Summary

The web content is an essay titled "Conversations with a Zen Master: Modern Day Koan Musings #6," which recounts a humorous and reflective conversation between the author and her son about the social dynamics of birthdays in the age of social media.

Abstract

The essay "Conversations with a Zen Master" by Susan Brearley captures a birthday dialogue between the author (ME) and her son (ZM), who is characterized as a Zen Master. The conversation humorously explores the author's mixed feelings about the overwhelming nature of birthday wishes on social media, contrasting it with a past complaint about receiving only two wishes. It includes a satirical poem titled "Birthday Invasion" by Juan, which likens the influx of birthday well-wishers to an unwelcome SWAT invasion, despite the appreciation for the gesture. The piece reflects on the paradox of human dissatisfaction and the irony of desiring both connection and space. The essay is part of a series that invites readers to time travel, and it concludes with a brief biography of Susan Brearley, highlighting her diverse accomplishments and current endeavors.

Opinions

The author expresses ambivalence about the modern birthday experience, highlighting the pressure to respond to a multitude of social media well-wishes.
There is a nostalgic comparison between the past, where fewer birthday wishes on Facebook could be disappointing, and the present, where the volume of wishes can feel invasive.
The poem "Birthday Invasion" conveys a humorous critique of the social expectations surrounding birthdays, suggesting that even unwanted attention is tolerated for the sake of politeness and, of course, birthday cake.
The author seems to acknowledge the absurdity of human behavior, as people are depicted as never being fully satisfied with the level of social interaction they receive.
The essay subtly implies that despite the advancements in communication technology, the fundamental human desire for genuine connection remains complex and often unfulfilled.

Essay

Conversations with a Zen Master

Modern Day Koan Musings #6

Birthday 2019. Phone rings.

ZM: Happy birthday Mom.

ME: Thanks.

ZM: How was your day?

ME: Busy. So busy.

ZM: Yeah?

ME: Yes. It was good though. My friend Juan sent me a Marco Polo with the funniest poem. It’s called Birthday Invasion. I wish I could figure out how to share the video with everyone. It’s really funny. He’s an actor. It’s a whole performance.

ZM: Oh?

ME: Yeah, it’s about, you know, how you just spend your whole birthday with the invasion of humans. And it’s true, you know, you get all these birthday wishes on facebook and messages, and social media. And then you have to like them and say thank you. Because it would just be rude not to.

ZM: Mom. I remember several years ago. I was in high school at the time. You were just starting out using Facebook.

ME: Oh?

ZM: Yes. I’ll never forget it. It was your birthday. You were complaining because TWO people wished you happy birthday there.

ME: Really?

ZM: Yeah.

ME: We humans are really goofy, aren’t we? We’re never happy.

The poem from my friend Juan.

Birthday Invasion

Here they come With birthday cheer Bringing gifts just once a year

People you don’t even like You really wish they’d take a hike It should be a glad occasion But it seems more like a SWAT invasion

GO AWAY! Just take a break Oh well… At least there’s birthday cake.

This is a series.

Time travel — you choose, backwards or forwards in time.

Conversations with a Zen Master

Modern Day Koan Musings #5

Conversations with a Zen Master

Modern Day Koan Musings #7

Susan Brearley is a brilliant strategist, a published book author, writer, editor, essayist, occasional comedy writer, and an accidental poet. She is currently working on her second book, a murder mystery about an OCD detective, who’s been called a “young version of Monk”. She’s a retired systems engineer and salesperson from IBM, a serial entrepreneur, and a survivor of a stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer since 1995. She’s also working on her US Coast Guard Captain’s license, has her US Sailing keelboat certification, and is the creator and elder teacher of a new program, “VisionQuest” that mentors and teaches adults of all ages how to create the life they were born to live. She is currently based in the mid-Hudson Valley, New York.