Thursday, October 16, 2008

Paulo

10/13/08

Paulo is a five year old who had his front teeth knocked out before Mary and I arrived in the village. Paulo can appear at anytime or anyplace. Yesterday during the three-hour children’s program at the church, Paulo inserts himself into and in front of almost every well-rehearsed act. He is a little elfin figure gyrating in an attempt to be part of the act.
Psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors may have terms to describe his “condition”. I shall call him a "loose cannon". It is not Paulo’s behavior, which intrigues me, but the Samoan’s tolerance, need I say "acceptance", of his behavior. While I want to inject him with 1,000 cc of behavioral altering drugs, Samoans laugh as he get more daring. The performers never miss a beat. Paulo somehow becomes part of the act. Thus I sit on one rim of this cultural chasm, looking across; both sides normal in their own milieu.

2 comments:

Barb Carusillo said...

Part of that is our age, and how the generations don't live together in our country...I would think a lot of us would grow very impatient with hyperactive youth here when we are done raising our own, especially when we are not around kids all the time anymore. We get used to peace and quiet real fast. I would last 30 minutes, then I would want to duct tape him to the wall or something.

Anonymous said...

We were all a Paulo at one time or another, maybe a wantabe sometime in our lives. Attention requested/ needed at some point.