I was given a New Yorker cartoon desk calendar for Christmas this year and today's cartoon was a clever one. It was a drawing of a martial arts teacher standing outside the door to his dojo in a busy mall. The teacher had just finished tossing a shopper on the floor. Next to the teacher there was a sign that read, "Free Samples."
Free samples are everywhere... you can try a sample of just about any kind of food if you look hard enough. You can find free magazine trials, movie trials, free cell phones, free services... you are even forcefully given free samples of lotion or perfume in some stores. Joining CD, DVD or book clubs means free items if you promise to buy a certain amount from that club. Free sample marketing seems to have been enmeshed into how our society (America) does business... and it seems to be profitable.
With all these free samples, why is it that none of the important life altering things are offered as free samples? The premise behind offering free samples is the notion that it will intice the recipient to buy the particular item. If this premise is so successful, wouldn't it make sense for humanity to work harder on offering free samples of compassion, peace, love, forgiveness, acceptance, guidance, truthfullness, even smiles. I'm not a naive person, I realize that I'm suggesting a world that very well never exist, I merely hope my readers can close their eyes and imagine a world where we were given free samples of these things. How would you feel living in that world? I, for one, can imagine everyone being treated more equally, including people with disabilities. People of all kinds would be given a chance to prove themselves without being judged unfairly or prematurely. Crime and war would drop because people would be happier with their own lives and see humanity in others.
It never hurts to dream...
The world never will change overnight, but that doesn't mean it will never change. If each of us (you the readers and myself) strive to give out free samples of the "good stuff" we can start changing the world one person at a time.
Free samples are everywhere... you can try a sample of just about any kind of food if you look hard enough. You can find free magazine trials, movie trials, free cell phones, free services... you are even forcefully given free samples of lotion or perfume in some stores. Joining CD, DVD or book clubs means free items if you promise to buy a certain amount from that club. Free sample marketing seems to have been enmeshed into how our society (America) does business... and it seems to be profitable.
With all these free samples, why is it that none of the important life altering things are offered as free samples? The premise behind offering free samples is the notion that it will intice the recipient to buy the particular item. If this premise is so successful, wouldn't it make sense for humanity to work harder on offering free samples of compassion, peace, love, forgiveness, acceptance, guidance, truthfullness, even smiles. I'm not a naive person, I realize that I'm suggesting a world that very well never exist, I merely hope my readers can close their eyes and imagine a world where we were given free samples of these things. How would you feel living in that world? I, for one, can imagine everyone being treated more equally, including people with disabilities. People of all kinds would be given a chance to prove themselves without being judged unfairly or prematurely. Crime and war would drop because people would be happier with their own lives and see humanity in others.
It never hurts to dream...
The world never will change overnight, but that doesn't mean it will never change. If each of us (you the readers and myself) strive to give out free samples of the "good stuff" we can start changing the world one person at a time.
5 comments:
i am so glad you've started a blog. i never told you how much i really appreciated the comment you made on mine a few weeks back and how i've rolled what you wrote over in my head. you've really had an impact and i am a better person for it.
Grace is freely given!
Welcome to the blogging world Dylan. I'll be a regular reader!
Karen
You go, Dylan. I will also be a regular reader/commenter!
Re:can u imagine...Yes, I can. I will live in that world when I go to heaven. It will be even better than the best I can imagine now. YIPPEE. Hope you're there with us! Love and can't wait to see you, Sindy
Dylan,
I love what you've written and am looking forward to reading more!
Leslie
I think of communion as a free sample of God's grace, at least, in our Methodist tradition.
Shall we go to the mall and start givin' it out? ;)
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