Less sports, philosophical whimsy, and neo-marxism
I apologize if the blog seems a bit of a downer. These just are not the bright times so promised. You know those times that everyone says are coming eventually where you realize that HS and college kind of sucked. Some may indicate it's my own chosen arrested development that is hindering me. There is some truth to that sentiment as I have placed myself in such circumstances that have led to the gloom that shrouds the day. Maybe I'm particularly upset because my drive to work and progress has been stifled by my frequent wants for something more. I might be depressed that I missed two bands (Sunset Rubdown and Bishop Allen) I wanted to see over the last two weeks simply because I live in a crappy town and have impending tests. It might be that I've chosen some lofty aims and goal for my life that I may never be able to accomplish. Perhaps I'm already worried about life accomplishments early in my life. It is the tendency of those that expect great things from themselves to live somewhat unhappily. Maybe it's just lack of sleep. I seem to average 5 hours and until last night hadn't had a good night's sleep in two weeks. I wonder what Freud would say about my unhappiness? He'd probably say something about the pathology of my sublimation in my thusfar aesthetic life. That and maybe my subconscious self is telling me that I need to do more. As the great T.S. Eliot said "In my beginning is my end." Were born into certain circumstances and that determines so much whether its running from who we were or embracing our roots a bit too much.
So on to this broken system we call America. Can we seriously reform the electoral college? There's no real reason for it, and it kills the possibilities of third party success. Then there are issues of all states not being equally represented at national conferences due to the way they are decided (not by population). Then again can we do something about this worthless representative democracy. Oh wait we can't. The founders of this country never wanted a true representative democracy. They developed a system that benefits the rich and the "well-bred." Unfortunately our broken systems do have control over our lives. The sure bureaucratic nature of our society being foremost. And our largely apathetic populace I think really embrace the whole Hobbesian ethic that we need to cede our freedoms to an authoritarian government that can protect us. This country is not going to change anytime soon. Part of it is the stark disinterest for change or revolution in the people today. We are far too perplexed by the lives of the successful or what we can acquire next. Then there's probably the ultimate kickers. Our hedonistic pleasures such as sports. Yes, the hypocrite says it. If we men in particular were as passionate about bettering ourselves and our society as we were about sports how much better this world might be. You might remember that the Romans used "sports" to placate the people withing their empire. What's different today? Sports are still the ultimate distraction that may keep us from living lives of meaning. I'm not going to advocate their entire dismissal. We should probably just be a bit more judicious in the time we spend keeping up with them. Perhaps just know enough to be conversant with the fellow person.
I find it interesting that early Christianity attracted many women due to its ability to grant a ceratin freedom from the patriarchy. This being that they could use God as a replacement for a husband, as husbands tended to be abusive and demanding. And then what happens Christian orthodoxy comes to further limit the roles of women suppressing all of the good will.
If you haven't watched HBO's The Wire then you've really missed out on probably the most significant series of our time. It deals with the inner workings of Baltimore from the ghettos and drug traded to the politics that frame the city to the bureaucracy that mars almost any attempt to try to do something good. One of the things the creator, David Simon a former beat reporter for the city's newspaper, said the show was about is the way capitalism creates a Worth-Less society. And you can't help but to agree. When it's all about the money and the bottom line what is a person really worth? If something doesn't better you or your loved one's predicaments then how good can it be? This world is fucked in its current state. And we are all complicit. It is typical of people today to just run away from difficult sitations. Just look at the urban environments of the officially unhealthy American city. Things started getting rough and those with the means ran away. They didn't stand up and dedicate their selves or their time to reform. And people wonder why the world seems to be going down hill...what the fuck are they doing to fix it. Working for the good of your family isn't a good thing, it's an expected thing. Just living up to expectations isn't enough. What we should do was best put into words in this month's Atlantic Monthly: "...[we are at our] best when we honestly and compassionately confront the devilish realities we would like to ignore or deny." If we are going to be "good" people we must continuously search for who we are and work to reach our lofty goals as our acts define ourselves to outside eyes. Simply put, we must act to truly believe in any alternative. We must find who we are and embrace that for the benefit of the many. It is our responsibility.
Sometimes it concerns me that it is the contingencies of others that allow us to exist. We are defined by how others interpret us. This is quite true in that no one person can truly know another and eventually upon death all that is remembered is from secondary sources. We are only as good as we do and communicate.
Camus indicates in the Myth of Sisyphus that perhaps the best thing we can do is to find some labot that we can throw ourselves into. That happiness truly comes form performance. This might release us from the uncontrollable contingencies of others. Performance cannot be taken away from us. It is an accomplishment in itself. And Camus indicates that this is best without reflection which poisons experience. This is what is hard for me. I am always a bit too self aware (concerned). It's like those moments at concerts where we wish we could let go and let the music take us somewhere, but instead we think about the music being played and remember something and thus become lost in our own mind. Our contemplation often interferes with experiencing life. Only as so far as we are fully engaged in our lives that our lives make sense. And sometimes we just aren't engaged in doing.
A recent conversation with my roommate Nathan brought up an interesting question. What shapes us more, our ideals or our inhibitions? Nathan argued that his inhibitions have led to many of his more serious life decisions. And if you think about it, it is not our ideals that our more cultivated but our inhibitions. Think about how we create our morality. It is all about what we shouldn't do and the consequences of acting to the contrary. And people wonder why so many people don't live up to some collective morality? Maybe if ideal were more effectively communicated then this world would be a bit better. But maybe ideals don't work because we are selfish. And society has invented these early taught inhibitions that become self-perpetuated so as to sublimate basic human impulses. Man, and people thought Freud was a hack...when he was just more of a philosopher. But maybe if we stepped back and stopped posturing for a moment (this goes double for me) and just were honest about things with people. Unfortunately, I find people don't want to hear too much truth, but would prefer friends that would talk about nothing. No faults exposed only the meaningless affirming of the other's ambitions or hopes. Until this society learns that to get along we need air out our problems and respectfully listent to others concerns, we are going to grow increasingly unhappy and isolated. As Justice Breyer said, "[we] need public discourse, participation, flexibility, and compromise." So take the time to throw yourself into something and figure yourself out. Then go out and do something great.
I think I'm going to become somekind of Marxist. But not one of those full-scale ones that wants a bloody revolution and overthrow of the entire government. Just one in the more Christian tone. We need to just make our revolution grass roots. Reform is only as good as it can be properly administered. There is no better was to do this than where we live. If we can better the environment in which we live, and work to bring people together in community there, then that's the way to truly change our society. Forget electing caring representatives, their hands are tied and only as effective as it helps maintain their lives and terms. Nope just make the place better where you are simply by you being there and doing good. If enough of us do that then how great could our lives be...
So on to this broken system we call America. Can we seriously reform the electoral college? There's no real reason for it, and it kills the possibilities of third party success. Then there are issues of all states not being equally represented at national conferences due to the way they are decided (not by population). Then again can we do something about this worthless representative democracy. Oh wait we can't. The founders of this country never wanted a true representative democracy. They developed a system that benefits the rich and the "well-bred." Unfortunately our broken systems do have control over our lives. The sure bureaucratic nature of our society being foremost. And our largely apathetic populace I think really embrace the whole Hobbesian ethic that we need to cede our freedoms to an authoritarian government that can protect us. This country is not going to change anytime soon. Part of it is the stark disinterest for change or revolution in the people today. We are far too perplexed by the lives of the successful or what we can acquire next. Then there's probably the ultimate kickers. Our hedonistic pleasures such as sports. Yes, the hypocrite says it. If we men in particular were as passionate about bettering ourselves and our society as we were about sports how much better this world might be. You might remember that the Romans used "sports" to placate the people withing their empire. What's different today? Sports are still the ultimate distraction that may keep us from living lives of meaning. I'm not going to advocate their entire dismissal. We should probably just be a bit more judicious in the time we spend keeping up with them. Perhaps just know enough to be conversant with the fellow person.
I find it interesting that early Christianity attracted many women due to its ability to grant a ceratin freedom from the patriarchy. This being that they could use God as a replacement for a husband, as husbands tended to be abusive and demanding. And then what happens Christian orthodoxy comes to further limit the roles of women suppressing all of the good will.
If you haven't watched HBO's The Wire then you've really missed out on probably the most significant series of our time. It deals with the inner workings of Baltimore from the ghettos and drug traded to the politics that frame the city to the bureaucracy that mars almost any attempt to try to do something good. One of the things the creator, David Simon a former beat reporter for the city's newspaper, said the show was about is the way capitalism creates a Worth-Less society. And you can't help but to agree. When it's all about the money and the bottom line what is a person really worth? If something doesn't better you or your loved one's predicaments then how good can it be? This world is fucked in its current state. And we are all complicit. It is typical of people today to just run away from difficult sitations. Just look at the urban environments of the officially unhealthy American city. Things started getting rough and those with the means ran away. They didn't stand up and dedicate their selves or their time to reform. And people wonder why the world seems to be going down hill...what the fuck are they doing to fix it. Working for the good of your family isn't a good thing, it's an expected thing. Just living up to expectations isn't enough. What we should do was best put into words in this month's Atlantic Monthly: "...[we are at our] best when we honestly and compassionately confront the devilish realities we would like to ignore or deny." If we are going to be "good" people we must continuously search for who we are and work to reach our lofty goals as our acts define ourselves to outside eyes. Simply put, we must act to truly believe in any alternative. We must find who we are and embrace that for the benefit of the many. It is our responsibility.
Sometimes it concerns me that it is the contingencies of others that allow us to exist. We are defined by how others interpret us. This is quite true in that no one person can truly know another and eventually upon death all that is remembered is from secondary sources. We are only as good as we do and communicate.
Camus indicates in the Myth of Sisyphus that perhaps the best thing we can do is to find some labot that we can throw ourselves into. That happiness truly comes form performance. This might release us from the uncontrollable contingencies of others. Performance cannot be taken away from us. It is an accomplishment in itself. And Camus indicates that this is best without reflection which poisons experience. This is what is hard for me. I am always a bit too self aware (concerned). It's like those moments at concerts where we wish we could let go and let the music take us somewhere, but instead we think about the music being played and remember something and thus become lost in our own mind. Our contemplation often interferes with experiencing life. Only as so far as we are fully engaged in our lives that our lives make sense. And sometimes we just aren't engaged in doing.
A recent conversation with my roommate Nathan brought up an interesting question. What shapes us more, our ideals or our inhibitions? Nathan argued that his inhibitions have led to many of his more serious life decisions. And if you think about it, it is not our ideals that our more cultivated but our inhibitions. Think about how we create our morality. It is all about what we shouldn't do and the consequences of acting to the contrary. And people wonder why so many people don't live up to some collective morality? Maybe if ideal were more effectively communicated then this world would be a bit better. But maybe ideals don't work because we are selfish. And society has invented these early taught inhibitions that become self-perpetuated so as to sublimate basic human impulses. Man, and people thought Freud was a hack...when he was just more of a philosopher. But maybe if we stepped back and stopped posturing for a moment (this goes double for me) and just were honest about things with people. Unfortunately, I find people don't want to hear too much truth, but would prefer friends that would talk about nothing. No faults exposed only the meaningless affirming of the other's ambitions or hopes. Until this society learns that to get along we need air out our problems and respectfully listent to others concerns, we are going to grow increasingly unhappy and isolated. As Justice Breyer said, "[we] need public discourse, participation, flexibility, and compromise." So take the time to throw yourself into something and figure yourself out. Then go out and do something great.
I think I'm going to become somekind of Marxist. But not one of those full-scale ones that wants a bloody revolution and overthrow of the entire government. Just one in the more Christian tone. We need to just make our revolution grass roots. Reform is only as good as it can be properly administered. There is no better was to do this than where we live. If we can better the environment in which we live, and work to bring people together in community there, then that's the way to truly change our society. Forget electing caring representatives, their hands are tied and only as effective as it helps maintain their lives and terms. Nope just make the place better where you are simply by you being there and doing good. If enough of us do that then how great could our lives be...
posted by Dav at 9:47 PM
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