A sense of perspective . . .

No more Debtor's Prison and no more public humiliations

I found myself in Hartford yesterday for a seminar in social media networking. After several hours of immersion into the world of cyberspace and cyberfriends, it was refreshing to walk around the center of downtown Hartford and hang out on a bench right near the State House. That's where I noticed the display of some original stockades.

Until yesterday, Hartford CT was always a place to avoid as I veered onto 91 South and then on to Route 15 and Merritt Parkway to make my way speedily to NYC. During these days of Elena Kagan's confirmation hearings, it's interesting to rediscover that the person on the top of the Hartford State House dome is a blindfolded female holding the scales. How odd that the gender that was classically cast to be the embodiment of Justice has taken so long to be a small part (still a minority) of the judges on the Supreme Court.
Back in Boston today, other images seemed to fall into the same theme of changing perspectives and how from where we stand or sit or think, we're only seeing a very limited picture when others see the world from their particular perches and posts.

A local elementary school had a field trip to the Apple store today

Peeking in to the firehouse #15 Engine after two fire engines wailed out on to Boylston St., I saw this pole and the obviously flexible "floor" surrounding it and thought, one more kind of perspective.

The last image that invited yet another change of perspective was the presence of a drink stand unmanned by anyone except a plexiglass box into which, on the "honor system" passersby were prompted by a recorded voice announcement to help themselves to a drink and to deposit a dollar in the box. The set up and invitation to be honest with the expectation and trust that we all would do so was as refreshing as the drinks themselves. People wanted to put the dollar in to support "The Honest Store."
A small pad about the size of a business card sat on the stand with the following quote printed on each page so that we could help ourselves to a piece of philosophy at the same time. It said, "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."–Mark Twain.