As
I scrolled down my Twitter feed yesterday, I could resist letting out a yelp of
triumph upon reading the school cancellation announcement. However, my joy soon disintegrated as I thumbed down to the next tweet: “Death toll rises,
thousands without power.” A wave of guilt swept over me as literal waves crushed
homes just a few hours away; who knew such powerful juxtapositions existed
outside of literary world? As Hurricane Sandy tore up more and more of the
coast, my frustration increased proportionally. Reading posts about how great a
hurricane seemed solely because it caused a school cancellation proved extremely irritating,
and I found myself wanting to lash out at anyone praising the storm. But I
never did. I realized the issue and never did anything about it until it proved
too late. Consequently, while watching “the Sound Machine” today, it occurred to
me that Klausner and I share this trait. Klausner acknowledges the plants’
pain, but continues to wound them and ruins the potential of his machine before
it can truly make an impact. Moreover, I discovered a clear connection between
the unsympathetic tweeters and the doctor. Both parties realize the pain and
destruction; however, rather than acknowledging it, they choose to ignore the
damage and focus on their own lives. As much I wanted to dismiss and judge
Klausner and the doctor, I often act identically, and I assert that everyone
does. The vast majority of humans prove guilty of this apathy and society even
ignores this simple fact. Although I believe this issue necessitates amelioration,
in reality, not all aspects of it stand as detrimental. Humans have inherently
selfishness tendencies, and I believe the act of ignoring major issues exists
as just another mechanism by which people allow for their own happiness. If
everyone could feel the terrible pains of others, society would reduce to
shambles. Generally, humans have the deepest and most intense reactions to the
events that directly affect them or that they directly caused. Similarly, the
most influential of the plants’ cries proves the one Klausner internationally
generates. Yes, he sympathizes with roses cut by his neighbor, but the tree he stabs
himself evokes unavoidable guilt and devastation. Not only does Dahl’s work
highlight society’s tendencies to ignore its effects on the earth, it illuminates
the overall tendency of people to disregard other’s issues for the sake of
their own contentment. As with all generalizations, exceptions do occur, and I
believe everyone needs to become one of these exceptions in order to truly
sympathize with one’s neighbors. However, the troubles of the world recognized
by all would lead to destruction and mass devastation.
I have always been of the belief that in order to become a functioning member of society one must expose themselves to the problems of the world no matter how horrible. However, after reading "The Sound Machine" I did question my theory due to the point you brought up pertaining to the ultimate destruction of happiness if humans allow themselves to know every struggle of the world. It is a very troubling idea to me because I want to be well versed on societal events, but will that information alter my happiness?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your stance on us humans, and how we tend to ignore the pain of others (for the most part). Although I do sympathize with those devastated by the hurricane or with the plants that Klauser cut, I do not have the capacity or time for that matter, to fix anything. I also find it difficult, as I assume most people do, to feel guilt and sadness when I have much more positive aspects of life to focus on.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your assessment of human apathy, and believe that the parallels between the hurricane and "The Sound Machine" run even deeper. In the case of the hurricane for example, the scientific community has attributed the ferocity and frequency at which storms have been occurring to global warming, a problem we largely ignore. Thus your comparison of Dahl's writing to real problems exemplifies his assertion perfectly.
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