Lately, I've been thinking about what impresses me. And what doesn't impress me.

I don't mean on the intellectual level either. There, naturally, I'm impressed by people who Do the Right Thing, Follow the Golden Rule, Use Their Talents for the Greater Good, etc. All that stuff is impressive, all moral people are duely impressed. But those kinds of things don't have the "wow" factor, or, more specifically, the "wow, I'd like to talk to that person" factor.

I'm talking about being impressed on the emmotional level. Feeling impressed, sort of in awe of another person's talent, skill or ability.

Americans are jaded people....

It's cool to say "I'm not impressed" or "Nothing impresses me". I've said those things many times, along with "Nothing surprises me" (which might actually be accurate from having worked for over 5 years as a bill collector) However, I certain things do impress me. They just tend to be things that don't seem to impress the majority of the population.

And I think there is an element of surprise to being impressed. A certain amount of "can he/she do it?" adds to the feeling of being impressed. I think that there may be an element of distance from the situation that allows us to be impressed. Go to a folk music concert and you'll find middle aged intellectuals: people who understand what a coal mine, milk cow, or plow is but may not have ever actually seen one, let alone gotten the blues because of anything relating to it. White suburban kids flock to rap shows. A solid core of fans of the emmotive music of Tori Amos can be found at MIT. But, that can't be all there is to it.

For instance, I'm impressed by feats of physical strength or endurance. I've always wondered to what extent my fascination with sports like sled dog racing has to do with the fact that, if I tried it, I'd have an asthma attack, turn blue and fall off the sled as a solid chunk of frozen southerner after about 40 minutes, while Iditarod participants go on night and day for days and days. But if it was just "people doing something I'm not able to do" - well that would encompass a lot of people - and certainly a lot of atheletes that don't really impress me. For instance, intellectually, I'm aware that it takes a great deal of hand eye coordination to hit a baseball. Football players have to practice, work out, and work hard to hone their talents. These games, though, hardly hold my interest, yet I looked into weather or not my home computer had the umph to support streaming video of the live finish of the the first racer to cross under the arch at Nome in this last Iditarod ( it didn't) And that was even after I was pretty sure I knew who was going to win - Jeff King. Why would it be worth it to me to spend the time and even a little money to have even the vaguest glimmer of the feeling of being connected to a race I could never participate in, happening in a place thousands of miles from my home, and which nobody else I know has even the slightest awareness of, let alone interest in?

Granted, I believe that the stories that come out of the Iditarod trail are impressive to anybody.Take for instance the year Susan Butcher's team was attacked by a crazed moose which she fought of with an axe and her bare hands saving the life of her dogs. Just as impressive is her matter-of-fact and tough way of dealing with the cancer which is threatening her life. But there are lots of strong women in lots of sports. There are lots of tough atheletes fighting dreadful illness.

So...

I think I'm impressed by people who achieve things more or less as individuals. The dog sledders, of course, have a whole team, but they're the only non-fur bearing creature on the team and the one who has to make almost all of the decisions. I'm impressed by strong man competitions, and lumberjack competitions...these people are not "team players". And sure they are competing against other people, but they seem more to be competing with the thing itself - the weight, the log, the trail - and, of course, themselves. Tellingly, I tend to admire the out of the limelight or out of the mainstream. There may be a cheering crowd, but it's a small one. Often these people have to make great personal sacrifices to do what inspires them.

Of course, this isn't all that impresses me. It's just all I have time to write about right now!

Stay tuned, more later....