March 18, 2006
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Ever get the feeling that your life is all one big cosmic joke? Ever get the sense that it’s only a matter of time before the rug is pulled out from under you? Ever wonder if, when you’re in your 80’s and on your deathbed and about to take your final breath, everyone you’ve ever known will jump out from behind a bunch of boxes and from the corners of your nursing home room and yell out ‘Surprise!!’ Well I have and my recommendation to you is to either realize that it’s a joke and enjoy the building for the rest of your life, or to at least laugh along with the rest of them before you die. The one thing I would not recommend is taking yourself or your life too seriously. For as long as humanity has existed we have invented some very interesting ways to convince ourselves that it’s not a joke, or at least to escape that realization when it finally comes to us. Religion, Careers, Drugs, Movies, Sex and even the NCAA tournament going on as I type is a way of escaping. It’s not a bad thing to enjoy these things, just be sure not to make any one of them the exclusive focus of your life.
Think of one you are about to take that last breath. How much will all that time you spent on all of those things really help you when you’re thinking over the life you chose? If you’ve spent 30 years going from a mail room assistant to a corporate CEO, but have lost the love of your friends and family due to all the energy expending trying to climb the ladder, is it going to be worth it? Say you’ve watched Star Wars 100 times and know all sorts of facts about the Star Wars universe and even the making of the films, what will it mean when you know you have only a few minutes left. So you’ve become the ‘top dog’ on an online game like Everquest, or have 3,000,000 points and are admired by ever other online poker player in Yahoo Texas hold em. Once you’re old and rotting away on a hospital table, what will it matter?
So am I asking you to stop doing anything that seems trivial or that won’t further the state of your soul or whatever? No. Just be aware of what it is you are doing. If you’re going to invest 100’s of hours into movies, religion, or an Online game, that’s ok! Just know that you’re just distracting yourself from the fate that awaits you in a few years.
Myself? I distract myself via existentialist philosophy and cynical ramblings on an online site usually dedicated to giving off whatever appearances fit our moods. Impressions are fun no? Later on I will distract myself by reading some more of the Hobbit. Even later on I will distract myself by eating some friend chicken(unless Kroger’s is STILL out). Later on after that I will distract myself by watching Midway again and then probably Hercules(with Leelee Sobieski). It’s all distraction my friend. It’s not good, it’s not evil. It just is. Like us. Now stop distracting yourself by reading my post and go give someone a hug. It’s one of the few genuine acts left in this world of impressions and distractions. Make someone smile. It’ll help them stay distracted.
Comments (2)
i know my life is a joke. a cruel one at times. like now. and i’ll take one of those hugs! only b/c i know that it is genuine coming from you. i am also aware that i distract myself every day. it’s funny that i am so aware of it. b/c i know that if i dwell on the things that make me cry myself to sleep at night, if i dwell on them all day, then i’ll never be able to see through my tears. it is the only way that i make it through the day, with the distractions. and in all reality, that is what i am going to do after i finish checking xangas, b/c the reason i do that is to get a different perspective on the lives of my friends. and some are more comfortable here and share more freely what they feel in words. the trick with distractions is to never stay distraced by the same thing for too long, or it doesn’t work it’s magic anymore. all things in moderation. (except the occasional excess to keep moderation from becoming habit.)
I’m aware that I distract myself too. I think I’m more prone to dealing with reality, though (at least in my head, not always in action). I agree with Nikki on moderation. You can’t build layer upon layer of distraction until you don’t know what reality is or who you are anymore, but you can’t get sucked into complete reality and let it overwhelm you, either. Then again, complete reality is fine, if you can deal with it, meaning reality is good or it’s “good” with mental assistance, through God, people, or self-help.