"I still remember my first trip to the circus. I must have been 7. The lights were dim, the seats formed a circle around the bright, noisy stage. Everyone laughed. The clowns made faces and performed their jokes. But I did not feel it. It disturbed me. Their painted smiles and oversized shoes made me feel sad. I could not explain. I felt that the joy was forced."
"However, I played volleyball, danced traditional and hip-hop, and performed on stage. I loved the feeling of movement. But being a spectator never gave me that same spark. Even later, in medical school, I could not just watch someone perform a procedure; I wanted to do it myself, to experience it. Maybe that is what it comes down to: We all have different ways of connecting. Some find meaning in watching others achieve excellence; others find it only by direct participation."
A childhood visit to the circus revealed a discomfort with performative joy and a sense that forced entertainment can feel sad. The same disconnect appeared with watching sports despite social enthusiasm. Active movement and performance—volleyball, dance, stage work, and hands-on medical procedures—provided genuine connection and meaning. Different people connect differently: some through observing excellence, others through direct participation. When passive watching becomes dominant, entertainment can replace active living and serve as distraction. Historical arenas and modern digital platforms both function to divert attention and blunt deeper questioning or solitude.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]