The Real World Is Precious

On May 21, 1992, MTV aired the first episode of “The Real World.” The introduction to the show went like this: “This is the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house, work together, and have their lives taped. Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real … The Real World!”

“The Real World” would go on to help shape the future of television; after its first season, the United States was hooked on reality TV. I am not sure what made it so interesting to us, but we couldn’t get enough. Was it because it was new and different? Yes. Were the people super interesting and smart? Yes and no. Ultimately, I believe it was because on some level we could relate to them. They had different political views. They had different careers. They were of different races. Most importantly, they argued.

Watching them argue and fight made us feel like we were, in some small way, part of their world.

And now … I feel like we have all become cast members of the real world. Turn on the news and people are arguing — that sometimes ends with rubber bullets being fired. Sports teams and owners are arguing about the length of seasons and how much to pay players.

Families, of course, are famous for fighting.

Many of us have been working from home for the last two months, in confined spaces with our loved ones. For two months, many families have not been able to go out to take a breath from one another … and it seems that many of us have stopped being polite. Yesterday I heard two young girls arguing over something. They argued for a long time and then each stormed off.

I have a wife and daughter who are gene-positive for Huntington’s disease, so I have looked at this time as a blessing. It allows me to be with my wife 24/7 rather than only in the spaces between our eight-hour workdays. Also, because flights are so cheap lately and our daughter can work remotely, she has been flying from her Boston home to here to Chicago just to be with us. Each second together is so precious because of their shared terminal illness.

Because time is so precious — everything good in the real world is precious — we don’t spend it arguing.

Yes, the world is a scary place these days, and it can feel suffocating when you are stuck at home day after day, but remember that you are stuck at home with your loved ones.

This is time we won’t get back, so if you’re still stuck at home with family, enjoy it while it lasts. I know my family does.

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