(no subject)
I think the society man has currently setup, is nuts. Everyone is either stressed, worried, scared, lonely, sad, or hungry. There's not a lot of happiness. What is the goal of man as civilization progresses? For one, man isn't organized, so there is no "goal". Countries, (those that are organized) sometimes have goals. And sometimes those goals of those sometimes countries of the few that are organized, have a goal that has to do with improving the overall lives of their citizens or of the general environment of the planet.
But otherwise, there is no general planning towards man becoming better situated in his world. Somehow, there is general pressure on the market to make things better for people, rather than worse for people, so things progress. It's really quite amazing it even works. But how well does it work? It is like a grinding huge mammoth machine that in some spots could badly use oil, and in other parts, not even in working order, but somehow the machine keeps trudging along?
Where have we gotten? You'll notice above that most of the things I cited are mental. So people in Europe aren't dying from scurvy anymore. I'm applying this general people thing to people in the Developed World for the most part, but couldn't that be an issue? People are dying from AIDS and malnutrition all over the world. Should this be the only goal of society? Make it so everyone is at least not suffering needlessly? Then perhaps we get back to the mental anguish, and move forward.
But you'll notice, that's not the goal, not in general, not in people's minds, not politically, not personally, not anything. Only that light pressure to make things better rather than worse. Sort of like a slow moving wide wide stream, it's not much effort to paddle upstream. Upstream, against what is doing things better for people, and what is doing things worse for people. We would go and fight wars for no good reason, get our property taken away due to bankruptcy, have companies market products to us that they knew would harm us, make higher education the only way to get ahead, but make it horribly expensive, long, and a waste of time, and always be afraid of commitment or sex because that person isn't attractive or cool enough for you.
You, the ant, just figured out that that mammoth grinding machine was actually a speedboat engine, and it was tearing around, up and down the stream, crashing people into the shore, speeding ahead down in front of everyone else, spinning back, coming back upstream, forever and tirelessly disturbing the calm of the stream. If they would only stop that boat, and let everyone slip down at a nice slow pace, we'd all get where we're going. Together.
But you don't work with me, I don't work with you, that's not my department, and memos go to Sally in Accounts Payable. It's all fun and games sitting there in your own empire of your self. Papers, computers, pizzas, sex, cars, and Coca-Cola. You don't even remember what's right for everyone else because recycling is more important for the environment, and people have rolling blackouts in California. The speedboat won years ago. It drowned out every real thought you could have ever had with the swallowing, unstopping noise of it's engine. John Cena is going to win the U.S. title, Terrorism is bad, Blood Banks are low, Mars is cool, and you, you are thinking about how delicious Milano cookies are.
Somehow, someday where do you actually start living your life? Preprogrammed from the beginning: You're born, you eat, you sleep, grow up, learn, have kids, raise them, die. Somewhere, in there, you're supposed to make time for life, but they would rather you not. To deviate from the programming is to face certain something. Like people "wondering" about you. OOOH dear. Your freshman year of high school, they asked, "What would you do if you had a million dollars?", you said: "The coolest thing I can think of!" "Ah! Wonderful!", they replied, "You'll be cool then. Just like the rest of us. Now, do this." And did it you did. Wait. You're not doing said cool thing? Where did you go wrong? They said you'd be cool, and be able to do the coolest thing ever. You got sidetracked, the wake from the speedboat and all, who can blame you really, happens to all of us, they admit later. You randomly think in your room, "Somehow I can beat the speedboat, the current, all of it. All I want is to be happy. I've got to be able to get there?"
Some of the guys swam out front, some of them just gave up and went to the shore, others sat back and let the current carry them, always disturbed by the wake of the speedboat. Others swam in circles, others simply noticed they could wade the whole way, still others swam against the current to look cool. At some point some crazy fools realize that the stream is not a stream at all, but an ocean, and the shore, a beach. They start to walk out to deeper waters, and we act jealous and mad, as if we could NEVER do the same.
So in the end, what is the fool's lesson? You're not happy because you simply didn't realize you could be. Ponder that one. Live your life now, not tomorrow, do your best, ignore the TV, exercise, take your vitamins, and try to get some rest. You've got a big day tomorrow. A day of your life.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/digitizer01/32294.html