Who is Monet?

Microcosm - My Head Lines

For the past few days, I have been hanging out in the lovely town of Chico, California helping my aunt and uncle at their dry cleaning shop.

Even people like my aunt, who has isolated herself from our family and lives in a little house on a giant orange farm by herself, wants company.

Yesterday, I visited her. The house was freezing cold. The heater was broken and the night before, the electricity had been turned off. She told me she still survived. Survived.

My aunt told me that a little boy prayed on Christmas day that all people would have what they need and some of what they want.

She had survived but I don't think she even had what she needed. She needed human interaction.

I think even the most antisocial people don't want to be alone. It might be because everyone needs someone to talk to, but I think it's deeper than that. It's the concept behind Obama's decision to appoint people with diverse viewpoints in his cabinet. The most satisfactory outcomes are the result of different inputs.

The Constitution was the work of 55 men from different regions who debated and built off one another's ideas to come up with the framework of the U.S. government. And it's still working pretty well today. Imagine how good it would be if there were women at the Constitutional Convention.

Humans need other humans to correct their weaknesses and add to their thoughts. People crave a sustainable life, and the only way to do that is to interact with many different people. But it's receiving and giving, and sometimes you get tired of opening yourself to others, tired of reacting to reactions. I think that's why people close themselves to others so completely, like my aunt. Kind of like me, sometimes.

By the way, I know who Monet is. He's not the father of modern art. It's Cezanne. I was watching a rerun of Jeopardy.