Eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity
I've become increasingly frustrated with our society this week. That's not exactly new in itself. For me, a sense of frustration and dissatisfaction with the way things are is a constant companion. The past few days have produced a larger degree of frustration than usual on a very personal level. One of the main reasons I believe so much in trying to bring about a better world has nothing to do with academic theories and political systems. Its very personal to me because in so many ways, I've seen what the various ills in the current system have done to people I know--in many cases people I care deeply about.
What is mainstream suburbia, really? Rows upon rows of dwellings that have the occasional variations but that are all basically shaped like cubes. And most of them are painted basically the same color. I'm not exactly someone with the greatest of artistic talent, so when it gets to the point where even I could do better, there's something wrong. Rows and rows of cubes. And no real opportunities to go anywhere without getting in your car. Certainly not much chance to interact with your neighbors and the community. Unless its through a homeowners association whose basic function is to enforce the sameness of it all.
How stifling. How boring. How oppressive. This is what many would have our society become. Existence confined to cubes. Someone owns everything and there's no public space. Humanity reduced to mindless conspicuous consumption and to hell with anything else that might bring people happiness. Being enslaved by our technology instead of choosing to allow it to liberate us. And a society based on plundering the earth and universe and consuming every resource in our path. Kind of like the Borg, for those who watch Star Trek.
Ah, if only one could find a girl who wasn't happy with everything being the same. Who would drive the homeowner's association nuts painting the cubes with vivid colors and flowers and serpents and who knows what else. And change it around every month or two. If only that girl would try to paint the world in her own colors. Try to live her own life. Not be one of the sheep. Be creative. Think for herself.
But there is such a girl. And lots of others like that. Only they are told by our oppressively conformist mainstream society that something is wrong with them. And that, at the moment, is what is infuriating me. Being different is not a disease that has to be medicated out of existence just because the sheeple don't know how to deal with anyone who shows the slightest bit of originality. Being open minded is not a phase. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with the person. Its a beautiful thing. Its a breath of fresh air. It makes us more human and it makes life worth living.
I used to surround myself with "normal" people. They're boring and thankfully I don't do that anymore. Life's much more fun when everyone around you is to one degree or another a bit off the deep end. Its OK to not conform. So I'd really appreciate it if so much of the education system and the psychiatric profession and the homeowners' associations and all of the rest of the mainstream sheep would stop fucking telling the people dear to me that there's something wrong with them. I've spent enough time trying to eradicate all this destructive poisonous bullshit from my own life. And guess what? The only thing "wrong" with people who are different are the conformist oppressive asshats who stuff their brains with this kind of trash. Stop it already. And live a little, for heaven's sake, life is short.
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in a flower and I see every one.
And for something lighter--A Friday Five. I wasn't in the mood to do any of the recent ones, so I went back and picked one at random.
1. What book or books were special to you in your childhood?
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, A Wrinkle In Time, Lord Of The Rings.
2. What was particularly special or memorable about those books?
I loved the adventure, the carefully crafted stories, the new and different ways of looking at life conveyed in the stories. My taste in stories really hasn't changed--I like things you can appreciate on a lot of different levels. Entertaining, but thought provoking. Awe-inspiring special effects, but good characters and events that make you really think.
3. Have you re-read any of them as an adult?
I read A Wrinkle In Time again a few years ago. I read Lord Of The Rings again because of the movies coming out.
4. If so, were the books as good as you remembered them?
Absolutely. In some ways, even better, because of knowing a lot more about life now and seeing things in the books that I would have missed when I was younger.
5. What do you think about movies being made out of children's classics (like the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of The Rings, etc.)?
It can be a good idea if its well done. Lord Of The Rings, in particular, was quite impressive. But of course, the movie is rarely as good as the book.
What is mainstream suburbia, really? Rows upon rows of dwellings that have the occasional variations but that are all basically shaped like cubes. And most of them are painted basically the same color. I'm not exactly someone with the greatest of artistic talent, so when it gets to the point where even I could do better, there's something wrong. Rows and rows of cubes. And no real opportunities to go anywhere without getting in your car. Certainly not much chance to interact with your neighbors and the community. Unless its through a homeowners association whose basic function is to enforce the sameness of it all.
How stifling. How boring. How oppressive. This is what many would have our society become. Existence confined to cubes. Someone owns everything and there's no public space. Humanity reduced to mindless conspicuous consumption and to hell with anything else that might bring people happiness. Being enslaved by our technology instead of choosing to allow it to liberate us. And a society based on plundering the earth and universe and consuming every resource in our path. Kind of like the Borg, for those who watch Star Trek.
Ah, if only one could find a girl who wasn't happy with everything being the same. Who would drive the homeowner's association nuts painting the cubes with vivid colors and flowers and serpents and who knows what else. And change it around every month or two. If only that girl would try to paint the world in her own colors. Try to live her own life. Not be one of the sheep. Be creative. Think for herself.
But there is such a girl. And lots of others like that. Only they are told by our oppressively conformist mainstream society that something is wrong with them. And that, at the moment, is what is infuriating me. Being different is not a disease that has to be medicated out of existence just because the sheeple don't know how to deal with anyone who shows the slightest bit of originality. Being open minded is not a phase. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with the person. Its a beautiful thing. Its a breath of fresh air. It makes us more human and it makes life worth living.
I used to surround myself with "normal" people. They're boring and thankfully I don't do that anymore. Life's much more fun when everyone around you is to one degree or another a bit off the deep end. Its OK to not conform. So I'd really appreciate it if so much of the education system and the psychiatric profession and the homeowners' associations and all of the rest of the mainstream sheep would stop fucking telling the people dear to me that there's something wrong with them. I've spent enough time trying to eradicate all this destructive poisonous bullshit from my own life. And guess what? The only thing "wrong" with people who are different are the conformist oppressive asshats who stuff their brains with this kind of trash. Stop it already. And live a little, for heaven's sake, life is short.
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in a flower and I see every one.
And for something lighter--A Friday Five. I wasn't in the mood to do any of the recent ones, so I went back and picked one at random.
1. What book or books were special to you in your childhood?
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, A Wrinkle In Time, Lord Of The Rings.
2. What was particularly special or memorable about those books?
I loved the adventure, the carefully crafted stories, the new and different ways of looking at life conveyed in the stories. My taste in stories really hasn't changed--I like things you can appreciate on a lot of different levels. Entertaining, but thought provoking. Awe-inspiring special effects, but good characters and events that make you really think.
3. Have you re-read any of them as an adult?
I read A Wrinkle In Time again a few years ago. I read Lord Of The Rings again because of the movies coming out.
4. If so, were the books as good as you remembered them?
Absolutely. In some ways, even better, because of knowing a lot more about life now and seeing things in the books that I would have missed when I was younger.
5. What do you think about movies being made out of children's classics (like the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of The Rings, etc.)?
It can be a good idea if its well done. Lord Of The Rings, in particular, was quite impressive. But of course, the movie is rarely as good as the book.