Yesterday I wrote about how there’s a tendency for people to obsess about something so much that it becomes impossible not to bring that up in an otherwise unrelated situation.
The trouble is the person, whoever they might be, with a particular obsession usually has no clue that his or her obsession is not applicable to friendly conversation, or to everyday kindness. In a nutshell, it shows an an immaturity of decent human interaction.
I’ve heard these instances a lot from friends with parents who have dived face first in the deep-end of the fringe pool. I chatted a little last night with a friend who needs to keep her mom at arm’s length because her mom inserts irrational ideas into otherwise rational situations creating a disturbing and chaotic atmosphere. The chaos hurts.
Or another friend whose brother is a flat earther who brings it up even when the topic is jelly. Or another friend who hasn’t talked to his agoraphobic parents for probably five years, because their obsessions with certain news channels built a wall between son and parents. Or another friend whose dad shared with him a sermon from his church on who they should vote for.
These are all people who cannot have a close relationship with their parents. Any time spent together requires applied limitations, time restrictions, quick forgiveness of little slips and often experience a forced parental grounding.
Instead of being able to achieve civil plenitudes between otherwise loving individuals, a selfish instigation of personal ineptitude disrupts casual situations.
Continue reading “In a world where we disagree on so much, what can we all agree on?”
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