Lines, lines, everywhere a line

Aside from the Five Man Electrical Band (Signs) reference, this seems to be our byword today, doesn’t it?  I don’t know about you, but I’ve probably spent as much time waiting in lines over in the last month as I normally do in an entire year. 

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Lines have so many other contexts, though, don’t they?

Lines of communication

Of demarcation

Staying within the lines

Stepping over the line

Lines of safety

Making a beeline

There are probably more – which just aren’t coming to my mind at this instant.  Some have simply never made sense to me – like “making a beeline”.  I’m not sure what bees you’ve seen flying in a straight, speedy lines, but the ones I’ve observed have a greater tendency to meander.  This one, in my mind, fails to match its description.

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Lines, as most things, have good points and bad ones.  Lines of communication are good – when they’re open.  Or, they should be. There’s always that communication which we wish was less open, isn’t there?  Lines of demarcation just sounds like a fight by its very description – which of course, it can be in a sense.  But perhaps these are also simply a means of setting boundaries.

Staying within the lines – didn’t we all learn about this when we got our first crayons?  Some did, or tried hard.  Others defiantly went outside of them, whether to make a point or simply to get attention.  The same behaviour applies in life – some stay within the lines, and follow the rules.  Others do so to a lesser degree, and as with the colouring book, some defiantly step over – or through – those lines and break all the rules.

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Stepping over the line isn’t always an act focused on the negative side of defiance, though.  Sometimes, it’s taking a stand.  Sometimes the lines are wrong.  Sometimes, the lines of safety in fact confine us to a perceived place that’s “safe”, but for whom?

I’ve come to the conclusion that lines have value – or a lack thereof – in how we use them, much like the signs in the song.  Right now, the lines in our supermarkets, banks, and elsewhere aim to keep us safe. 

How will you use lines today – lines of communication, lines of safety, or simply line-ups – to make a positive difference?

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