Everyone belongs to everyone else.
I figured since I woke up at a reasonable time (11:00am) I would lurk around online and then watch a movie before work. I haven't watched a movie by myself in a long time. My current television obsession is "Comcast: On Demand." It's a cable package where you can watch whatever you want (what's available) when ever you want (when it's available). Tough decision, but I finally chose to watch "Brave New World." I didn't know they had a movie adapatation of the book (which I love, but never completely read.) so I figured..."Why not? Made in 1998, decent acting, 87 min...perfect."
I must say that the movie version was very rushed. In the first 20 or 30 minutes of the movie they were already crash landed in the savages home land. I figured it didn't matter because the movie wasn't trying to outshine the book and was just trying to get its main points across in a 87min time frame. The movie changed alot of images I had in my head about Deltas and the uncivilized culture. Brave New World makes me very sad because I start to think about the civilization that they lived in and it almost mirrors the one we live in today (the reason for this blog post.)
In BNW* instant gratification is promoted. If you want it, you can have it. "Promiscuity is a citizens duty." You shouldn't have to go without. On the surface it looks and sounds good, but what about the other things you have to sacarfice for those temporary pleasures?
I started to think about the kids you see on MTV...or just the whole MTV culture as a whole. In today's society that lifestyle is the "correct" one. "Party hard and forget the rest." "You're only young once, might as well." I don't understand why that type of mentality is so popular.
I think those same people beileve you can balance the two. To be able to give in to your impulses and still find yourself and truth. I don't see how that is possible. By accepting one your neglecting the other. Then there are some people who just don't care (or don't know any different.) They've never gone without, they've never felt real pain (not getting to go to PC with all your bestfriends isn't real pain.), they've never even experienced life...and for some reason they don't care (or they beileve their way of life...is "life.")
I guess the point of this blog is to see what I am missing. To gain insight from the outside, because I don't understand this way of thinking.
*BNW = Brave New World (as if you didn't know.)
I must say that the movie version was very rushed. In the first 20 or 30 minutes of the movie they were already crash landed in the savages home land. I figured it didn't matter because the movie wasn't trying to outshine the book and was just trying to get its main points across in a 87min time frame. The movie changed alot of images I had in my head about Deltas and the uncivilized culture. Brave New World makes me very sad because I start to think about the civilization that they lived in and it almost mirrors the one we live in today (the reason for this blog post.)
In BNW* instant gratification is promoted. If you want it, you can have it. "Promiscuity is a citizens duty." You shouldn't have to go without. On the surface it looks and sounds good, but what about the other things you have to sacarfice for those temporary pleasures?
I started to think about the kids you see on MTV...or just the whole MTV culture as a whole. In today's society that lifestyle is the "correct" one. "Party hard and forget the rest." "You're only young once, might as well." I don't understand why that type of mentality is so popular.
I think those same people beileve you can balance the two. To be able to give in to your impulses and still find yourself and truth. I don't see how that is possible. By accepting one your neglecting the other. Then there are some people who just don't care (or don't know any different.) They've never gone without, they've never felt real pain (not getting to go to PC with all your bestfriends isn't real pain.), they've never even experienced life...and for some reason they don't care (or they beileve their way of life...is "life.")
I guess the point of this blog is to see what I am missing. To gain insight from the outside, because I don't understand this way of thinking.
*BNW = Brave New World (as if you didn't know.)
posted by xdaedal @ 11:15 AM
6 Comments:
At 3:10 PM, June 23, 2006,
A Long December said…
Our world is turning into BNW...and it scares me. Hell I've fallen into the trap of instant gratification a few times. The thing you have to realize is that sometimes you have to take a little of a break from searching for truth and yourself before you can find it. If you actively search you won't find it...truth finds you. I know that I try to experience all parts of life (the good and the bad) before I make up my mind about anything...and by doing that I've found myself now I just have to find truth. I don't know what I'm really trying to say so let's talk about this sometime when I don't have to type. Cheer up Greg at least you haven't been sucked into this brave new world. ;)
At 8:00 PM, June 23, 2006,
Anonymous said…
Instant gratification makes a ton of sense. Why? Simple...
You might die tomorrow.
Cliche, I know. But it's completely true. What's the point of not eating red meat because it might end up giving you a heart attack if you may not live long enough to eat enough red meat for it to get that bad?
Same scenario can be applied to anything. I'm not saying it's the best way to go, because, obviously, not everyone dies young. But a lot do. And you just might be one of them.
Another one is "You only live once." Why should it be safe with the sacrifice of fun? Sure, you can have fun without going overboard, but overboard doesn't kill you instantaneously. Moderation of impulses is where it's at, I think. Go out and party, but don't go so far that you are puking your guts out and forgetting time frames in excess of 10 hours. That's just stupid, because in order to live in the moment, you have to be able to live in EVERY moment. I hate it when people say "I live for the moment." I just want to punch them in the face. "How about that moment? Like that one? No. So don't say stupid things in this moment that will ruin the next.
Enjoy this moment, but make sure that this one doesn't make the next one suck.
Or try your best, anyways.
At 12:21 PM, June 24, 2006,
Anonymous said…
You know, I absolutely needed to hear that about people balancing the two. It's not possible because, like you said, as long as you are giving in to impulse, the other part (your search for truth through perseverance) is taking a back seat. Thanks for telling me that.
It seems some people don't understand what "fulfillment" means. But hopefully they will find out.
Peace.
At 10:54 AM, June 26, 2006,
Anonymous said…
DUDE YOU SHOULD TOTALLY READ THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY!
At 11:59 AM, June 28, 2006,
Anonymous said…
You missed one category: the self-medicators. The people who care, who can't help but care, but can't handle it so they party hard to try to forget. It's not out of a feeling of "live for the moment" or "whatever, it feels good," it's just a way to let it go for a few hours, make the pain go away. I do agree that they can't do that and recover from whatever hurt them in the first place, but they'll damn sure try. It's not that they're giving in to their impulses, they just don't know what else to do about it. ::shrug:: Call me, I haven't seen you in ages. -Erin
At 12:00 PM, June 28, 2006,
Anonymous said…
You missed one category: the self-medicators. The people who care, who can't help but care, but can't handle it so they party hard to try to forget. It's not out of a feeling of "live for the moment" or "whatever, it feels good," it's just a way to let it go for a few hours, make the pain go away. I do agree that they can't do that and recover from whatever hurt them in the first place, but they'll damn sure try. It's not that they're giving in to their impulses, they just don't know what else to do about it. ::shrug:: Call me, I haven't seen you in ages. -Erin
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