| Bullshit! Peerless, Are You? |
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| confusion bullshit! food for thought antiposeur extraordinaire the forum |
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Nothing in this world is commonplace, except those that pretend to be otherwise. Often, the extraordinary is artfully concealed, almost casually banal. Ever wondered why I'd place the movie “American Beauty” in such high esteem? Not for its subtle crafting, the textures rich as upholstery, nor the ineffable reality of its actors. What strikes me is its subject: nothing. And, how we must handle being nothing. Do we savage our defiance, proffer humble acceptance, what? For, what is the American nightmare but ubiquity? This is the land of Hollywood, Coca-Cola, jeans, and Britney Spears. Culturally, we are a pain in the ass—strident, insistent, utterly and insufferably obnoxious. Normalcy is horrifying. We cannot fall into anonymity, when we are reared to be noticed. Our ignorance is abysmal. Shakespeare is famous, but how many know of Milton? Think of it! MILTON! You’d be surprised. (It's not pomposity, either. This ranks high on my "universal knowledge any fool should know" list.) On the international scale, we are severely under-educated. In the world view, Americans are dumb brutes, hopeless idealists, or plainly... annoying. It's not wholly true, of course, but have we got an image, or what? Furthermore, shits we may be, but we are the uncontested TOP of the dung heap dammit!, a giant in a room full of middlemen. Power is our accruement, and it is unconditional and absolute. It is of epic girth simply because, clamor as the rest of the world might, they wish to be us. Envy doesn't even begin to describe... it's desire. In the end, however, we are but human. There’s no qualitative pedestal that separates us from another, and we know it. We are, very fairly, truly, equal at the core, in terms of viability, potential, and right to be respected. And we do everything we can to piss on it. We are *not* equal when it comes to opportunity, and you know why? Because people like to piss. Oh, democracy has a wonderful sound, but no one really wants it. We recognize the correctness of it, but in our heart of hearts, there’s a small child who knows the world is his own. More than anything, that is the root of all evil. Every vice can be explained by selfishness, after all. Our greed is not for the mundane realities of material wealth, but power. Violence (or bullying or sadism), is physical power. Social standing (this includes intellectualism… apparently, no one is safe) is another power altogether. Escapism, like booze, drugs, and excessive sex, is the worst of all to me, because it has a despair to it that is brutal. What could be more selfish than throwing away one’s life? I don’t mean degradation of health, though that is an obvious consideration. What I mean is the callousness, the disregard for the responsibilities and indifference to the rewards of living. Live is no longer worth living to its fullest, because the fullest is too colorful to bear—better to numb it into black and white. Where does this selfishness derive from? I’m firmly convinced that we have severe problems accepting ourselves, to quote the old adage, “as who we are”. Clichés aside, we can’t seem to accept that we’re normal people. We are not "special" in the sense of "superior", because that demeans others. We are just people. But without our noses in the air, what do we have to live for? The world would be a miserable place. And yet, interestingly enough, once someone embraces humility fully, they become fascinating individuals, rare gems in the mob. The irony is a bit thick—a cruel joke, even. Still, such an acceptance is extraordinarily difficult, which is probably why those that do make it seem so unique. Does this sound in any way familiar to you? It’s as old as Adam and Eve. It *is* Adam and Eve. It is every coming of age, loss of innocence, fall from greatness story ever conceived. Nearly every great novel has it somehow. It is perhaps the only story we have ever known. The lack of humility I’m talking about is better known, in literary terms, as hubris, but it has a negative connotation I don’t like. The great tragedies will never have a fan of me because of that. A fall from greatness? Please. Indeed, it is painful, but the gratifications are endless. Old hat, wisdom has its price. But wisdom is worth so much more, that I feel we’re getting it cheaply despite all we must endure to attain it. What I’m saying is, it is natural to be base and selfish. What makes us transcendent is our ability to become selfless. So stop whining. Just live with the fact that you’re a normal human being. And breathe a sigh of relief. |
« Last modified: February 22, 2002 » |