(no subject)
I see the dystopia we live in. I see how we are all spinning into perpetual doom and there is no way anyone can stop it. I see that life is simply a road that winds around and around the same lake, continually leading us to chase our own shadows. That every single moment is ultimately bound to reach the same end. That humans are fated to fill their lives with distractions in order to somehow cope with their ultimate and indefinite failures. Failures that span across centuries of fear fueled warfare: fear of being attacked, fear of change, fear of being wrong. I could easily become a victim of this dystopian society. I could write off history as a tragic mess that will never cease in its wrong doings. I could choose to believe humans will never fully grasp the essence of life or reach forward to inflict positive change. I could believe that because we are all born into original sin we will never be able to do anything right on our own. But I cannot give into that way of thinking, I really cannot. I cannot believe that this life is simply a trap and human nature’s demise can never be liberated. So I suppose I must accept a comic nature in my worldview.
My worldview has been increasingly led towards negativity; whether viewing Christians who hate and exclude, a crashing global economy, or political corruption. All around me I see destruction, inspiring a sense of bitterness to stem from my heart. I see a world falling apart so what relevance will my participation hold? Man is evil and the world manifests this fact; realizing this will initially leave us hopeless and detached. Sometimes these facts are overwhelming, it becomes necessary to take a step back and examine the way they affect you as an individual. What good can be found in dwelling on life’s doom? Being tragic is easy-it is easy to see the world and go running for the hills, or for some false meaning to satisfy your inevitable thirst for life. However running is not an option for me, to run is to give up, and I choose to face my fears and live comically despite inevitable tragedy.
I am temperamentally obsessed with critiquing the state in which humans live. I think it is preposterous how we as humans continue to make the same mistakes and hurt each other. In actuality this repetition is not all that strange if we examine the social patterns we follow. Children go to school and in school they learn about history. Upon learning the horrors of mankind they will do one of three things. One, they will digest all the information and come to the conclusion that man is ultimately flawed; two, they will consider themselves an exception; or three, they will go on living oblivious to the world they live in. If they see that man is ultimately flawed it can be assumed that they will adopt a pessimistic view on life. With no hope for the human capacity; they may give up on deciphering how they can make their own life better. This leads to hopeless generations who give in to the classic American Dream, which focuses solely on the tangible elements of wealth, beauty and success. As this pattern evolves America drifts farther and farther away from what the dream was initially meant to be. No longer do we seek justice, but instead we thrive on seeing our status rise, on seeing our pocketbooks fatten, and on seeing others fall beneath us.
Society’s focus in order to progress must be comical. If Americans accept that life is purely a journey towards power and money than we create a society built on false values. If we accept that these false values are the only way to better ourselves then there is no chance of change. Throughout centuries change has been the pinnacle point of unification in America. We focus on progress whether technologically, physically, or professionally. The country is based on believing change is possible, thus the only way it can function is if we adhere to that belief. America’s only prayer at improving it’s future is if American citizens take the time to invest in understanding and changing themselves. If each person were to seek to realize that pining after wealth, glory, and money is not the only way to happiness then there could be hope. Seeking the artificial will only result in more superficiality. I believe that even though few manage it, there is an alternate route. I feel that if people took the time to realize this and examine themselves there would be less repetition of the past. Humans are improving when they take time to critically examine the way they go about life. Learning from their mistakes and promoting the equality of all people.
It is a belief of exceptionalism for I cannot deny my pull between a comic and tragic view. In order to progress there must take place an inward glance. Realistically all of society will not choose to take this step. So perhaps we are doomed. That does not change my view however; I don’t believe that I personally am doomed. I can live the life of my own choosing and base it on things beyond material, I can focuses on understanding myself instead of chasing a flawed dream. I can educate myself so that I do not fall to the easy path like so many others, and I can love the people who are around me. People make the decision to live comically every day, and if we could unify ourselves in our ability to progress in our understanding of each other there is indeed hope.
We must act as filters, accepting that humanity is flawed but instead of allowing that fact to clog our thinking let it go. Dwelling on the ugly facts of life will in fact yield few results beyond sadistic poetry and art. A society which believes itself to be a doomed entity has no chance of survival. We must seek first in our own lives and then our neighborhoods to improve. The American dream, which focuses on wealth, must be thrown out. We must learn from our past, our religious and racial exclusions, our failures and step forward. Distinguish yourself by the way you use your mind rather than the car you drive, or the shape of your face. We must look inside out hearts-conquer the dark, which is so easy to give into. Tune out the world which focuses on obtaining more and more and live with a desire to help those around you while also staying true to yourself.
I love existential thought, I love when Shakespeare says, “[…] life’s but walking shadow, a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more, it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” Or perhaps when Kerouac says that, “The only thing we yearn for all our days […] can only be achieved, though we hate to admit it in death”. But to give into Kerouac and Shakespeare’s way of thought can only do so much. I suppose we have a choice, to live believing that every hope is futile, to enjoy the artificial forms of happiness, or to see life is a ridiculous rollercoaster and something worth making the most of. Believing that life is pointless will make me sad; ignoring that life is pointless will make me delusional, so why not take it, the whole thing, and love it. If we can accept the tragedy with open arms then maybe change is possible. At least that’s the way I’d like to see it.
My worldview has been increasingly led towards negativity; whether viewing Christians who hate and exclude, a crashing global economy, or political corruption. All around me I see destruction, inspiring a sense of bitterness to stem from my heart. I see a world falling apart so what relevance will my participation hold? Man is evil and the world manifests this fact; realizing this will initially leave us hopeless and detached. Sometimes these facts are overwhelming, it becomes necessary to take a step back and examine the way they affect you as an individual. What good can be found in dwelling on life’s doom? Being tragic is easy-it is easy to see the world and go running for the hills, or for some false meaning to satisfy your inevitable thirst for life. However running is not an option for me, to run is to give up, and I choose to face my fears and live comically despite inevitable tragedy.
I am temperamentally obsessed with critiquing the state in which humans live. I think it is preposterous how we as humans continue to make the same mistakes and hurt each other. In actuality this repetition is not all that strange if we examine the social patterns we follow. Children go to school and in school they learn about history. Upon learning the horrors of mankind they will do one of three things. One, they will digest all the information and come to the conclusion that man is ultimately flawed; two, they will consider themselves an exception; or three, they will go on living oblivious to the world they live in. If they see that man is ultimately flawed it can be assumed that they will adopt a pessimistic view on life. With no hope for the human capacity; they may give up on deciphering how they can make their own life better. This leads to hopeless generations who give in to the classic American Dream, which focuses solely on the tangible elements of wealth, beauty and success. As this pattern evolves America drifts farther and farther away from what the dream was initially meant to be. No longer do we seek justice, but instead we thrive on seeing our status rise, on seeing our pocketbooks fatten, and on seeing others fall beneath us.
Society’s focus in order to progress must be comical. If Americans accept that life is purely a journey towards power and money than we create a society built on false values. If we accept that these false values are the only way to better ourselves then there is no chance of change. Throughout centuries change has been the pinnacle point of unification in America. We focus on progress whether technologically, physically, or professionally. The country is based on believing change is possible, thus the only way it can function is if we adhere to that belief. America’s only prayer at improving it’s future is if American citizens take the time to invest in understanding and changing themselves. If each person were to seek to realize that pining after wealth, glory, and money is not the only way to happiness then there could be hope. Seeking the artificial will only result in more superficiality. I believe that even though few manage it, there is an alternate route. I feel that if people took the time to realize this and examine themselves there would be less repetition of the past. Humans are improving when they take time to critically examine the way they go about life. Learning from their mistakes and promoting the equality of all people.
It is a belief of exceptionalism for I cannot deny my pull between a comic and tragic view. In order to progress there must take place an inward glance. Realistically all of society will not choose to take this step. So perhaps we are doomed. That does not change my view however; I don’t believe that I personally am doomed. I can live the life of my own choosing and base it on things beyond material, I can focuses on understanding myself instead of chasing a flawed dream. I can educate myself so that I do not fall to the easy path like so many others, and I can love the people who are around me. People make the decision to live comically every day, and if we could unify ourselves in our ability to progress in our understanding of each other there is indeed hope.
We must act as filters, accepting that humanity is flawed but instead of allowing that fact to clog our thinking let it go. Dwelling on the ugly facts of life will in fact yield few results beyond sadistic poetry and art. A society which believes itself to be a doomed entity has no chance of survival. We must seek first in our own lives and then our neighborhoods to improve. The American dream, which focuses on wealth, must be thrown out. We must learn from our past, our religious and racial exclusions, our failures and step forward. Distinguish yourself by the way you use your mind rather than the car you drive, or the shape of your face. We must look inside out hearts-conquer the dark, which is so easy to give into. Tune out the world which focuses on obtaining more and more and live with a desire to help those around you while also staying true to yourself.
I love existential thought, I love when Shakespeare says, “[…] life’s but walking shadow, a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more, it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” Or perhaps when Kerouac says that, “The only thing we yearn for all our days […] can only be achieved, though we hate to admit it in death”. But to give into Kerouac and Shakespeare’s way of thought can only do so much. I suppose we have a choice, to live believing that every hope is futile, to enjoy the artificial forms of happiness, or to see life is a ridiculous rollercoaster and something worth making the most of. Believing that life is pointless will make me sad; ignoring that life is pointless will make me delusional, so why not take it, the whole thing, and love it. If we can accept the tragedy with open arms then maybe change is possible. At least that’s the way I’d like to see it.