The Value of Things And Stuff

Mar 7, 2021

Word nerd confession time – I wanted to call this “The Value of the Ephemeral”, but “ephemeral” isn’t an everyday word so I thought that might be off-putting and I backed down. This way, having used both very ordinary words (so ordinary as to be meaningless, perhaps – we’ll explore that on Sunday) in the subject line and a less-ordinary word in the first paragraph, I can have my linguistic cake and eat it as well. Lucky me.  🙂

Here’s what got me going on this topic. I received a promotional email from a national retailer offering some sort of discounts, with a headline that shouted “These Deals Won’t Last!”. That feels like pretty familiar terrain; the push to “buy NOW!” before the tremendous, never-to-be-seen-again bargain goes poof. Honestly – like we can’t pay attention long enough to realize that next week there will be some other deal that won’t last, and so on ad nauseum (yes, that was deliberate pun). But it got me thinking about the transition we’re entering, the collective experience of, or hoped for experience of, re-opening. What will we deem worthy of rushing to restore, what will we find the past year has taught us we should abandon or not re-engage with? In short, what will we decide to place value in, and why? It’s one of those ancient, recurring human questions that we need to revisit regularly, and transitions sometimes provide the kind of disruption that can prompt us to do that. So let’s explore!
To help us with this particular exploration, I have what I think is the nicest homework assignment I’ve ever suggested. To maximize our Talky Bit time, I would encourage you to watch this Youtube video. It’s the short (less than two minutes long) trailer for a newly released documentary directed by Tanya Lapointe (who is also the Executive Producer of the upcoming Dune movie). It will serve as an introduction to the beloved French-Canadian children’s television show host, Claude Lafortune, whose work will illustrate our exploration of what we value. It’s in French, but has English subtitles. I’ve posted this video to our Facebook group as well.

Other Coming Events:

The Leadership Team is continuing to keep an eye on re-opening changes. At this point, it doesn’t make sense for us to gather in person because we would need to rent a VERY big space for very few people to attend. We’ll keep you posted.
In the meantime, I’ll see you online here on Sunday at 10:45 a.m. for some music and Community Time, followed by the Talky Bit.
Peace,
Tim Plett
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