Welcome to 'Real World': Tough talk? Outdoor adventure?
Monday, July 19, 2010 at 12:00AM 
(THIS WEEK, please welcome veteran communicator Terry Gallagher! Here is Part 1 of Terry’s thought-provoking series on an appropriately summery theme. There’s more about Terry at the end of today’s article. I will return in early August—Dr. Wayne Baker)
“Welcome to the real world!”
You’ve heard that expression, usually said with a sneer or a world-weary sigh. I’ve heard it, too. It’s how we explain away a dirty trick in the office or workplace, some behavior that’s mean or low. Whenever we express disappointment with that kind of behavior, you can trust that someone will say, “Well, welcome to the real world.” It means that we should be wiser and more cynical, that we should expect that kind of thing. It says that honorable behavior and solid values are not found in the real world.
But it isn’t true, is it?
The real world is actually something different. Today, I hope you’ll add a comment about where you truly connect with the real world. At this time of year, a lot of us go on vacation, many to places that allow us to reconnect with the real world.
A biologist friend of mine once told me that the real world actually consists of only six things: air, water, earth, plants, animals and sun. Last week, I was lucky enough to spend time along the shore of the largest freshwater lake in the world. On Lake Superior, the weather report really matters. Sometimes you have to raise your voice to be heard over the waves. When the wind is blowing too hard, you can’t go out in the kayak or even walk in the woods. The eagle that comes sweeping in over the lakeshore isn’t there for your entertainment. Sundown is a big deal.
I’m not a simpleton. I know that politics is part of life, both in the office and in the nation. Human nature includes a capacity for bad behavior, big and small. But let’s not pretend that that’s the real world, or the complete extent of it. Instead, we can take this time of year to look at a more distant horizon, and to experience more directly the real world, the world of air, water, earth, plants, animals and sunshine.
Welcome to the real world!
Now, tell me today: Where do you go to find the real world?
Please, click and leave a “Comment” below!
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ABOUT TERRY GALLAGHER: After working more than 20 years in higher education, Terry Gallagher is exploring new ways to use media and messages to build stronger institutions and communities. Most recently, he has joined the board and helped launch communications efforts at the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit, a new group with a long history.
Reader Comments (4)
Hello Terry,
I so agree with your assessment of the real world. I would offer that if you can find a place to visit, which is so far off the grid as to function without electricity, the benefits are even more remarkable. I recently visited a place called the Manu Wildlife Center in the Manu Biosphere in Peru. We lived by candlelight and the sounds of the jungle. We were six hours down river from the end of the last road. It was absolute heaven. If I knew anything about chakras I would swear that all of mine burst open at once. I hope someday you will have a chance to visit this remarkable park, as large as Switzerland!
Blessings,
Margaret Dulaney
Gorgeous pictures!!!!!
I find the real world while on a bicycle. There is so much of the world and all of its environs that can be explored on a bike. We are so lucky to have the Great Lakes surrounding our state. I recently rode the Little Traverse Wheelway from Lake Charlevoix to Harbor Springs. Breathtaking (and not just from pushing up the few hills)! Have you seen the section recently improved by the State of Michigan? Now that's the way to spend my tax dollars.I hope everyone visits and can decide that for themselves.
Hi Terry:
I read your article. You nailed on the head.....I think the Real World also includes the love of family and friends. I would add to the beauty of Lake Superior, sitting quietly with loved ones with occasional bit of humor. The people that use the phrase, welcome to the Real World are the simpletons.
Best wishes....
Julie
Thank you for bringing to us this vision of the beauty of nature especially at this time of year. So many of us find the holidays a time of stress rather than a time to reflect on what the Christ means to us, what really was brought to earth so long ago. In Wayne Muller's book, Sabbath, he beautifully describes the blessings that can come from letting ourselves experience a sense of Sabbath regardless of where we might be or what day of the week it might be. Your experience on Lake Superior is the sort of Sabbath that brings a sense of peace, well being, clarity and healing. It is the stillness that allows the Christ message to be heard. We all can give ourselves the gift of being still, listening and hearing that voice of what is real.
And on earth peace to all.
Nancy