For the past week or so, I have been working on an article to post on this board. It is taking me sometime, cause I want to get it right. It is an open letter to Ciro Aucilino, regarding his talk that is posted on Freeminds.
The past week or so I have been aware of the flame wars, deactivations, and the goodbyes. This morning I come on the board and see more people leaving, there is a discussion on goodbyes and Venice trying to rally the troops and picking up casualties.
This has sunk me down somewhat and I can’t concentrate on finishing my article.
So I am dropping it for now, and writing this post instead. This post is about goodbyes in general .
I once had a dream, kind of a waking dream, on the borderline of sleep. I seemed to be a toddler, only-could-sit kind of toddler. In the dream a friendly Chinese type of man, with grey hair and long beard, dressed in a long robe, the palm of his hands pressed together on his chest, was backing away from me and bowing as he went. I became distressed, so he came forward, smiling, hands pressed together and continuing to bow. When he saw I was no longer distressed then he backed away again repeating his motions. This went on for several times, and then I woke up.
After awakening, and contemplating on my dream, I realized he was saying a loving good bye and so I began musing on goodbyes in general. How do we in the western world say good bye? Usually if we are walking away, we turn our backs on the ones we are leaving and after some steps we turn and wave. The more we love the people we are leaving the more we linger to alleviate distress and the feeling of loss.
So I would like to hear your thoughts on saying goodbyes.
Have you ever read about the psychology of playing peek-a-boo with a child?
Do you leave without saying goodbye, like teenagers running away and leave their parents in distress, not knowing their whereabouts?
When visitors leave your residence do you walk them to the door?
Do you hug those leaving?
Do you watch those leaving until they are out of sight?
My favourite goodbye, which I have mentioned before, is: Bob Dylan’s
Fare well Angelina.
The sky is on fire,
And I gotta go. ]
What’s yours?
belbab,