something i wrote
so i wrote this about a month a go. it was a flurry of words and ideas. it strobes a little between ideas. im not sure if it actually states anything more than how something made me feel. it is still a ruff draft, but recent personal events have caused my mind to become foggy and i don't think i can finish it. it's a belief of mine that ideas are never completed, but are just released in the form of books, music, webpages whatever media you can find into the wild masses to grow and expand....so here it is...something i wrote....something im now releasing. please comment. please tell me i am an idiot. please expand and refine my words if you feel the urge. it's friends only right now. cause im shy and i don't think i write all that well. god damn i am certainly full of shit. heh.
so this is a thought. a stream of static consciousness that i’m trying to refine. it’s been filling my brain with so many paragraphs and possibilities that i have to put it down on paper. digital paper at least. if you are looking for someone to blame for the following BS feel free to blame tivo. the idea isn’t finished and i would greatly appreciate my friends’ input. once again, sorry to subject my friends to my writing, i enjoy doing it at least.
i sit down at my computer after a long day. fire up my tivo to see what it had recorded for me. i don’t watch that much tv, but i am fascinated with what it decides that it thinks i should watch. i'm not sure if tivo could be considered maniacal but it does enjoy recording the broadcast equivalent of horse feces to twist my senses. though all of mtv is voted down, today it decided to record “MTV Cribs: Cars edition”. so i gave it a watch just to see what was so important. fifteen minutes into the programming, after seeing what random “celebrity” X had to say about his seven overpriced, hunks of gleaming conspicuous consumption; we are taken to a import car dealer ship to talk to a balding, stubby, drab shape of a man. impressed with his own pomposity he begins filling our ears with all the worthless details of these $250,000 hunks of capitalism paraphernalia, he is the car dealer to the wealthy hear him roar. when he finishes up with the details of the vehicles hand stitched leather interior he informs us that apparently “this isn’t a car you buy to just drive, but to say that you have really made it”.
by far one of the most depressing statements that i have heard summarizing the world we live in.
you have made it. you are now a worthwhile person on the day that you can afford a car that costs more than most houses. your existence is justified, you now own another possession. you have succeeded as a human not because you did great things for the world or even those around you; no its your zealous consumerism. of course maybe i a jumping ahead here. maybe i am judging this car without hearing all the features. perhaps it is not only the most fuel efficient clean burning car in existence, but it also saves starving rwandan children. (all features i would hope for at $250,000.) nope. it actually gets fewer miles to a gallon than the average car and is a far cry from hybrid-cars. there was also no mention of it flying around the world feeding starving children. is the car any safer than other cars on the market. not really. doesn’t have a magical robot autopilot either. perhaps they are car collectors, i can understand the passion of collecting something. the sales mans statement of “most celebrities get a new one each year”, negates that thought. So the car provides nothing truly beneficial for its outrageous price tag. but perhaps that is what it is providing, it’s price tag. you are not buying the car for the car, but a for a $250,000 gold star on your forehead that you can drive around for being a consumer of all consumers.
you have really made it. let us hear your roar.
why is it that a measure of a human is not the great deeds they have preformed but the radius of their alloy rims. history is supposed remember those who shaped the world into something better, but if we continue to glorify people who build only themselves up what will the history books of tomorrow read like? will there be any great philanthropists left if we continue to glamorize the ultimate goal as glorification of self? everyone hell bent on being the wealthiest star, the greatest corporation, the greatest nation(close to the greatest corporation); instead of focusing on being the greatest humanity. when all is said and done. when we go to sleep. when we wake up. when our eyes close for the final time. does the gold in our teeth or the rolex on our feeble wrists matter beyond our finite social bubble. can we look back and say that we made a difference in the world by owning those seven imported cars. or are they just another forgotten possession. you just another forgotten consumer. gluttony is the heroin sheikh of my generation.
bling bling.
does living to such extravagance really provide one with a happier existence or simply dull and obscure what makes us. the little things that matter being lost amongst all the zeros. personally i have found 10x the joy in helping local needy children than i have ever found in purchasing junk for myself. seeing a endless smile and gleaming pair of eyes creates a warm memory that will never be forgot. not just for you, but for the person on the other end. enhancing the lives of those less fortunate than yourself, enhances your life as well. so what is the greater artifact of your success to own, a mindless piece of consumerism or the memory of helping another human being. any goods that you buy will eventually disintegrate, a memory will stay with you forever.
with the slow extinction of the middle class occurring, monetary help seems to be of growing importance…but giving is in no way limited to this. give up a couple of hours of ddr and go volunteer at the soup kitchen. give up a day of snowboarding and help out at the local rec. center. listen to the grizzled person on the train talk of their life. give a smile to someone who seems to need it. cause some times that is all it takes. “charity starts in the home”. principle i was raised on. it means that to be charitable doesn’t mean you have to help strangers. it means take your starving college friends out for lunch. it means if you can lend a ride or open the door do it. it means build up your friends around you. you have to be able to give to those you love, before you can whole-heartedly give to those you don’t.
when did the status of “hero” become something you could purchase through feats of consumerism. who decided that the mass media heroes of our day would be the people covered in the most gold. has it become a giant feedback loop, glorifying the big spenders so the little capitalists can dream of someday becoming these American idols. never ending supply of capitalism supermen and women. each one going to more conspicuous spending extremes to top their predecessors. is it engrained in us in public school? counselors showing us charts of how much money you could make doing different professions. telling us if we want to be worthwhile we have to reach tier 7 of the bar graph. don’t waste your time as a teacher kids, shaping impressionable minds doesn’t pay very well. only do what you love if it will make you a seven-figure salary.
“what do you want to be when you grow up”
“i want to be happy”
“you aren’t going to make any money doing that”
will we ever see a day where the corporations, the media, the youth all put those who help others at the top of american idols list; and not a the once a year gala press laden events that we all forget about. it would be nice to see the daily volunteers of the local soup kitchen on a wheatties box, not token philanthropist who hand over big cardboard checks, for less than he/she spent on their clothes, in front of eighty flashing cameras. people who are doing it not for the recognition, but for the act of doing it. I guess wanting it to be idolized and from the heart is a little contradictory. People do what is popular not cause it is something that comes from within but so they can blend in. I guess I can’t ask for a complete change in humanity. what if there was a fundamental phase shift in our mass media though?
what if we create that fundamental phase shift? Telling the corporations and mass media that we are tired of the gluttonous icons. that we want the spotlight on those who focus on the less fortunate and not themselves; not necessarily shirking all their responsibilities as a capitalist in a free enterprise system. Could caring about people be the next trend with hip catch phrases and style? pop-icons showing off their one or 2 cars and talking about the seven inner city kids they gave full ride scholarships to. showing off their modestly sized house and the sprawling drug rehab, homeless shelter or rec. center they created. hell, not even giving up the seven import cars and the sprawling ten acre estate, but still talking about the seven inner city kids or the center they setup. i'm just guessing it would be easier to give more if you were rich and living moderately.
do we the people have that kind of sway over the media? are they actually feeding us what we want to see and hear? or is that just a facade? In the documentary ‘Merchants of Cool’ they make the statement of: the entertainment industry doesn’t study the youth to make them happy and fulfill their wants and needs; no they study the youth of America to tell them what they want and need. is this true for just impressionable youth? or are we all susceptible to the whiz-bang special effects of our nightly news? Now that i'm older i’m being told that I don’t want a He-MAN action toy or a tony hawk skateboard but a 2003 toyota corolla or a solid gold watch. perhaps if I buy those things I can also feel the youthful exuberance of my first He-MAN action figure. No commercials about how I can save the local music program, support the arts, or help out at a soup kitchen. Why even say good-bye to our beloved pbs/npr cause the idea of education and free expression costs too much.
How far could our society propel its self if we stopped focusing on the ‘me’ and focused instead on the us.
when all is said and done. when i go to sleep. when i wake up. when i close my eyes for the final time. I want to see the smiling faces of those I have helped. I want to chant the names of the faceless names I helped. I want to know the smiles on my friends and family better than I know my own. to make the world better than I came into it. If I can do that, my life will be full.
and who knows, maybe someday i will be standing next to ani d, on mtv cribs: philanthropist style :D
“Be the change you want to see in the world” Ghandi
so this is a thought. a stream of static consciousness that i’m trying to refine. it’s been filling my brain with so many paragraphs and possibilities that i have to put it down on paper. digital paper at least. if you are looking for someone to blame for the following BS feel free to blame tivo. the idea isn’t finished and i would greatly appreciate my friends’ input. once again, sorry to subject my friends to my writing, i enjoy doing it at least.
i sit down at my computer after a long day. fire up my tivo to see what it had recorded for me. i don’t watch that much tv, but i am fascinated with what it decides that it thinks i should watch. i'm not sure if tivo could be considered maniacal but it does enjoy recording the broadcast equivalent of horse feces to twist my senses. though all of mtv is voted down, today it decided to record “MTV Cribs: Cars edition”. so i gave it a watch just to see what was so important. fifteen minutes into the programming, after seeing what random “celebrity” X had to say about his seven overpriced, hunks of gleaming conspicuous consumption; we are taken to a import car dealer ship to talk to a balding, stubby, drab shape of a man. impressed with his own pomposity he begins filling our ears with all the worthless details of these $250,000 hunks of capitalism paraphernalia, he is the car dealer to the wealthy hear him roar. when he finishes up with the details of the vehicles hand stitched leather interior he informs us that apparently “this isn’t a car you buy to just drive, but to say that you have really made it”.
by far one of the most depressing statements that i have heard summarizing the world we live in.
you have made it. you are now a worthwhile person on the day that you can afford a car that costs more than most houses. your existence is justified, you now own another possession. you have succeeded as a human not because you did great things for the world or even those around you; no its your zealous consumerism. of course maybe i a jumping ahead here. maybe i am judging this car without hearing all the features. perhaps it is not only the most fuel efficient clean burning car in existence, but it also saves starving rwandan children. (all features i would hope for at $250,000.) nope. it actually gets fewer miles to a gallon than the average car and is a far cry from hybrid-cars. there was also no mention of it flying around the world feeding starving children. is the car any safer than other cars on the market. not really. doesn’t have a magical robot autopilot either. perhaps they are car collectors, i can understand the passion of collecting something. the sales mans statement of “most celebrities get a new one each year”, negates that thought. So the car provides nothing truly beneficial for its outrageous price tag. but perhaps that is what it is providing, it’s price tag. you are not buying the car for the car, but a for a $250,000 gold star on your forehead that you can drive around for being a consumer of all consumers.
you have really made it. let us hear your roar.
why is it that a measure of a human is not the great deeds they have preformed but the radius of their alloy rims. history is supposed remember those who shaped the world into something better, but if we continue to glorify people who build only themselves up what will the history books of tomorrow read like? will there be any great philanthropists left if we continue to glamorize the ultimate goal as glorification of self? everyone hell bent on being the wealthiest star, the greatest corporation, the greatest nation(close to the greatest corporation); instead of focusing on being the greatest humanity. when all is said and done. when we go to sleep. when we wake up. when our eyes close for the final time. does the gold in our teeth or the rolex on our feeble wrists matter beyond our finite social bubble. can we look back and say that we made a difference in the world by owning those seven imported cars. or are they just another forgotten possession. you just another forgotten consumer. gluttony is the heroin sheikh of my generation.
bling bling.
does living to such extravagance really provide one with a happier existence or simply dull and obscure what makes us. the little things that matter being lost amongst all the zeros. personally i have found 10x the joy in helping local needy children than i have ever found in purchasing junk for myself. seeing a endless smile and gleaming pair of eyes creates a warm memory that will never be forgot. not just for you, but for the person on the other end. enhancing the lives of those less fortunate than yourself, enhances your life as well. so what is the greater artifact of your success to own, a mindless piece of consumerism or the memory of helping another human being. any goods that you buy will eventually disintegrate, a memory will stay with you forever.
with the slow extinction of the middle class occurring, monetary help seems to be of growing importance…but giving is in no way limited to this. give up a couple of hours of ddr and go volunteer at the soup kitchen. give up a day of snowboarding and help out at the local rec. center. listen to the grizzled person on the train talk of their life. give a smile to someone who seems to need it. cause some times that is all it takes. “charity starts in the home”. principle i was raised on. it means that to be charitable doesn’t mean you have to help strangers. it means take your starving college friends out for lunch. it means if you can lend a ride or open the door do it. it means build up your friends around you. you have to be able to give to those you love, before you can whole-heartedly give to those you don’t.
when did the status of “hero” become something you could purchase through feats of consumerism. who decided that the mass media heroes of our day would be the people covered in the most gold. has it become a giant feedback loop, glorifying the big spenders so the little capitalists can dream of someday becoming these American idols. never ending supply of capitalism supermen and women. each one going to more conspicuous spending extremes to top their predecessors. is it engrained in us in public school? counselors showing us charts of how much money you could make doing different professions. telling us if we want to be worthwhile we have to reach tier 7 of the bar graph. don’t waste your time as a teacher kids, shaping impressionable minds doesn’t pay very well. only do what you love if it will make you a seven-figure salary.
“what do you want to be when you grow up”
“i want to be happy”
“you aren’t going to make any money doing that”
will we ever see a day where the corporations, the media, the youth all put those who help others at the top of american idols list; and not a the once a year gala press laden events that we all forget about. it would be nice to see the daily volunteers of the local soup kitchen on a wheatties box, not token philanthropist who hand over big cardboard checks, for less than he/she spent on their clothes, in front of eighty flashing cameras. people who are doing it not for the recognition, but for the act of doing it. I guess wanting it to be idolized and from the heart is a little contradictory. People do what is popular not cause it is something that comes from within but so they can blend in. I guess I can’t ask for a complete change in humanity. what if there was a fundamental phase shift in our mass media though?
what if we create that fundamental phase shift? Telling the corporations and mass media that we are tired of the gluttonous icons. that we want the spotlight on those who focus on the less fortunate and not themselves; not necessarily shirking all their responsibilities as a capitalist in a free enterprise system. Could caring about people be the next trend with hip catch phrases and style? pop-icons showing off their one or 2 cars and talking about the seven inner city kids they gave full ride scholarships to. showing off their modestly sized house and the sprawling drug rehab, homeless shelter or rec. center they created. hell, not even giving up the seven import cars and the sprawling ten acre estate, but still talking about the seven inner city kids or the center they setup. i'm just guessing it would be easier to give more if you were rich and living moderately.
do we the people have that kind of sway over the media? are they actually feeding us what we want to see and hear? or is that just a facade? In the documentary ‘Merchants of Cool’ they make the statement of: the entertainment industry doesn’t study the youth to make them happy and fulfill their wants and needs; no they study the youth of America to tell them what they want and need. is this true for just impressionable youth? or are we all susceptible to the whiz-bang special effects of our nightly news? Now that i'm older i’m being told that I don’t want a He-MAN action toy or a tony hawk skateboard but a 2003 toyota corolla or a solid gold watch. perhaps if I buy those things I can also feel the youthful exuberance of my first He-MAN action figure. No commercials about how I can save the local music program, support the arts, or help out at a soup kitchen. Why even say good-bye to our beloved pbs/npr cause the idea of education and free expression costs too much.
How far could our society propel its self if we stopped focusing on the ‘me’ and focused instead on the us.
when all is said and done. when i go to sleep. when i wake up. when i close my eyes for the final time. I want to see the smiling faces of those I have helped. I want to chant the names of the faceless names I helped. I want to know the smiles on my friends and family better than I know my own. to make the world better than I came into it. If I can do that, my life will be full.
and who knows, maybe someday i will be standing next to ani d, on mtv cribs: philanthropist style :D
“Be the change you want to see in the world” Ghandi