I started another blog over on wordpress. As a blogging tool, wordpress is infinitely better than blogspot and since aubonparadox.wordpress.com was available, I am switching.
So thanks blogspot for your plain, tacky templates and minimalistic, impotent admin dashboard. So switch it over in your google readers and what not.
aubonparadox.blogspot.com is now
aubonparadox.wordpress.com
and to get a taste of la Vida Argentina:
lifeafternormal.wordpress.com
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Why the U.S. will never win the World Cup.
The U.S. is a great country. It is such a blessing to have been born here and raised here. However, there are a lot of things that I do not like about the culture. The main things, is the reason we will always look back and complain about the goal that should have counted against Germany in 2002 because that will have been the closest we have ever gotten.
For better or worse, the U.S. legislates and institutionalizes and regulates out the wazoo. This is good in a lot of situations, but in others it slows down a lot and makes people stupid.
Here in Buenos Aires [and every other country I have been too] things are much less regulated and controlled, such as traffic regulation. Driving in South/Central America is pretty crazy, but you'll note that it works. There aren't accidents everywhere; the cars are old but don't show evidence from major wreckage. The reason for this is that people are not dumb. They can't be. A sort of equilibrium has been reached where dumb people don't drive because they will get powned.
My high school calculus teach, Mr. Pifer, read us an article that was kind of joking and kinda not about how there are so many laws that keeping stupid people from killing themselves off and cleansing the gene pool. In other countries there is a lot less legislation so you have to depend more on a your brain and survival instinct instead of laws. We don't need to think about driving because of all the rules. No one can talk on a cell phone and drive here, they have to pay attention and, thus, are better drivers.
The U.S. is great when it comes being the strong and dominating and methodical. That is why it likes sports like football. Hit the sled enough, run the plays enough, know the play book, run routes in the offseason you will be strong, dominant, well oiled machine. Football is a very regulatable sport.
Soccer is not like this. Soccer is art form. A soccer team is a democratic family that must be of one mind and spirit to win. Scoring goals is a mystical, dare I say, supernatural occurance that cannot be forced. This is why the rest of the world is so much better than the U.S. Children grow up playing in the street, on the dirt drainage field in the middle of their town. They play with a ball, grapefruit, wad of trash, etc. They score how ever they can, whenever they can. Play doesn't stop because it is play, not work.
The legislating, regulating nature of the U.S. has sunk its cold, hard fingers into the youth soccer of our country. Kids don't play, they train. They wait in line to kick a ball at a goal. They wait in line to take a header. They wait in line to learn to trap the ball. Then they get picked up and driven to t-ball practice and then piano lessons and that is why the U.S. will never win a World Cup.
For better or worse, the U.S. legislates and institutionalizes and regulates out the wazoo. This is good in a lot of situations, but in others it slows down a lot and makes people stupid.
Here in Buenos Aires [and every other country I have been too] things are much less regulated and controlled, such as traffic regulation. Driving in South/Central America is pretty crazy, but you'll note that it works. There aren't accidents everywhere; the cars are old but don't show evidence from major wreckage. The reason for this is that people are not dumb. They can't be. A sort of equilibrium has been reached where dumb people don't drive because they will get powned.
My high school calculus teach, Mr. Pifer, read us an article that was kind of joking and kinda not about how there are so many laws that keeping stupid people from killing themselves off and cleansing the gene pool. In other countries there is a lot less legislation so you have to depend more on a your brain and survival instinct instead of laws. We don't need to think about driving because of all the rules. No one can talk on a cell phone and drive here, they have to pay attention and, thus, are better drivers.
The U.S. is great when it comes being the strong and dominating and methodical. That is why it likes sports like football. Hit the sled enough, run the plays enough, know the play book, run routes in the offseason you will be strong, dominant, well oiled machine. Football is a very regulatable sport.
Soccer is not like this. Soccer is art form. A soccer team is a democratic family that must be of one mind and spirit to win. Scoring goals is a mystical, dare I say, supernatural occurance that cannot be forced. This is why the rest of the world is so much better than the U.S. Children grow up playing in the street, on the dirt drainage field in the middle of their town. They play with a ball, grapefruit, wad of trash, etc. They score how ever they can, whenever they can. Play doesn't stop because it is play, not work.
The legislating, regulating nature of the U.S. has sunk its cold, hard fingers into the youth soccer of our country. Kids don't play, they train. They wait in line to kick a ball at a goal. They wait in line to take a header. They wait in line to learn to trap the ball. Then they get picked up and driven to t-ball practice and then piano lessons and that is why the U.S. will never win a World Cup.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Battle Part I
I am just finishing up John Piper's Desiring God. It is something I think every Christian should read- and every non Christian, now that I think of it- because it is the most liberating Theology/Christian-living book I have read.
It addresses the terrible, traditional way of thinking that many Christians have that says that following Jesus is a bland endeavor void of pleasure; that it requires us to stop doing something as soon as we start enjoying it. If we are enjoying ourselves as we love someone then something must be wrong. This is very prevalent and subtle, many people wouldn't admit to it or even know what it looks like.
What it stems from is the subtle works based mentality that deadens our relationship with Jesus and limits the joy and power we can see in our lives. It is by grace that we have been saved, few Bible believing Christians would argue with that, but few of us really take that to heart. Most of us feel at least a little worthy to receive eternal life and this absolute poison to the peace that passes all understanding and a life more abundantly. Most of do a lot of things that probably wouldn't matter if we realized that all God really wants from us is to know us. More on this in the next post.
Today I was lying on my bed thinking about things and I started thinking about Jesus. I have been camping out in the Gospels, reading them over and over. I feel like up until this May I have not really known Jesus or felt comfortable talking to Him or reading what he said. Side rant: Read the gospels! I couldn't believe what radical, exciting, anti-religious, unemployed hippie who recklessly loved the lowest people in his society.
Anyways, back to me thinking about him in my bed: I was thinking about getting up and walking up to the roof of the hostel and finishing John and I was excited to do so. This is not meant to make me seem like a super spiritual person, the reason I am writing this is because it is not normally like that. I want to read the bible but not like I want to watch a movie. But now I wanted to read about Jesus like it was a movie. So I was excited about this, but then, out of nowhere something in my mind instinctively tried to restrain or end my excitement. Since I was enjoying it, it must not be right. As if I should read the other parts out of some duty or obligation.
This is exactly what I was referring to when I said we neglect the one thing Jesus wants from us, a relationship, for some works based lie that says we can't enjoy things or need to deny joy in order to follow him. Of course we should read other books of the Bible, but only as means to know Jesus more, not because we think it is our duty or to think more of ourselves as Christians. Needless to say I went up to the roof and read John and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It addresses the terrible, traditional way of thinking that many Christians have that says that following Jesus is a bland endeavor void of pleasure; that it requires us to stop doing something as soon as we start enjoying it. If we are enjoying ourselves as we love someone then something must be wrong. This is very prevalent and subtle, many people wouldn't admit to it or even know what it looks like.
What it stems from is the subtle works based mentality that deadens our relationship with Jesus and limits the joy and power we can see in our lives. It is by grace that we have been saved, few Bible believing Christians would argue with that, but few of us really take that to heart. Most of us feel at least a little worthy to receive eternal life and this absolute poison to the peace that passes all understanding and a life more abundantly. Most of do a lot of things that probably wouldn't matter if we realized that all God really wants from us is to know us. More on this in the next post.
Today I was lying on my bed thinking about things and I started thinking about Jesus. I have been camping out in the Gospels, reading them over and over. I feel like up until this May I have not really known Jesus or felt comfortable talking to Him or reading what he said. Side rant: Read the gospels! I couldn't believe what radical, exciting, anti-religious, unemployed hippie who recklessly loved the lowest people in his society.
Anyways, back to me thinking about him in my bed: I was thinking about getting up and walking up to the roof of the hostel and finishing John and I was excited to do so. This is not meant to make me seem like a super spiritual person, the reason I am writing this is because it is not normally like that. I want to read the bible but not like I want to watch a movie. But now I wanted to read about Jesus like it was a movie. So I was excited about this, but then, out of nowhere something in my mind instinctively tried to restrain or end my excitement. Since I was enjoying it, it must not be right. As if I should read the other parts out of some duty or obligation.
This is exactly what I was referring to when I said we neglect the one thing Jesus wants from us, a relationship, for some works based lie that says we can't enjoy things or need to deny joy in order to follow him. Of course we should read other books of the Bible, but only as means to know Jesus more, not because we think it is our duty or to think more of ourselves as Christians. Needless to say I went up to the roof and read John and thoroughly enjoyed it.
New
Sitting on the plane in Columbus, OH, I became giddy with excitement for my new adventure. There is something so fresh about new things, so pure and fleeting that makes them so desirable. After some thought on the flight to Atlanta I think I figured out the two reasons new things drive us crazy.
1) They are the only way we can experience some hint of perfection here on earth. As humans we jack everything up. Name one thing we have touched that we haven’t made worse, if not ruined altogether- Seriously, if you can think of one, let me know. My amazing new adventure right now is perfect and exists in a glamorous hypothetical in my head. “Well, what about God?” you might ask. The thing with God is that, yes, he is perfect and we can experience him, but the problem with that is that, again, we are humans so we can not fully take in the perfection of God. We can know more and more of Him and we should pursue it, but we see him through the jacked up lens of sinful, finite humanity. We will not completely or perfectly understand God’s infinite perfection until we meet him in Heaven. So getting new things or starting on new adventures is a much smaller, finite, understandable way to experience fleeting perfection.
2) Second Law of thermodynamics: Things go from a state of order to disorder. Entropy always increases. I love the Second Law of Thermodynamics. It is so true, scientifically agreed upon, and really only fits with a Christian world view. The world is going down the crapper, few people will argue with that. I have found that few worldviews account for this. I am not going to go through each worldview but the most obvious belief that this blatantly refutes is pure evolution since evolution, at its core, is merely the opposite of this law.
But I digress. Allow me to put on my cynical bastard hat. My point is that time ruins everything. I realize that this is not a novel idea and youth is the white rabbit that a lot of aging women chase into monster-dom. But the perfection of a black Mac Book, still smelling of the delicious new mac smell that oozes from all of it’s stylish products will fade. I am not making an argument per se, but the evidence of this is especially obvious in movies and relationships [or just these are the areas that came to my mind]. The next time you can’t sleep and are watching a crappy movie on cable that is completely void of it’s glamor or even it’s draw to be watch other than the fact it is 3:42am you are tired of the oxy clean guy, remember people shelled out 6-9 dollars to see it on opening night. Odds are, people sat in theaters before it came out, saw the preview and whispered to their friend next to them, “oo that looks like it will be good.”
With relationships, the sheer newness and purity of a budding romance covers thousands of problems. It is like the smooth shellac over the rough wood of our imperfections that time will inevitably wear off. There is only time between being the man of her dreams and being the ex-boyfriend the new man of her dreams is trying not to be.
Generally after some depressing thoughts I try to redeem it with hope but I don’t really feel like there is some real hope when it comes to newness. It is fleeting and must be to be so good and enjoyable. Things are new and they age and this is not bad. Life has season, love has seasons, computers and movies have seasons. Don’t fight the seasons, have the maturity and awareness to embrace and enjoy each one to the fullest.
1) They are the only way we can experience some hint of perfection here on earth. As humans we jack everything up. Name one thing we have touched that we haven’t made worse, if not ruined altogether- Seriously, if you can think of one, let me know. My amazing new adventure right now is perfect and exists in a glamorous hypothetical in my head. “Well, what about God?” you might ask. The thing with God is that, yes, he is perfect and we can experience him, but the problem with that is that, again, we are humans so we can not fully take in the perfection of God. We can know more and more of Him and we should pursue it, but we see him through the jacked up lens of sinful, finite humanity. We will not completely or perfectly understand God’s infinite perfection until we meet him in Heaven. So getting new things or starting on new adventures is a much smaller, finite, understandable way to experience fleeting perfection.
2) Second Law of thermodynamics: Things go from a state of order to disorder. Entropy always increases. I love the Second Law of Thermodynamics. It is so true, scientifically agreed upon, and really only fits with a Christian world view. The world is going down the crapper, few people will argue with that. I have found that few worldviews account for this. I am not going to go through each worldview but the most obvious belief that this blatantly refutes is pure evolution since evolution, at its core, is merely the opposite of this law.
But I digress. Allow me to put on my cynical bastard hat. My point is that time ruins everything. I realize that this is not a novel idea and youth is the white rabbit that a lot of aging women chase into monster-dom. But the perfection of a black Mac Book, still smelling of the delicious new mac smell that oozes from all of it’s stylish products will fade. I am not making an argument per se, but the evidence of this is especially obvious in movies and relationships [or just these are the areas that came to my mind]. The next time you can’t sleep and are watching a crappy movie on cable that is completely void of it’s glamor or even it’s draw to be watch other than the fact it is 3:42am you are tired of the oxy clean guy, remember people shelled out 6-9 dollars to see it on opening night. Odds are, people sat in theaters before it came out, saw the preview and whispered to their friend next to them, “oo that looks like it will be good.”
With relationships, the sheer newness and purity of a budding romance covers thousands of problems. It is like the smooth shellac over the rough wood of our imperfections that time will inevitably wear off. There is only time between being the man of her dreams and being the ex-boyfriend the new man of her dreams is trying not to be.
Generally after some depressing thoughts I try to redeem it with hope but I don’t really feel like there is some real hope when it comes to newness. It is fleeting and must be to be so good and enjoyable. Things are new and they age and this is not bad. Life has season, love has seasons, computers and movies have seasons. Don’t fight the seasons, have the maturity and awareness to embrace and enjoy each one to the fullest.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Free Time
Free time is a terrifying thing. Most people live in abject fear of having nothing to do, no one around, and absolutely no outside influence on which to base their next course of action. It requires a lot of self-awareness in the most basic but complicated sense. What do I want? Am I hungry? Should I eat anyways? Do I really want to read that book? When you are alone a lot, you realize how much you do for other people. You eat because other people are eating, you go out because other people are going out, you watch a movie because people are watching a movie. Often times your activities go to working on the image you want other people to see or how you want to see of yourself. Fortunately, these soul penetrating questions do not last long. This is why I leave the remote close to the bed. I can quickly and efficiently turn off these questions and wait in a sort of purgatory until someone calls for lunch or mountain biking or water basketball or Dinner. TV is a sort of purgatory for you to wait until someone will tell you what to do. You can put off making your own decisions while watching people make bad ones. Few people can live intentionally on their own. Few people can handle having their fate in their hands.
That is why they give their fate to busy schedules. That is why they will go, voluntarily, with out vacation or even a day off. It is easy when we are busy and don't have to think. It is easy to validate your existence when there is always something to be done, regardless of the real worth of the something to be done. True self-worth and self-awareness is evident in people who can live unattached. When their meaning is not tied up in running from one activity to the next and can withstand the piercing stab of self-evaluation that free time forces us to take.
That is why they give their fate to busy schedules. That is why they will go, voluntarily, with out vacation or even a day off. It is easy when we are busy and don't have to think. It is easy to validate your existence when there is always something to be done, regardless of the real worth of the something to be done. True self-worth and self-awareness is evident in people who can live unattached. When their meaning is not tied up in running from one activity to the next and can withstand the piercing stab of self-evaluation that free time forces us to take.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Stuff
Being in college, I move about every 3-4 months. This has grown my disgust for stuff. Things that I own [which in reality are really a sheer extravagance to have] feel like weights to be carried and remembered and cared for. Moving back this year, i took only the essentials and found that a huge majority of my stuff is just stuff. However, there is nothing new under the sun and as usual, this idea that I am stumbling around trying to say has been said before.
Click here.
Click here.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
An Except.
Here is an excerpt from a book I am writing. This is from chapter 3. A little context: the main character is a chauch. It is intentional and have no fear, later on he will learn his lesson. The first two chapters are posted on the other website.
Citing ‘family reasons’, I duck out of work earlier. When you say family reasons they always assume the worst and nod sympathetically. I snag a cab in the cold gray mistiness that prematurely ushers in the night and head to the rental place and pick up a jet black, six speed, sex-on-wheels and stop and go all the back home, calling a head to tell her to brings the bags back down so we can get on with it.
*****
Pulling off the freeway, I am thrust in to a flashing world of nostalgia. This is where I grew up. We drive through the stretch of malls and stores and movie theaters where I learned to drive, went on dates, and just sat around because everything closed so damn early. Images of people and situations and stories pop into my head. High School was such a phenomenon. What a twilight zone every Friday night was after a game. Such a weird little speck in time where young people feel super human and nothing ever seems like a bad idea.
"America is completely with out a sense of place. Everything looks the same. I don't even know if I am in Knoxville or any of the other states we stopped at in. That's why I love the city. It has character."
"Yeah..." I say, lost in the memory of a middle school adventure when me and three other guys stole large metal letters from some of the signs and then spelled the word "BALLS" on hill over looking the football field- just like the Hollywood letters.
Past the commercial part the suburb, we turn into my neighborhood. The hot summer days and countless miles I ran on these now dark, wet sidewalks come back to me. Life is so weird. But not as weird as my mom, who was sitting on the front porch of the small, yellow and green house where i grew up. She was sitting there rocking, shivering and smoking until she saw us and then sprang out of her chair will alarming quickness and started waving frantically.
"There she is." I say soberly as we pull in to the black top driveway and parked under the decrepit basketball hoop minus the hoop.
"Aww, your mom is so cute, Noah. Look how excited she is!" She says as she leans over me and waves out the window. I pull the e-brake, take a breath and open the door.
Citing ‘family reasons’, I duck out of work earlier. When you say family reasons they always assume the worst and nod sympathetically. I snag a cab in the cold gray mistiness that prematurely ushers in the night and head to the rental place and pick up a jet black, six speed, sex-on-wheels and stop and go all the back home, calling a head to tell her to brings the bags back down so we can get on with it.
Pulling in to the warmly lit covered valet area in front of our building, I pull up to the far side where she is waiting in her long black pea coat with our two overly stylish suitcases. Damn, I love that efficiency. With a foxy little smile, she checks out the car with apparent approval. I kiss her forehead as I grab the luggage and the put it in the car as she get in.
*** *** ***
Welcome to Kentucky the sign says. Hour 6 of the trip and we are using the togetherness time to really plunge the depths.
“Then Jenna comes in, totally knowing that she had just broken up with her boyfriend or like practically fiancé, and starts going off about how her man, or Cuban boy-toy, since I guess you can’t really like call him a man since he is still practically in college, is so sweet and sang her a song last night and starts talking about his abs. It was ridiculous! I was like, ‘are you serious? You know that she just broke up.’ And the instructor was trying to get involved, acting like we were disrupting things. People. You know?" A pensive pause while she looks out the window. "We are all just so… out there. In the world, and just blundering through trying not to be alone and stuff. I see all these women trying to like live a chick flick and be all quirky and witty and cute when they are crazy, but like its not real, its not them.”
I glance left, checking my blind spot and switch lanes. Yes, it is fantastic when she gets deep. “yeah, I know what you’re talking about. It’s the power of movies I guess. They both glamorize normal people and set the standard.” She ponders this for a minute.
“We got a new project for December and it’s a movie. We actually got like, the whole thing for it, not just print ads this time we are working to reach the target audiences with more than just like TV commercials and like this viral stuff with the internet, its pretty cutting edge stuff. I was pretty excited about it, but Jill was like real quiet when they announced it and just left the room quickly like she was upset. I have tried to talk to her before because she always has these like problems with the direction of the company, but at this point i was like, ‘whatever, she can freak out on her own’ and I was just going to let it be because it doesn’t really matter we are still totally doing the project. Then at lunch, Bethany said that Jill had gone and had a conversation with Sarah, you know Sarah? The one in H.R. that used to do those spinning classes? Anyways she wanted to be moved to another department which would totally mess the team because it would take a while to get another graphic designer and stuff."
"Yeah. That would totally mess up the team. You women and your emotions." I say and brace myself for her to espouse the feminist cause. She loves being offended.
"Noah. Just because we aren't robots doesn't mean we are dysfunctional. We brought back the highest numbers last quarter. Why? Because we are women. What a shocker that we know more about advertising to women than old fat guys. Actually, I think the emotional potential that women bring to economy is one of the only things that can save America from being completely heartless in the world."
Awkward silence.
"Sorry babe. I was just messing with you."
"I know you were, Noah. It just gets old, you know? I just really need you to engage and be here with me now. Be present. In the moment."
Awkard silence. I literally get physically uncomfortable when she goes poetic on me. I shake the shivers off and reach over and put my hand on her knee.
"I am here. I'm sorry. Pressure like that at work has to be tough on you. I think I was just trying to lighten things up. I know its serious." Now I am giving myself shivers. She puts her hand on mine and looks out the window. She can't get mad at an apology.
*****
Pulling off the freeway, I am thrust in to a flashing world of nostalgia. This is where I grew up. We drive through the stretch of malls and stores and movie theaters where I learned to drive, went on dates, and just sat around because everything closed so damn early. Images of people and situations and stories pop into my head. High School was such a phenomenon. What a twilight zone every Friday night was after a game. Such a weird little speck in time where young people feel super human and nothing ever seems like a bad idea.
"America is completely with out a sense of place. Everything looks the same. I don't even know if I am in Knoxville or any of the other states we stopped at in. That's why I love the city. It has character."
"Yeah..." I say, lost in the memory of a middle school adventure when me and three other guys stole large metal letters from some of the signs and then spelled the word "BALLS" on hill over looking the football field- just like the Hollywood letters.
Past the commercial part the suburb, we turn into my neighborhood. The hot summer days and countless miles I ran on these now dark, wet sidewalks come back to me. Life is so weird. But not as weird as my mom, who was sitting on the front porch of the small, yellow and green house where i grew up. She was sitting there rocking, shivering and smoking until she saw us and then sprang out of her chair will alarming quickness and started waving frantically.
"There she is." I say soberly as we pull in to the black top driveway and parked under the decrepit basketball hoop minus the hoop.
"Aww, your mom is so cute, Noah. Look how excited she is!" She says as she leans over me and waves out the window. I pull the e-brake, take a breath and open the door.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
I Want a Boring Life
I Want A Boring Life.
Perhaps it is clear now that I toy around with, too much maybe, the multiple meanings of words- I probably give many of them my own meaning. In this post I will attempt to make the word boring cool. In a sentence, I want a boring life. Now here is the unnecessarily long blog post that unpacks this obnoxiously vague statement.
Life should be lived like a sniper*. We should have one specific mission in mind, one objective. From that point, we should streamline our lives into things that serve that purpose. Yes, this might mean that you need to stop doing 9 resume building activities every evening and do nothing but think and read and write for night or two...a week. Figure out what the hell you are doing the long term. This does not refer to simply a career direction, I'm talking even bigger. The "why" that lurks behind everything. You are volunteering at the hospital so you can put it on your med school applications, why are you going to med school? Why do you want to become a doctor? Is if for the respect? The money? The desire to help? Will this melt away if you don't get respect and you are "helping" the privileged maintain comfort or beauty? You opinionated poli-sci majors out there: stripped of ideals, adding in the reality of friends and family and rent and the dark month of February and times when the poor you are trying to help are spitting back what you give them or using the free medicine to sell, what is glue? Will this answer hold in 30 years? Will this answer hold on cold rainy mornings when no one is around?
All this to say I don't want to live a drama filled buck shot fest [buck shot being the sporadic, short range gun opposite of a sniper]. I was watching Definitely, Maybe and saw and nice example of a wandering, buck shot life. The man goes to propose to whom he has finally decided is the woman for him, only to find she slept with his roommate because she didn't know how to get out of the relationship. Then he finds anot
her girl who picks her career over their relationship. Then when he is miserable, jobless, reclusive, he tells a similarly lost girl he has always loved her. This pisses her off because she wants a man that has his shit together. This sloppy, wandering, destructive and drama filled life is obviously exaggerated for the sake of the movie. But, through talking to friends and yes, at times my own life, this buck shot life is what many of us do.
Alternatively, I want to read much, think much, talk little. I want to prioritize and strategize so that my life can be boring, void of stupid drama born from selfish, shortsighted mistakes. There won't be any baby Mommas, there will be less long, painful conversations explaining why I hurt someone I cared about because I was selfish and confused, I won't have to see the pain in the eyes of someone I care about as you tell them that I don't want them because it's not the right time in my life. I want to be firm in my purpose so I do not need to draw meaning from minor distractions that pop up in the form of a cute girl or easy and available but meaningless job. I want my life to be drama free and boring. I want to work hard, love much, and sleep well as I snipe my life's purpose. This way I will not toy with people and relationships out of lostness and I don't end up hating where I am in life.
This is not to say that right now, at age 22, take a weekend and lock yourself into what must be your purpose for the rest of your life. This is not to say that finding a direction is a once in a life time thing. We must always be growing and changing. The application of this idea is to merely to say stop, think, be quiet, and consider what kind of life you want your days to, in summation, create. Then make it happen.
*Analogy taken from Mark Driscoll.
Perhaps it is clear now that I toy around with, too much maybe, the multiple meanings of words- I probably give many of them my own meaning. In this post I will attempt to make the word boring cool. In a sentence, I want a boring life. Now here is the unnecessarily long blog post that unpacks this obnoxiously vague statement.
Life should be lived like a sniper*. We should have one specific mission in mind, one objective. From that point, we should streamline our lives into things that serve that purpose. Yes, this might mean that you need to stop doing 9 resume building activities every evening and do nothing but think and read and write for night or two...a week. Figure out what the hell you are doing the long term. This does not refer to simply a career direction, I'm talking even bigger. The "why" that lurks behind everything. You are volunteering at the hospital so you can put it on your med school applications, why are you going to med school? Why do you want to become a doctor? Is if for the respect? The money? The desire to help? Will this melt away if you don't get respect and you are "helping" the privileged maintain comfort or beauty? You opinionated poli-sci majors out there: stripped of ideals, adding in the reality of friends and family and rent and the dark month of February and times when the poor you are trying to help are spitting back what you give them or using the free medicine to sell, what is glue? Will this answer hold in 30 years? Will this answer hold on cold rainy mornings when no one is around?
All this to say I don't want to live a drama filled buck shot fest [buck shot being the sporadic, short range gun opposite of a sniper]. I was watching Definitely, Maybe and saw and nice example of a wandering, buck shot life. The man goes to propose to whom he has finally decided is the woman for him, only to find she slept with his roommate because she didn't know how to get out of the relationship. Then he finds anot
her girl who picks her career over their relationship. Then when he is miserable, jobless, reclusive, he tells a similarly lost girl he has always loved her. This pisses her off because she wants a man that has his shit together. This sloppy, wandering, destructive and drama filled life is obviously exaggerated for the sake of the movie. But, through talking to friends and yes, at times my own life, this buck shot life is what many of us do.Alternatively, I want to read much, think much, talk little. I want to prioritize and strategize so that my life can be boring, void of stupid drama born from selfish, shortsighted mistakes. There won't be any baby Mommas, there will be less long, painful conversations explaining why I hurt someone I cared about because I was selfish and confused, I won't have to see the pain in the eyes of someone I care about as you tell them that I don't want them because it's not the right time in my life. I want to be firm in my purpose so I do not need to draw meaning from minor distractions that pop up in the form of a cute girl or easy and available but meaningless job. I want my life to be drama free and boring. I want to work hard, love much, and sleep well as I snipe my life's purpose. This way I will not toy with people and relationships out of lostness and I don't end up hating where I am in life.
This is not to say that right now, at age 22, take a weekend and lock yourself into what must be your purpose for the rest of your life. This is not to say that finding a direction is a once in a life time thing. We must always be growing and changing. The application of this idea is to merely to say stop, think, be quiet, and consider what kind of life you want your days to, in summation, create. Then make it happen.
*Analogy taken from Mark Driscoll.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Cultural Staples That Are Not Fun
Culture is a cruel, sadistic step-mother that decides what will be fun with out our input. Then she forces us join in or be faced with ridicule from the evil step sister that is pop culture. Have no fear, Prince Charming is here. Prepare to be liberated from all the un-fun things that have held you hostage in its web of mythological fun.
#5 Swimming pools
Without something to huck into the pool, the standard swimming pool is about as fun as listening to a hippie talk about diversity. You can go under water and float. You can swim laps staring at a black line. You can throw a ball back an forth. You can put on goggles and look at the torsos of complete strangers. That's about it.
#4 Fireworks
This is a thing based solely in tradition. Few people enjoy fireworks for the actual fireworks. In reality they are more of an excuse for people to sit and not be in front of a screen which is a good thing. It is just too bad it only happens once a year. They might be loud and colorful, but that is about it. Granted they have the potential to be real art but most firework displays are simply perfunctory duties of the local fire department. The shows that are really impressive are often made even less fun by being a part of #3.
#3 Festivals
It is generally considered cool and cultured to go leave the 'burbs and drive to the nearest city scene and attend some summer festival. It does not really matter what kind of festival it is, the story is all the same: 1) Spend forever looking for parking 2) walk around a ogle at the hardcore rib makers or passionate musicians or the plethora of Hispanics or men in lady's jeans. 3) ogle at the absurd prices for ribs or tacos or worthless hippie nic-nacs 4) look for ATM machine to get cash to buy afore mentioned nic-nacs 5) regret what ever you buy approximately 23.6 seconds after you buy it. 6) wander around waiting for someone in the group to decide somewhere to go 7) finally decide to go back to the suburbs to watch a movie 8) feel cultured.
#2 Apples to Apple
This game frustrates me to no end. I will not ramble but basically, this game is the essence of arbitrary hippie feely-ness. It is a game of random associations and creating your own logic. It can be fun, but I have had much more fun, laughed harder, and gotten much more meaning from just sitting around a table and talking about what ever happen to come up, we did not need little cards to tell us what talk about. Maybe I don't want to talk about associating Bill Clinton with Shiny. But unfortunately, simply sitting and talking is, for whatever reason, extremely socially unacceptable in a group. Unless you are at #1.
#1 Bars
"Let's go to a crowded, noisy place to hang out with the same people we could hang out with in the comfort of our own home with infinitely cheaper drinks." For some reason, it is only cool to talk with your friends at a place that is not conducive to talking at all. According to culture, losers stay at home and talk. Cool people go and spend a lot of money and talk over obnoxious, thumping music until our voices are gone. Whoever was on the coolness committee is that decided this should be shot. Bars do serve some purpose if you want to creep out girls, begin meaningless relationship that won't out last the night, acquire an STD, or be manipulated into buying people drinks. That said, I am probably going to several tonight.
You may also notice that this list of things [except for bars] are fun until you are 6-9, and then cease to be fun until you can try it again with a significant other or if you are with the right group of people. Thus the beauty of life peeks through. People can make anything fun.
#5 Swimming pools
Without something to huck into the pool, the standard swimming pool is about as fun as listening to a hippie talk about diversity. You can go under water and float. You can swim laps staring at a black line. You can throw a ball back an forth. You can put on goggles and look at the torsos of complete strangers. That's about it.
#4 Fireworks
This is a thing based solely in tradition. Few people enjoy fireworks for the actual fireworks. In reality they are more of an excuse for people to sit and not be in front of a screen which is a good thing. It is just too bad it only happens once a year. They might be loud and colorful, but that is about it. Granted they have the potential to be real art but most firework displays are simply perfunctory duties of the local fire department. The shows that are really impressive are often made even less fun by being a part of #3.
#3 Festivals
It is generally considered cool and cultured to go leave the 'burbs and drive to the nearest city scene and attend some summer festival. It does not really matter what kind of festival it is, the story is all the same: 1) Spend forever looking for parking 2) walk around a ogle at the hardcore rib makers or passionate musicians or the plethora of Hispanics or men in lady's jeans. 3) ogle at the absurd prices for ribs or tacos or worthless hippie nic-nacs 4) look for ATM machine to get cash to buy afore mentioned nic-nacs 5) regret what ever you buy approximately 23.6 seconds after you buy it. 6) wander around waiting for someone in the group to decide somewhere to go 7) finally decide to go back to the suburbs to watch a movie 8) feel cultured.
#2 Apples to Apple
This game frustrates me to no end. I will not ramble but basically, this game is the essence of arbitrary hippie feely-ness. It is a game of random associations and creating your own logic. It can be fun, but I have had much more fun, laughed harder, and gotten much more meaning from just sitting around a table and talking about what ever happen to come up, we did not need little cards to tell us what talk about. Maybe I don't want to talk about associating Bill Clinton with Shiny. But unfortunately, simply sitting and talking is, for whatever reason, extremely socially unacceptable in a group. Unless you are at #1.
#1 Bars
"Let's go to a crowded, noisy place to hang out with the same people we could hang out with in the comfort of our own home with infinitely cheaper drinks." For some reason, it is only cool to talk with your friends at a place that is not conducive to talking at all. According to culture, losers stay at home and talk. Cool people go and spend a lot of money and talk over obnoxious, thumping music until our voices are gone. Whoever was on the coolness committee is that decided this should be shot. Bars do serve some purpose if you want to creep out girls, begin meaningless relationship that won't out last the night, acquire an STD, or be manipulated into buying people drinks. That said, I am probably going to several tonight.
You may also notice that this list of things [except for bars] are fun until you are 6-9, and then cease to be fun until you can try it again with a significant other or if you are with the right group of people. Thus the beauty of life peeks through. People can make anything fun.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Hank Moody Complex
I initially hesitated to give this blog the title since it refers to the main character from the Showtime series Californication and, though it is amazing, I hesitate to recommended it because it will strip you of a lot of innocence. None the less, I can think of no one better than Hank Moody to title this phenomenon that I personally struggled with for many years.
Hank Moody is a badass, brilliant writer who met a woman and fell in love, but didn't want to marry her because he thought the institution of marriage was dumb. So they lived together for 10 years and had a daughter. He becomes more and more of a chauch when they move to L.A. so she leaves him. Now he is drifting, not writing, not happy, and realizing with stinging clarity and regret that he was a prideful tool and that in his effort to be different or edgy, he pushed away the best things in life.
There is scene after scene where he realizes that the normal, unglamorous parts of life were the best of times. He is alone on the beach while the sunset and flashes back to time spent there with his "domestic partner" and daughter and the voice over comes in, "It was the best of times- if only someone had told me..."
He is dancing with his ex-domestic partner at her wedding to her new man and he realizes he never danced with her. "Why didn't we do this more often?" "You thought it was dumb and cliche." He stands there at the wedding reception after the love of his life married someone else and can feel ve
ry edgy.
>>
Be a dick and you too can pick your daughter
up from the house of the man who is marrying your woman. >>
I loathe the cliche and can understand what he was going for. In a lot of areas, avoiding cliche leads to innovation and progress. However, with maturity comes discernment to know where innovation is needed and where things are done by a lot of people because they are good. Everyone poops, after all.
I found that often in our pursuit of individuality, we often reject things and do not participate in others simply because they are popular. With movies and music, this can often be a good thing. But when it comes to people and relationships, we must leave edginess at the door. Trust me, your woman wants to hear that she is beautiful even if you simply say "You are beautiful." You don't need to dress it up or wait until you can say it in a way that makes you feel original. You're mom needs to be thanked for everything she did for you even if you just say "Thanks for everything you did for me Mom." Your friends need to know that you like hanging out with them and like them as people. The biggest tragedy and cliche is some prideful prick who is edgy and all alone with no one who loves him because he couldn't find the edge in saying "I love you."
Hank Moody is a badass, brilliant writer who met a woman and fell in love, but didn't want to marry her because he thought the institution of marriage was dumb. So they lived together for 10 years and had a daughter. He becomes more and more of a chauch when they move to L.A. so she leaves him. Now he is drifting, not writing, not happy, and realizing with stinging clarity and regret that he was a prideful tool and that in his effort to be different or edgy, he pushed away the best things in life.
There is scene after scene where he realizes that the normal, unglamorous parts of life were the best of times. He is alone on the beach while the sunset and flashes back to time spent there with his "domestic partner" and daughter and the voice over comes in, "It was the best of times- if only someone had told me..."
He is dancing with his ex-domestic partner at her wedding to her new man and he realizes he never danced with her. "Why didn't we do this more often?" "You thought it was dumb and cliche." He stands there at the wedding reception after the love of his life married someone else and can feel ve
ry edgy.>>
Be a dick and you too can pick your daughter
up from the house of the man who is marrying your woman. >>
I loathe the cliche and can understand what he was going for. In a lot of areas, avoiding cliche leads to innovation and progress. However, with maturity comes discernment to know where innovation is needed and where things are done by a lot of people because they are good. Everyone poops, after all.
I found that often in our pursuit of individuality, we often reject things and do not participate in others simply because they are popular. With movies and music, this can often be a good thing. But when it comes to people and relationships, we must leave edginess at the door. Trust me, your woman wants to hear that she is beautiful even if you simply say "You are beautiful." You don't need to dress it up or wait until you can say it in a way that makes you feel original. You're mom needs to be thanked for everything she did for you even if you just say "Thanks for everything you did for me Mom." Your friends need to know that you like hanging out with them and like them as people. The biggest tragedy and cliche is some prideful prick who is edgy and all alone with no one who loves him because he couldn't find the edge in saying "I love you."
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Sleep Deprived, Viral Cop Out
I don't feel like thinking [yes, thought goes into these posts, though the quality of which can be questioned] so here is some viral goodness for your google readers.
Indexed is an exercise in profound simplicity.
Here are some high lights:
Indexed is an exercise in profound simplicity.
Here are some high lights:
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Wes Anderson Complex
People love themselves. Even people who hate themselves really, in fact, love themselves. That is the twisted fact of life. Artists, being perceptive as they are, were quick to figure this out and have thus began to make pretty things that show people loving themselves and encourage others to love themselves. This is quite clearly seen in film. Thus enter what I like to call The Wes Anderson Complex.
Wes Anderson is the mind behind The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and most recently The Darjeeling Limited. These movies generally include some family issues between some funny, awkward, and emotionally stunted people, one of which is always struggling writer. They will include Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Anjelica Huston. These movies are quiet, simple and beautifully filmed with great use of color and position and props.
I pick on Wes Anderson, not because he is the only one who does this, but because he represents someone who has made millions creating movies that are all about people loving themselves in to misery. If you have seen these movies, this might seem a little strange since most of his characters do not appear to not be very pleased with themselves, don't like life, and are way to fashionable to be cliche enough to love themselves.
->Owen Wilson: "Come on guys, pray to something. It might fulfill you."
But the unfortunate reality of existentialism is that it always and absolutely leads to narcissism. To attempt to put existentialism in simple terms: When someone accepts the assumption that the only thing he can know for sure is that he exists. Next, assuming he does not commit suicide, he is free to go about making for himself what ever life he wants with what ever set of morality he wants, and draw meaning from whatever he wants. An existential catch phrase is that existence precedes essence. That is, we exist and then make what ever essence we want. We assign ourselves to be human or family oriented or money oriented, etc. There are many branches and theories that go with existentialism but that is the main gist.
The problem is that the 'journey to meaning' is never cut and dry or complete. Since everything is jacked up, nothing will ever completely give concrete meaning to life. So existentialist are continually looking inwards asking the eternal question, "What fulfills me?" It is all about themselves being fulfilled. Sure they will do nice things if it fulfills them, but the second it doesn't they move on to something else.
I say this like there is a organized group of existentialist out there that meet and stuff. The truth is that most people are existential, though they wouldn't call them selves that by name. And who would want to meet with a bunch of people who are shoveling anything they can into their fulfillment hole? Its not a pretty site. Just visit any given frat party for an example.
Wes Anderson's characters are just confused, immature people that stylishly bumble through life craving meaning. At least one in each movie is having an affair, drugs are involved, and there are plenty of obscure, colorful hobbies.
Generally I enjoy these kinds of movie. But, like with most movies, there is the proverbial step back and once that is taken, the childish, narcissistic pettiness of these wasteful rich people becomes unbearable.
The witty and intellectual generally like these movies because the characters are rich and stylish enough to live the artsy and posh existential journey we all wish we could have but typically can't - at least not to the full extent - because our journeys get inhibited by things like a job and the desire not to starve to death . This appeals to our pride and the fleeting high of selfishness. Even when we loathe ourselves, we still like to dwell on how much we loathe ourselves. The shivers of artsy-ness travel down our spine as we think how edgy we are that we can be honest and can really loathe ourselves. Just as Hank Moody.
To put this genre in even more context of reality consider a man, sad from his wealthy father's recent death, takes his inheritance and lives in an expensive hotel in Paris for a few months doing nothing but missing his ex. This is the story of the Wes Anderson short and prequel to The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier. Now think about this in context of the rampant need of people all over the world. While he is enjoying his little narcissistic pity party, thousands of children die from hunger and young girls are sold in to the sex slave industry, amongst other tragedies. The absurdity of thinking oneself important enough to merit so much time and money resounds.
This is not to say that it is not important to know oneself. It is to say that one will never grow, change, or know oneself when one isolates and turns inward. People, loving them, helping them, knowing them, are how we become the people we hope to be. We might not know who, why, or what, but being stagnant and stationary is not the way to answer these questions. Move forward, and do life. Waiting to figure it out before you start will lead to a futile and petty existence.
And once again Dostoevsky said it best
Wes Anderson is the mind behind The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and most recently The Darjeeling Limited. These movies generally include some family issues between some funny, awkward, and emotionally stunted people, one of which is always struggling writer. They will include Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Anjelica Huston. These movies are quiet, simple and beautifully filmed with great use of color and position and props.
I pick on Wes Anderson, not because he is the only one who does this, but because he represents someone who has made millions creating movies that are all about people loving themselves in to misery. If you have seen these movies, this might seem a little strange since most of his characters do not appear to not be very pleased with themselves, don't like life, and are way to fashionable to be cliche enough to love themselves.
->Owen Wilson: "Come on guys, pray to something. It might fulfill you."
But the unfortunate reality of existentialism is that it always and absolutely leads to narcissism. To attempt to put existentialism in simple terms: When someone accepts the assumption that the only thing he can know for sure is that he exists. Next, assuming he does not commit suicide, he is free to go about making for himself what ever life he wants with what ever set of morality he wants, and draw meaning from whatever he wants. An existential catch phrase is that existence precedes essence. That is, we exist and then make what ever essence we want. We assign ourselves to be human or family oriented or money oriented, etc. There are many branches and theories that go with existentialism but that is the main gist.
The problem is that the 'journey to meaning' is never cut and dry or complete. Since everything is jacked up, nothing will ever completely give concrete meaning to life. So existentialist are continually looking inwards asking the eternal question, "What fulfills me?" It is all about themselves being fulfilled. Sure they will do nice things if it fulfills them, but the second it doesn't they move on to something else.
I say this like there is a organized group of existentialist out there that meet and stuff. The truth is that most people are existential, though they wouldn't call them selves that by name. And who would want to meet with a bunch of people who are shoveling anything they can into their fulfillment hole? Its not a pretty site. Just visit any given frat party for an example.
Wes Anderson's characters are just confused, immature people that stylishly bumble through life craving meaning. At least one in each movie is having an affair, drugs are involved, and there are plenty of obscure, colorful hobbies.
Generally I enjoy these kinds of movie. But, like with most movies, there is the proverbial step back and once that is taken, the childish, narcissistic pettiness of these wasteful rich people becomes unbearable.
The witty and intellectual generally like these movies because the characters are rich and stylish enough to live the artsy and posh existential journey we all wish we could have but typically can't - at least not to the full extent - because our journeys get inhibited by things like a job and the desire not to starve to death . This appeals to our pride and the fleeting high of selfishness. Even when we loathe ourselves, we still like to dwell on how much we loathe ourselves. The shivers of artsy-ness travel down our spine as we think how edgy we are that we can be honest and can really loathe ourselves. Just as Hank Moody.
To put this genre in even more context of reality consider a man, sad from his wealthy father's recent death, takes his inheritance and lives in an expensive hotel in Paris for a few months doing nothing but missing his ex. This is the story of the Wes Anderson short and prequel to The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier. Now think about this in context of the rampant need of people all over the world. While he is enjoying his little narcissistic pity party, thousands of children die from hunger and young girls are sold in to the sex slave industry, amongst other tragedies. The absurdity of thinking oneself important enough to merit so much time and money resounds.
This is not to say that it is not important to know oneself. It is to say that one will never grow, change, or know oneself when one isolates and turns inward. People, loving them, helping them, knowing them, are how we become the people we hope to be. We might not know who, why, or what, but being stagnant and stationary is not the way to answer these questions. Move forward, and do life. Waiting to figure it out before you start will lead to a futile and petty existence.
And once again Dostoevsky said it best
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
On Superheroes Part 2
While writing part 1, I started ranting about Spiderman but stopped because I realized that this story captures a completely different aspect of American life. The story can be boiled down to a nerdy scrub getting bitten and overnight becomes ripped, no longer needs glasses and has some useful physiological additions including fingertips that grip walls, web shooting glands, and a spidey-sense [which most men have when an attractive female is around, only normal people can't use it for sensing danger]. But instead of being content with these upgrades, he still can't quite get it right. He spends a lot of time chasing around Mary Jane, asking for second chances, and deciding if this superhero thing is really the life he wants to live.
Of course we get all worked up in the story and the love, etc, but when we take a step back it is painfully obvious how whiny and dumb Peter Parker is being. You got a bug bite and instead of itching, it made you super human! What the hell do you have to complain about? You have become very well endowed to help people who need it. Spit, scratch your balls, and enjoy being a good guy.
-> "I don't feel like swinging from building to building. I just want to look good."
And now for the moral: by simply being Americans, we already have our bug bite. We are already more advanced and capable than a huge majority of the world. This is not an ego trip. Someone at our poverty line would be in the wealthiest 15% of the world. The mere act of going to college makes us crazy blessed and a dollar short of super human. Not that we are better than people that don't go to college, but [you knew it was coming] "...with great power comes great responsibility." By thinking we deserve to go to college, have a car, eat plenty of food, have extra money to go see superhero movies, we become petty and selfish. I didn't do anything to merit my birth in the suburbs. I doubt you did either. We don't deserve anything. With that point of view, and despite the fact that someone will always have more, contentment should ensue. We should be outward focused, constantly thinking about how we can use what we have to put back into people. We must take our extravagant wealth very seriously. Dostoevsky said it best.
The perks: when we are less focused on ourselves and our future and our money making opportunities, we become much more happy and fulfilled. Going to school to learn how to simply make money will lead to a sad, empty and exhausting life. It leads to a chase, not a purpose, solitude, not solidarity.
Of course we get all worked up in the story and the love, etc, but when we take a step back it is painfully obvious how whiny and dumb Peter Parker is being. You got a bug bite and instead of itching, it made you super human! What the hell do you have to complain about? You have become very well endowed to help people who need it. Spit, scratch your balls, and enjoy being a good guy.
-> "I don't feel like swinging from building to building. I just want to look good."
And now for the moral: by simply being Americans, we already have our bug bite. We are already more advanced and capable than a huge majority of the world. This is not an ego trip. Someone at our poverty line would be in the wealthiest 15% of the world. The mere act of going to college makes us crazy blessed and a dollar short of super human. Not that we are better than people that don't go to college, but [you knew it was coming] "...with great power comes great responsibility." By thinking we deserve to go to college, have a car, eat plenty of food, have extra money to go see superhero movies, we become petty and selfish. I didn't do anything to merit my birth in the suburbs. I doubt you did either. We don't deserve anything. With that point of view, and despite the fact that someone will always have more, contentment should ensue. We should be outward focused, constantly thinking about how we can use what we have to put back into people. We must take our extravagant wealth very seriously. Dostoevsky said it best.
The perks: when we are less focused on ourselves and our future and our money making opportunities, we become much more happy and fulfilled. Going to school to learn how to simply make money will lead to a sad, empty and exhausting life. It leads to a chase, not a purpose, solitude, not solidarity.
Monday, July 7, 2008
On Superheroes Part 1
*all knowledge of mentioned super heroes comes from the movies. I do not have the collector's edition comic books and all that stuff . On an unrelated note, I have gone several dates.
Maybe I am just becoming aware of it now, but the super hero content of the media is getting a little ridiculous. This weekend I saw Hitchcock, Will Smith's new movie. It was decent, entertaining and was surprisingly edgy for a Will Smith movie [Like his Clean Rap] considering he dropped an F-bomb and consumed alcohol and only made this face once:
But Hancock [I keep slipping and calling it Hitchcock for obvious reasons] was really only a speck in the big picture of America's obsession with super heroes. Since most of us live mundane lives with little to make us unique, super heroes allow us to escape from this by living the dream of someone who escaped from it by fluke chance or destiny or by being from a different planet or evolution. This is also why we are obsessed with the lottery, American Idol, and any other way that people can be very ordinary but become extraordinary by some immediate and easy event.
It started with Superman, who is from another planet and helps people here. That is cool.
And there is Batman who is both rich and a crime fighter. He of course inherited his money from his truly extraordinary father and after "backpacking around Asia" to self actualize and find himself by joining a messed up cult in the Himalayas. All this to come back and use his money to get nifty gadgets invented by Morgan Freeman that happen to be used to stop bad guys and woo Katie Holmes/ Maggie gyllenhall.
->"I shock people to make them like me."
Let me expound on that by outlining the qualities of super heroes. Super heroes have everything people want: They are unique with their powers. They have a clear purpose: to fight crime by punching it in the face and saving people by keeping trains on the tracks. They are well endowed, so to speak, and can easily get the girl they want because of their strength and ability to use their powers for creative date ideas. They are in control of their situation and can fly away or do what ever they want. No super hero is confined to his desk job.
-> "yataaa! I can teleport out of my cubicle. Finally I have purpose."
My point is not that Americans suck or that watching these things is evil. You may notice that I have watched all of these things so I would have no room to talk and hell, it is just really entertaining. My point is that we seem to be finding more and more of our required dose of super hero qualities only in the movies and T.V. shows rather than getting up off of our couches and living them ourselves. Think enough to have a purpose, be intentional enough to pick a job that serves that purpose. Be unique by being you-do what you like to do, have hobbies, do what you always wanted to try, dare I say take a risk. Go and get the girl. Sure you can't fly around to impress her, but being rejected is never as bad as living alone with the question of what would have happened if you had talked her. Being super is not as not a fatalistic thing. We don't need to wait for the lottery or a bug bite, we just need to get off the couch.
Maybe I am just becoming aware of it now, but the super hero content of the media is getting a little ridiculous. This weekend I saw Hitchcock, Will Smith's new movie. It was decent, entertaining and was surprisingly edgy for a Will Smith movie [Like his Clean Rap] considering he dropped an F-bomb and consumed alcohol and only made this face once:
But Hancock [I keep slipping and calling it Hitchcock for obvious reasons] was really only a speck in the big picture of America's obsession with super heroes. Since most of us live mundane lives with little to make us unique, super heroes allow us to escape from this by living the dream of someone who escaped from it by fluke chance or destiny or by being from a different planet or evolution. This is also why we are obsessed with the lottery, American Idol, and any other way that people can be very ordinary but become extraordinary by some immediate and easy event.
It started with Superman, who is from another planet and helps people here. That is cool.
And there is Batman who is both rich and a crime fighter. He of course inherited his money from his truly extraordinary father and after "backpacking around Asia" to self actualize and find himself by joining a messed up cult in the Himalayas. All this to come back and use his money to get nifty gadgets invented by Morgan Freeman that happen to be used to stop bad guys and woo Katie Holmes/ Maggie gyllenhall.
The show Heroes is perhaps the greatest example of this phenomenon. There is one ounce of creativity in that show: explaining super powers by way of evolution. Woot. The rest of the show is just a soap opera mixed with X-men. Alarmingly normal people have these powers because of the chaos and random draw of evolution and that is it. Some people are for the powers, some people are against them, some people try to control the people with powers, someone's Dad dies, etc. I was blown away that the show was on prime time television in America. But that is just my point: super heroes are prime time and mainstream. No longer are they children's fantasies and marginal, nerdy hobbies, but America's culture has gotten to the point where we all want to escape to where we can fly and have a purpose and can rely on super powers to get the girl.
->"I shock people to make them like me."
Let me expound on that by outlining the qualities of super heroes. Super heroes have everything people want: They are unique with their powers. They have a clear purpose: to fight crime by punching it in the face and saving people by keeping trains on the tracks. They are well endowed, so to speak, and can easily get the girl they want because of their strength and ability to use their powers for creative date ideas. They are in control of their situation and can fly away or do what ever they want. No super hero is confined to his desk job.
-> "yataaa! I can teleport out of my cubicle. Finally I have purpose."
My point is not that Americans suck or that watching these things is evil. You may notice that I have watched all of these things so I would have no room to talk and hell, it is just really entertaining. My point is that we seem to be finding more and more of our required dose of super hero qualities only in the movies and T.V. shows rather than getting up off of our couches and living them ourselves. Think enough to have a purpose, be intentional enough to pick a job that serves that purpose. Be unique by being you-do what you like to do, have hobbies, do what you always wanted to try, dare I say take a risk. Go and get the girl. Sure you can't fly around to impress her, but being rejected is never as bad as living alone with the question of what would have happened if you had talked her. Being super is not as not a fatalistic thing. We don't need to wait for the lottery or a bug bite, we just need to get off the couch.
Friday, June 20, 2008
On Being Viral...
Viral marketing is the future of the world. Many of you are proud soldiers in the viral marketing army and don't even know. Any time you evangelize for gmail, the David Blaine spoofs on youtube, or funny blogs [like this one], you are participating in viral marketing. Due to the internet, if you make something funny or shocking enough, you do not have to spend any money on advertising at all. Who hasn't seen the fat guy lip sync to that numa song? Who hasn't
Good or bad? I don't know. But due to my 'job' this summer, I have become strongly embedded in the viral marketing phenomenon [let's be honest, thats mostly what this blog is]. So to hell with being subtle, here is some more blatant advertising.
In honor of the new Coldplay CD, here is some information you must read: SWPL: Coldplay
The "Fail" picture series is a great testament to the power of photography. Here are a few highlights:
^Lazy Worker Fail^
Not Woman's
Best Friend Fail
Boyfriend Fail
And last but not least, here is a fail video. The first few minutes are slow, but set it up for a killer ending.
Good or bad? I don't know. But due to my 'job' this summer, I have become strongly embedded in the viral marketing phenomenon [let's be honest, thats mostly what this blog is]. So to hell with being subtle, here is some more blatant advertising.
In honor of the new Coldplay CD, here is some information you must read: SWPL: Coldplay
The "Fail" picture series is a great testament to the power of photography. Here are a few highlights:
^Lazy Worker Fail^
Not Woman's
Best Friend Fail
Boyfriend Fail
And last but not least, here is a fail video. The first few minutes are slow, but set it up for a killer ending.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Death of Beauty
America is a great country, it truly is a blessing to live here. But we have got something very wrong by creating a culture that bastardizes beauty and often is too busy to notice. I do not say this angrily, it is truly a sad thing how little we focus on and appreciate beauty.
Exhibit A: In an experiment for the Washington Post, world famous violinist Joshua Bell took a cab to the Washington D.C. metro and played "Chaconne" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Partita No. 2 in D Minor - one of hardest and most beautiful violin solos ever written - on a 3.5 million dollar Stradivarius in the harsh, tiled room which, surprisingly, had decent acoustics.
Over 1,000 people walked by in the 45 minutes that he played, few stopped and even fewer dropped any money into the open violin case on the floor. Three days before, he sold out Boston's Symphony Hall where the cheap seats went for $100.
Clearly people do care for beauty but will pay for the status symbol of being seen at the orchestra and to feel cultured.
You can watch the video of this here. It sounds amazing. There is something intrinsically wrong with the American Dream if we have become insensitive to beauty because we are hell bent on success. The dream should be to arrive at a point where we can enjoy life, not chase it.
Tolstoy said it best:
"I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor-such is my idea of happiness. And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps-what more can the heart of a man desire?"
From "Family Happiness"
Exhibit A: In an experiment for the Washington Post, world famous violinist Joshua Bell took a cab to the Washington D.C. metro and played "Chaconne" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Partita No. 2 in D Minor - one of hardest and most beautiful violin solos ever written - on a 3.5 million dollar Stradivarius in the harsh, tiled room which, surprisingly, had decent acoustics.
Over 1,000 people walked by in the 45 minutes that he played, few stopped and even fewer dropped any money into the open violin case on the floor. Three days before, he sold out Boston's Symphony Hall where the cheap seats went for $100.
Clearly people do care for beauty but will pay for the status symbol of being seen at the orchestra and to feel cultured.
You can watch the video of this here. It sounds amazing. There is something intrinsically wrong with the American Dream if we have become insensitive to beauty because we are hell bent on success. The dream should be to arrive at a point where we can enjoy life, not chase it.
Tolstoy said it best:
"I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor-such is my idea of happiness. And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps-what more can the heart of a man desire?"
From "Family Happiness"
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Clash
Taking a break from the FDS, I have taken a stab at a legit topic and written an essay on the clash between suburbia and scripture based, Jesus lifestyles [which are pretty cool, btw]. I put it on the other site so it would take up as much space on the blog. Happy reading and let me know what you think. holler.
The Clash
Also, for all of you emergents out there, here is a special treat:
Rob Bell Burrito Spoof
The Clash
Also, for all of you emergents out there, here is a special treat:
Rob Bell Burrito Spoof
Monday, June 16, 2008
Fundamental Diagreement Series Part II
**DISCLAIMER**
Allow me to make an important clarification. I agree with the movement to allow women to decide what they want to do with their lives and to be treated respectfully, etc.
I fundamentally disagree with Feminist Literary Theory.
This is one of the strongest areas of fundamental disagreement, or be the most fundamentally disagreeable part of the thing I hate the fundamentally disagree with the most [TBD]. I fundamentally disagree with it so much, I have two pictures for added emphasis. If these images do not give you the willies, I deeply fear for you.
The irony enters when you observe that the "naturalists" that are making this argument and be quite unfeminine in doing so. A working model of a "fully realized feminine" does not seem to be able to function and would lead to wider spread starvation and anarchy. Feminist Literary theory is simply an empty, worthless, ineffective, and inapplicable frill of a theory that the progressive intellectuals of society embrace because it makes them feel smart about themselves and better than people that are trapped, ignorantly, in their "phallic" goals and arguments.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Fundamental Diagreement Series
Through a series of events and a major misunderstanding, someone thought that my summer job was to make a website about what I hate. This premise intrigued me as I consider myself a ranter but have never taken the time to really nail down the precise things that I hate.
However, due to another series of events, I have become more sensitive and maybe even partially converted to the hippie demographic and mentality[either real or self-proclaimed hippies are all the same to me]. So for the sake of the hippies out there I have changed it from "things I hate" to "things that I fundamentally disagree with".*
* may it be known that if one accepts the premise that there is good and evil in the world, I feel that you cannot be 'good' with out hating evil. Thus, it is perfectly normal - even "right" to hate. There I said it. It is impossible to "not hate anything". Freakin hippies
However, due to another series of events, I have become more sensitive and maybe even partially converted to the hippie demographic and mentality[either real or self-proclaimed hippies are all the same to me]. So for the sake of the hippies out there I have changed it from "things I hate" to "things that I fundamentally disagree with".*
For all of you visual people out there, I have attempted clarify what these cleverly constructed sentences are saying with pictures. I welcome feedback and discussion so if you happen to like something that I hate, feel free to comment so I can change your mind.
Things I Fundamentally Disagree With:
I will start off slow.
I hate Panera Bread. But its not specifically Panera that I hate, its the foo foo marginally tasty food that will leave you hungry within a half an hour that is served at a plethora of restaurants to image-conscious white chicks. Soup in bread bowl? Get the hell out. 9 dollars for a weak-sauce sandwich with an ounce and a half of meat with a bag of organic potato chips? No freaking gracias.
Its not like you will ever be inches away from starvation and the only thing you can find is a Panera. There is almost ALWAYS a chipotle next door or across the street. Chipotle excels in every area where Panera struggles: It is extraordinarily tasty. it is cheaper. it has organically grown meat and vegetables. Best of all it does not leave you wanting. If humans could satisfy each other as well as Chipotle does, there would be no war, loneliness, or hunger. How's that for some hippie philosophy. But I digress.
Next, I hate coffee:
This bitter, inefficient, addictive, and unhealthy drink absolutely baffles me. Don't get me wrong, I have things I like to consume that are not necessarily healthy, such as Mountain Dew, doughnuts, pizza, Graeters Ice Cream, but there is a important difference between these blessings from above and coffee: they taste good, they do not induce dependency, and they have minimal withdrawal symptoms. People have allowed themselves to become conditioned to the point where they need to stop by Starbucks for their "Grande Latte Enema" every day on the way to work in order to feel ready to go. I should open up my own drive-thru where I will charge 5$ dollars to ruin your teeth, spill hot brown liquids on your lap, inject you with sugar and caffeine which will cause you to crash within an hour and ruin your circadian rhythm, and make you grouchy, thus ruining your relationships. On top of all that, you will be unable to resist the urge to come back for more.
While drinking a mountain dew at church one morning, someone came up to me and exclaimed, "How can you drink that so early in the morning?!?!"
"Easy," I replied, "It doesn't taste like scalding water that has had some foreign grown, burnt, brown, pellets of nastiness squeezed into it."
The third thing that I hate was imagined when a group fat, beady eyed, dark suited, little men got together in a room circa 1950 and had a conversation that went something like this:
Fat, round guy: "Ok men, Americans are too happy and content. We need to create large buildings that are cool to be seen at and that exude unreachable ideals of beauty, wealth, security, and happiness."
Beady eyed, fat man: "Yes, and we will tell them that buying things they don't need will get them closer to these ridiculous ideals."
Fatty McFatyson: "And there will be a huge place in the building where they can get the worst and most unhealthy imitations of ethnic food ever to be sold at ungodly high prices. "
Tubby, bald, red-faced man: "Ha, Ha, this will be like kicking Americans in their collective balls!"
Beady eyed, fat man: " Muahahaha! Yes, What shall we call these ball crushing monuments to the stupidity of the masses? What about 'Bonuments?"
Fat, round guy: "No. Gentlemen, we have just created...Malls!"
All: "YAY!"
These are some of the first few things of this uplifting series. Do check back for more entries on the FDS and other topics.
* may it be known that if one accepts the premise that there is good and evil in the world, I feel that you cannot be 'good' with out hating evil. Thus, it is perfectly normal - even "right" to hate. There I said it. It is impossible to "not hate anything". Freakin hippies
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Affirmative Action Seat Buddies
I have been taking the bus to work. It saves me about 7 dollars a day, though it almost triples my travel time. But being a poor intern, I have more time than money. Also, the trees say thanks when I walk by.
The bus does provide a fantastic people watching arena, with demographics you can't find anywhere else. On the bus today I realized that black people are once again victims. They are victims of what I am calling "Affirmative Action Seat Buddies."
This is a situation which begins with a young black guy sitting next to the window, nodding to ipoded hip-hop [yes I am guessing, but I have yet to see someone get his nod on to Deathcab or an Of Montreal remix feat. DMX] , rockin [wearing] his Tims [Boots made by Timberland Inc.], and flossin [wearing, again] his jeans with patches that represent every NBA team, minding his own business. Sounds innocent right? Unfortunately this guy is a prime target for 'AASB'. Next, a 'progressive' middle aged white lady, who is already quite in love with herself for taking the bus to work, will survey the half full bus and choose to sit with him instead of the other middle age white people. This lady will then sit down, place her over-sized purse on her lap and sit there, very stiffly, with a look of disgusting self-satisfaction on her face as she looks around at all of the other white people up to their eyes in bigotry as they sit alone in a row and rejoices that she has saved the planet and bridged social bridges. All on the way to work.
The bus does provide a fantastic people watching arena, with demographics you can't find anywhere else. On the bus today I realized that black people are once again victims. They are victims of what I am calling "Affirmative Action Seat Buddies."
This is a situation which begins with a young black guy sitting next to the window, nodding to ipoded hip-hop [yes I am guessing, but I have yet to see someone get his nod on to Deathcab or an Of Montreal remix feat. DMX] , rockin [wearing] his Tims [Boots made by Timberland Inc.], and flossin [wearing, again] his jeans with patches that represent every NBA team, minding his own business. Sounds innocent right? Unfortunately this guy is a prime target for 'AASB'. Next, a 'progressive' middle aged white lady, who is already quite in love with herself for taking the bus to work, will survey the half full bus and choose to sit with him instead of the other middle age white people. This lady will then sit down, place her over-sized purse on her lap and sit there, very stiffly, with a look of disgusting self-satisfaction on her face as she looks around at all of the other white people up to their eyes in bigotry as they sit alone in a row and rejoices that she has saved the planet and bridged social bridges. All on the way to work.
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