Besides the roof had fallen in. Something horrible had happened to Zach's other grandmother, Nanna, while in Kuala Lumpur, this had impinged on Zach's parents (Occasional Speeder and D) and we found ourselves looking after Zach for two or three days. No sweat except that this time he came with a price tag. He had brought his Playstation and was insisting he be allowed to play it.
I must confess there is a TV in the room Zach uses. Hey, I know we should be feeding his ear'ole with a Strasbourg Goose diet of Lamb's Tales From Shakespeare. But Zach's a child of our times. This time next year he'll probably be watching The Killing, Episode 4.
The Playstation needed plugging into Z's TV. Easy. But despite OS's best efforts it wouldn't work. Time for a phone call to the Ultimate Source, OS's husband D. Had she done this? Yes. Had she done that? Yes. Had she disconnected the digibox which ensures that the TV can receive digital transmissions - ie, work as a TV. No she hadn't (and neither had I, in my wildest dreams, imagined this might be necessary). So OS unplugged the digibox and, lo...
In retrospect it may have seemed callous that we were worrying about Playstations while Nanna was suffering, but of course there's a simple answer. Nanna wouldn't have profited from Zach's deprivation. Me? I was glad I'd pulled the piece on prayer. Cursing would have been closer.
I had read the post and decided that the questions you posed would be unanswerable in a serious vein by anybody less than Bertrand Russell or the like, and even then no definite conclusions would be likely, so I had concocted a semi serious, but partly jocular response which would not have been appropriate, and like you I am glad that it didn’t get posted.
ReplyDeleteTaking Zach’s mind off the problem with Nanna must be a good thing and I see no reason for you to feel uncomfortable about that.
When I say "don't give in to their addiction" I am answered "these are the times now".
ReplyDeleteNow that I dabble in geneology, I realize that the adults around me protected me from crises and funerals and illnesses, etc. I look at the dates of the events in question and see that I was 6 or 7 years old at the time and wonder why I have no memory of the terrible event. No doubt I was given a comic book, which was seen as an addiction then much as a Playstation is seen as an addiction by adults now. It seems we are all beholden to the times, for better or for worse.
ReplyDeleteSir Hugh: I wasn't on the look-out for an atheist's (eg, Sexy Bertie's) view on prayer. They're two a penny round here. Rather optimistically I was hoping to get a response from someone who does it for real. Another reason for pulling the post.
ReplyDeleteEllena: Detachment was what I was after, not submission.
RW (zS): In fact the poignancy of the occasion was heightened by Zach's whispered disclosure to VR. "Nanna's in hospital but I'm not sure why. I think she has pains in her chest". Later he did her a Get Well card, then wondered if he should buy flowers for his visit to see her this afternoon. He didn't seem satisfied, any more than I would have been, when told about the new "No flowers" policy in hospitals.