Thursday, September 1, 2011

An Epitaph for Surprise

I used to look forward to the surprise of discovering a favorite singer’s new album
To stumbling across a book that looked interesting but could go either way
To going to a new restaurant on the off chance that the food was tasty, while accepting the risk that it would be anything but

But now, as a society, we’ve lost the joy of surprise
Everything is “leaked” – from news, to songs, to pics of forthcoming gadgets
Many websites and blogs live or die by the ‘scoops’ they provide us
Which, while satisfying our bloated need for what’s new and what’s next,
Have robbed us of the pleasure of just wait and see

Now, there are examples in which this new transparency is helpful,
Such as when taking kids on vacation and knowing that a hotel isn’t a party hub,
Or when researching a new car without taking a dealer’s word as gospel

But, on balance, maybe we should re-embrace what Frost called the road "less traveled by"
Ignore the all-seeing eye of the web once in a while,
And take a chance on surprise a little more often
What do we have to fear, except discovering what’s on the other side
Of utter predictability’s tedium?

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