for sharing your views, the pictures and intriguing our minds enough to have to really think!
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