I was making rice the other day, and was staring at the pot. I got the old "watched pot never boils" adage stuck in my head, and realized how utterly ridiculous it was. You're applying heat to a container filled with water - it doesn't care whether I'm watching or not - it's going to boil. In fact, when transferring this logic to life (which is what you're supposed to do with old adages I think), sometimes the aforesaid watched pot boils faster.
You're writing a test. You answer one question, skip the second, gaze around the room - only to notice the teacher looking directly at YOU. You immediately put your mind back on the test and quickly scribble through it. You've noticed someone watching you, so you launch into action.
On a more worldwide level, we, as the media, have the ability to illuminate situations in the world, thus inciting change. When we start assigning faces to statistics, that can cause the masses to feel something. It's easy for people to ignore statistics, but when there is a story about a specific girl, with a specific problem, and that story gets lots of attention - things happen. Thus, once it is watched, it boils.
Oh my, it seems the water is boiling now...I can't believe it boiled without me watching.
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>_>
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the old saying...and yet it doesn't make a lot of sense...just like you say.....
ReplyDeleteALTHOUGH...I wonder about the watched pot re: waiting for people to screw up....
Someone screws up bad, say, steals something, and then someone SUSPECTS he's done something bad, and watches him....and he DOESN'T steal again...hence the watched pot never boils?
Who knows...nice drawing of connects....
:)