October 18, 2007 10:40 PM

Tonight , I went to a Georgia Shakespeare production of Richard III. GS is a professional theater in residence at Oglethorpe University. www.gashakespeare.org The production was contemporary and used select minimalist and brilliant props. We dined on a homemade dinner in a pavilion outside the theater. Aspects of the play kept reminding me of aggression, etiquette, and social moires through time. Shakespeare was a communicator. Scheming, barbaric and murderous are appropriate terms for certain Shakespearean plays but modern rudeness is just as rampant no matter how "tame" by comparison. I have been thinking of how people communicate. I have felt challenged of late and my patience is really being tested. One of the things that I find troubling in this "modern world" is communication. I don't necessarily mean conveying one's meaning although that is part of it. The bizarre and very rude aspect of not returning emails or phone calls when it is project based and not personal is the thing I find the most ugly. I know I am not alone with this sentiment. When I don't answer it is because I am traveling and did not get the message or I have been treated in a distasteful manner and have no interest in engaging with the person or I need my space from them. Sometimes it can get complicated. I have read that all kinds of relationships have a "shelf life" in this world. Yet, I am not even thinking about that kind of interaction. I am thinking about being so busy and so overworked that you don't acknowledge necessary status. It has nothing to do with money. I have noticed that money can change hands and this behavior can continue. It may sound like I am complaining. I am observing and even though emotions are a waste of energy unless they bring about desired results, I feel bursts of inner anger about miscommunication. Has everyone become blasé?