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I just want to say that while I am deeply disturbed upon hearing the news of the Virginia Tech tragedy, does anybody else feel that non-stop media coverage of this terrible massacre is pretty revealing of how when 30 of our students die we stop everything on television to broadcast it, but when hundreds of people die every day for an unjustified,
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This brings me to my next point. How do you think the media and the Administration would have behaved if the gunman were a muslim student? Let's not even go so far as to say he was a member of Al Qaeda... but hypothetically, let's say he were Muslim. Don't you think the school would have been right on the case then? Don't you think we would have all heard about it much sooner? Don't you think President Bush would have had a bit more to say than just, "I send my condolences to the families, but I still think every American should have the right to own a gun."?
This is because the media, the government, and this entire society feed off gossip. If a "potential terrorist" had murdered those 32 people and killed himself, the frenzy our nation would be in would be twice as chaotic as it is, because it'd spark up excitement in the old "War on Terror" story. Because face it, it's getting dry. We've become jaded by the thousands of numbers of casualties that come in every day over seas. It's not unheard of anymore. It's not new news. And it's sad. And it's disturbing. But it's reality. It's society.
This discussion brings to mind the words of Henry David Thoreau in Walden, when he argues that the relinquishing of all distractions- such as news and gossip and technology and society- will ultimately allow one to truly focus on their one art so that they may really succeed at it and find happiness. Thus transcendentalism emerged, and this reason today, this atrocity, is why some of us should seriously consider it.
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mainly, i think this all too easily offered support of transcendentalism is somewhat... inconsistant. certainly the author was not relinquishing these distractions she refers to even as she wrote this comment. It's a very important idea to understand, i think, but also impractical, and somewhat self defeating.
It's great to be transcendentaly minded when you're 80 and dieing, heck society has forgotten you anyway, but when you're 18? It's a give and take. These distractions are everyday life, meanningful life does not exist without society, "technology", or even news (not idiots in a box telling you stuff, but new things happening all over the world, when someone you know gets married or has a kid, or dies. news). It's one thing if you're cynical enough to convince yourself that all of that is meaningless. But then you hafta realize just how long you're going to be alive, and oh my god, you can't focus on your "one art" for 7 or 8 decades, and i seriously doubt anyone would want to. At least not if they tried it.
I don't know you, but I went to your highschool. I bet hudson gets a hoot out of your ideas from time to time. I'm pretty sure i haven't said anything you haven't thought about, but it did suprise me to see someone seriously advocating it. The way i see it it's little more than an escape from the fact that we're all still on this planet togeather, interacting every day. And sometimes that's good, sometimes that's wonderful, and exactly what we need. but... well... at least in my opinion, it's not a sustainable way of life, except under very specific circumstances, and generally not a desirable way of life, unless under very specific circumstances.
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This is more or less universal, people have always been more interested in who mary jane slept with than with who's dieing in a distant land. It's easier to focus on what's in front of you than what's far away. This is the way we are built, physically and mentally. If you think about that, also think about this, it's easier to work with what's in front of you than with what's far away. What we're theoretically trying to do in iraq is like trying to thread a needle from across the room using very long chopsticks. It's very hard to tell what you're doing! The trouble is, whatever we do, people die. Especially at this point. Find the moral right ground there, if you can.
Our big problem is, people far away are dieing, and we dont' seem to care, but we should. I am cynical enough about government to believe, if you will remember my metaphor earlier, that we can never thread a needle from across the room with a very long pair of chopsticks. That is to say that there is nothing WE can do, from across the room, no matter how long our chopsticks are or how good we are at using them. It is natural to accept what you can't do anything about. When someone very important to you passes away, you do the same thing. I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of at this point.
If I were less cynical about government, i would say "Well, there IS something YOU can do, write your local representatives, and national representatives. Organize community meetings where you can share your ideas to build the momentum our nation's leaders (present or future) need to set things right."
BUT! I am very cynical about government. No one can every have the power to "set things right."
My..... odd naive belief that keeps me from walking around with my head hung low every day is this. I believe in the human race. we can't concern ourselves with everything, but we can focus on what's immidiate in our lives. The things we do know, the ideas we have found to be true, we can share. We can assert our beliefs and when it's extremely important, overide other's bad decisions but ONLY on a personal level. There's a story about a gentleman... here it is... http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/01/20/petrovaward.shtml
Interesting that I started by ranting on transcendentalism because this way of thinking is almost certainly the same way of escaping by taking the big picture and blurring it so much that is looks the same (be the scope one life, or the existance of humanity).
People will kill each other, terrible things will contiunously occur. That is part of being human. Now is were i would go all sappy and talk about all the reasons life is worth living. I'll spare ya. Suffice to say, as long as someone still has something to live for, I'm willing to accept the terrible stuff that happens. As long as we never kill ourselves off completely (and i.. sure hope we never will. I don't think we will anyway, once we start colonizing other planets, complete extermination will become very unlikely.) that to me is proof that it's all good. anywho.
Lost a bit of coherence at the end there. Thanks for giving me something to yak about hoffman.
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And as for Mr. Hudson, while I do respect his vast library of knowledge and opinions and his yearning to add to it daily, I must say that he is closeminded in the sources of his learnings. He accepts what agrees with his preconceptins, and ignores those that dissent from tradition. That's just one of his quirks, though, and I've been able to move past it and grow to enjoy his company and conversation.
I really do hope that I did not offend you greatly.
This isn't Chris McCormick by any chance, is it?
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Oh and don't worry, i'm not easily offended, this isn't a matter of great importance to me or anything, i just like to talk, and sometimes out my ass.
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I did come the year after you left; I endured my freshman year at South Dade Sr. High. =/ That was also the way I came to meet Ishtar- first through word of mouth, and then I bumped into him when he came home to visit. And now we've grown pretty close, and I'll be at Stetson next year to solidify that.
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