We live in the amazing time, where you can get anything, find anything, go anywhere (well...almost everywhere) and you mostly don't have to worry about essential things like people did in the past (crops are failing, 5 out of 6 children are going to die). We are so comfortable in our time that we are just relaxed and enjoying everything we can get. We don't do hard labour as people used to, we get better money, we can entertain ourselves with Breaking Bad on TV and tons of other things instead of cheap whiskey in a brothel. The main difference is that in the past there was a lot of unknown to an ordinary human mind and people dreamed about crossing the ocean on a plane, finding out what's killing the babies, how many stars are there, when today it's all known. What about the new stuff, isn't there always something new? It is, but we're too busy not dreaming about it just because we're so comfortable living. So instead of spending a night next to a fire, looking at the stars we watch youtube, talk to people on-line and play videogames. We're very comfortable. People have realized their potential nowadays yet they do nothing with that. We put a veil in front of our eyes so we wouldn't notice the cold, hard, unexplored depths of human mind or universe so we wouldn't take ourselves out of our comfort zone. And about speaking to strangers: a lot of times those strangers don't even have anything interesting to say. In order to get to the essence of a person you have to break through that veil and found out, what kind of real "fire" is inside. We're too afraid to be judged, too scared to be challenged, too frightened to escape the routine, too nervous about achieving something, too unsure about anything and everything. We, the people, hold ourselves back and only we can break this cycle. Don't look at anyone else and do your own thing, ask yourself what do you want and what do you really think. Imagine there's nobody else around you, and break free of everything that might hold you back. Your mind is one amazing thing and you should explore it and eventually that road will bring you up to your standarts of quality life (I mean the non-routine one). At least that's what I think.
I don't think it's possible to associate hardship with greater levels of industry and creativity. If this was true, the people who experience the most problems ought to be the most innovative and proficient in the world. But history has demonstrated that this is much to the contrary. The Russian peasantry spent 300 years in a state of dull backwardness; and they, among all humans, were arguably enduring one of the harshest habitable climates on Earth. It's our comfort that enables us to devote ourselves to the vast struggle of imagination. Agriculture first had to be developed, and settlements established, before we could organise ourselves into complex systems and societies. I think it's better to say that our complacency - not our comfort - is what subdues the creative striving within us. It's not because we're comparatively at ease that we give ourselves over to apathy and slothfulness. It's because we think that there's nothing - not in our families, or communities, or in our nations - to compel us to achieve great successes in our lives. Some people probably have role models, religions, obsessive parents, or a profound attitude of mind, which motivates them to the completion of unlikely tasks. But for most of us, who are born into undistinguished circumstances, there is very little to provoke the spirit. And I just don't think this can be influenced by things like poverty or starvation.
Oh, yeah, hardship wasn't exactly my point. What I ment is that it's too comfortable to forget about your mind in everything that's sort of known or available right now. Imagine yourself in 1800, right? You've done some work around the house, you've chopped some wood, you went into the house, had a dinner, now what: you sit in front of the fire with your pipe in your mouth thinking about tomorrow, about your relatives, about life. You're not busy, because right now you're doing nothing. Now lets go back to the present time, you came home from work, bought some groceries on the way, cooked some rice & chicken, drank some OJ, opened youtube/tv/videogame/magazine and started doing stuff, which is nothing really. So now you're too busy doing nothing, instead of "exploring your mind". Do you know what I mean? It's like there's too many distractions nowadays then they were.
you mostly don't have to worry about essential things like people did in the past (crops are failing, 5 out of 6 children are going to die)
I'd argue that these essential worries are necessary to feel alive. Will it bring sadness and misery? Sure it will. But to be alive mustn't we feel the entire range or feelings and emotions?In order to get to the essence of a person you have to break through that veil and found out, what kind of real "fire" is inside.
That's what I'm speaking about when I call us to talk to strangers. I feel it's important to get people to remember what the fire feels like. I believe talking to strangers, letting your guard down, and being open are essential to getting the population as a whole to dream again. While it'd only be one person at a time, over time, we'd begin to dream once more.
I was exaggerating there a bit. What I've meant was you had something not letting you into the absolute comfort zone, that clouds up your mind. But how the hell do you do that, when all you can hear is a talk about nothing completely in templates? People don't give out who they are to strangers, you gotta work your way through a man to find out who they really are. You get different answers to the same questions from the people who know you better or worse. In the current time we just create that wall of armor to defend us from society's judgement. So in reality people aren't really interested in who you really are, but in shell you're surrounded with. They would like the idea of knowing real you, but they'd be much more comfortable with a safe shell you've got.I'd argue that these essential worries are necessary to feel alive. Will it bring sadness and misery? Sure it will. But to be alive mustn't we feel the entire range or feelings and emotions?
That's what I'm speaking about when I call us to talk to strangers. I feel it's important to get people to remember what the fire feels like. I believe talking to strangers, letting your guard down, and being open are essential to getting the population as a whole to dream again. While it'd only be one person at a time, over time, we'd begin to dream once more.
You've got to rock the boat! Take the time to know, really know, a total stranger. Get dig under their high walls if you must. But see what stirs them, gets them riled up. Even if you don't agree with it, at least a grand discussion was had.
lol great tune. But it takes too much time and way too much effort. I dislike the shell immediately, because there are really people without it. They're just super rare. I've met a dude like that 3 years ago: completely blew my mind away. No fluff, straight to the point, became a good friend of mine. You know, when people go out there and...let's call it "meet someone" you hope he or she is nice, polite, respectful and all that sort of stuff. They don't want someone who goes "Fuck your point, and here's why". I had a date like that: the girl left feeling all confused and angry with me, because I haven't met her "shell expectations". I immediately get bored with a shell (I like the word "shell" so much in this particular sense :D ). So in the end there's gotta be some changes in society, in the "moral code" that will let people shake off their shackles of I don't know: uncertainty or awkwardness?
The change your speaking of has to occur with what you mentioned at the beginning of that comment.
I know exactly what you mean by meeting those who you can immediately tell would be great friends. That's actually how I met my girlfriend. The aurora she gave off was so encapsulating, I had to get to know her. We spent three years as best friends and the most recent three and a half in a relationship. Just put forth a little effort and talk to those whom you'd think would be awesome to talk to as opposed to the shelled person. Then, work your way up to breaking some shells.But it takes too much time and way too much effort.
If everyone had that mentality, no one would think the thoughts leading them to dream.
When you order a drink, take a first sip and immediately want to spit it out: do you sit there and keeping drinking it, hoping that in the end you will actually like it? Don't you think that a person who has imposed himself in a shell is already corrupted by it and the chance is higher that you won't like him as himself when you finally get to him?
I dream all sort of things all the time, thanks to a long imposure of books, movies, history and video games. And I have friends to talk those things over with. But it's harder to find a real person or to break someone's shell to see what's actually inside of him. My point is: I don't want to waste time digging into someone, who's dreams right now are about a flashy car to impress his friends. I might not even like what's in the end. And now I have to go and spend the same time on someone else? I'd rather go look for someone who's already real, who already has a higher chance of me liking his/her personality. Even if I won't I'm most certainly going to have a very interesting conversation.
As a matter of fact, I do. I'll have the drink a few more times in order to finalize an opinion that I know I can stand behind. For example, every time I even have a sip of Jim Beam, I want to vomit. I've tried it multiple times, and have concluded I really don't Jim Beam. But deep down in that person who is getting that flashy car is someone who is very insecure and in need of someone to care about them.
That is actually what I like most about conversing with strangers. I really enjoy breaking through someones armor and getting to know the person 'underneath'. Just grabbing a beer with a stranger at a bar really builds up a bond, and opens people up like nothing else. Sadly this trait has led me only to relationships of a couple days, since I get bored with them quite fast ...