Right before my eyes

"Right before my eyes, I saw the whole world lose control. The whole world lost control before my eyes.  I fell through the floor,  I couldn't take it anymore, I can't take this anymore,  It breaks my mind" Lyrics by Cage the Elephant

An exploration of the strength that is sometimes needed to exist or not exist in the spiralling sphere of  uncontainable chaos.

I bet you think this post is about you

I must start by advising that some readers may find this post particularly insensitive or offensive.  This is not my intention.

A recent observation has introduced me to another side of vanity. I have found that the word and its meaning have in fact adopted a new and orchestrated phenomenon that has quickly started to obsess the masses.  It’s as though the word itself continues to expand its own self-indulging influence.  What a clever little word!

I stumbled upon this insight through the use of the very popular and sought after social networking mediums that saturate our minds, time and lately lives.  The realisation that vanity has indeed been elevated in its principal, hit me when I suddenly noticed the abundance of images, tags, check-ins, status updates and profile picture changes that occur each minute of every day.  

Of course these on-going notifications  would  be easier to stomach if the pictures perhaps told more of a story than boasting the common  pouted lip and hands on hip pose, serving the single minded purpose of telling the world “ I’m hot and jolling tonight.”  Or if the intellectually debilitating statuses offered more than an informative update on an individual’s expert sports opinion, emotional infatuation with love, or tasteless diet (a word to the bulging muscled bench monkeys, nobody gives a toss about your body fat percentage and flavourless protein shakes!).

The glaring increase in self-adoration and vanity is apparent in the users need to constantly inform the world of their whereabouts. These GPS alerts coupled with images sporting the famous zoo lander pout, are merely meals of scripted sensationalism for countless followers waiting to pass their comment or approval.

The point I’m trying to make is that these advanced tools of social connection are in fact an unknowing contribution to our detriment.  The focus has been shifted from the nurturing of the inner self, to rather the external perception that we portray to the virtual world.  People are consistently pre-occupied with dressing their social mediums, in turn, deflating the value of substantial interaction, and rather emphasising the so called importance of aesthetically pleasing, ephemeral, and limited human encounters. The consequence of which, manifesting a generation of posers who worry more about the visual messages they are sending, rather than concentrating on their live and living networks.  The time and energy exuded in perfecting their public portrait, is therefore understandable. More alarming, is that some will even go as far as to falsify their public displays, so as to live up to what now has become a platform of expectation.

You may or may not see this as a concern. But from where I’m sitting, I see this vanity seeping into areas previously unaffected.  It has become more than just a little self-affirmation, and has developed into an attitude that cultivates traits of superiority, arrogance and obsession.  I am afraid for the men and women that we are raising.  What chance do they have of being humble, when surrounded by a surge of pretention? I ask myself this, for I see, what I have called growing vanity, as a probing force of slow and subtle destruction.  The one who loves himself outwardly instead of inwardly cannot possess a genuine love for others. Instead, this person inhibits an obtuse insecurity and oblivious disregard for moments of truth and value.

Perhaps I am being a pessimist, but if I look back on our social progression over the years, or rather degression, I am forced to acknowledge the inevitable, and the worst part about the inevitable, is that there is no escaping it. I think at this point, the only thing you can do is hope that you have the smarts to exist in it.

In the ironic words of Blaise Pascal, “ Vanity is so secure in the heart of man that everyone wants to be admired: even I who write this, and you who read this.”

Lust



" Lust will break you heart. Rather skip this step and opt for Love or Hate instead"



Murphy's Law- Fate or Failure?

I believe the term Murphy’s Law is usually awarded by a string of firing profanities.  The negative emotion, on which this law preys, is one that can turn you the darkest shade of red whilst awakening the bellowing beast within you.  My personal encounter with the law has often left me in an utter state of contempt that manifests a deepened disappointment beyond my puny control.

Alanis Morrisette once said “life has a funny way of helping you out”.  The ironic thing however, is that we always think it’s out to get us.  Failure, unfortunately, has become an infallible concept which we unknowingly welcome.

The law of Murphy, more often than not, instils an unrestricted sense of failure that provokes our inherent nature to accept self-blame.  “If only I had gone the day before, I would have been there to see it, him or her”. How often have you heard yourself say this? And how often have you hated and blamed yourself for it! An example that’s only a drop in the sparkling blue ocean compared to all the other morbid pity we’ve invited to wallow.  This pathetic self-loathing comes to serve as a well varnished platform  for circumventing the inconsiderate agenda of fate.  Fate? -  A controversial notion reserved for optimistic lyricists and annoying pseudo tree huggers?

I would be inclined to almost always agree with a statement like this; however an aberration from the norm can sometimes be healthy.  As fate would have it, I have somewhat warmed to the suspicious conception.  I would like to think that despite the frequent woes and inconveniences that life delivers, there’s an empathetic force that unquestionably sides with the voice of reason of which we are not always privy. At times, of course, a satisfying pacifier known as hindsight may grace you with inspiring revelations, and, when this is sadly not the case, all you’re left with is a bit of good ol faith.

Therefore, I propose we ditch the law of Murphy, and rather institute a bill of belief! A belief that the universe is not always the bad guy; that there’s a hope that lingers in a form perhaps unfamiliar to human comprehension.

So the next time you think that Murphy has tried to have his way with you, consider yourself rather, a victim of the bill of belief, and shout  at the top of your lungs “ Shew that was close!! “  

Fine line between fact & fantasy

Fantasy is not real…Fact! However I find myself of late arguing whether or not this is indeed the case.

My traditional opinion on the subject of flying broom sticks and obnoxious wizard hats is one engrained with deep scepticism. Perhaps this derives from a childhood afflicted with a cold reality served upfront.  Don’t get me wrong, I had the one eyed dolls with oversized heads and skimmed the pictured pages of Enid Blyton. But this never compensated for my unquenchable thirst for the real deal. My lack of interest in the popular KTV channel and cartoon skits was a prognosis all on its own . I was simply unimpressed by the delusion of the disney dimwits who could get ridden flat over by a moving vehicle and still stand to tell the tale, by just a shake of the head. Perhaps it was those buzzing birdies who would circle the injured characters that sparked my inexplicable intolerance today for the feathered species.

My thoughts on the matter, reach out to the innocent minors who have to bear the brunt of this blatant lie. They are obliviously nurtured into generations who are embezzled by a youth that offered an unsubstantiated promise of immortality.  The result? A misled multitude of gross invincibility thriving in a world of concentrated fantasy.

Albeit imagination is a healthy adoption and an aid of escapism, I believe it is the dosage that needs monitored administration. Cynical? Maybe. The cartoon reference above is merely a childish metaphor for the bigger picture. It is the levels at which the fantasy is applied in everyday life that is concerning. It creeps into the most basic of nuances; from personal perception to social integration. If one had to evaluate the deceptions that they have allowed themselves to entertain over the years, both consciously and subconsciously, the revelations would explain an unparalleled divorce from the truth.

We cannot be fooled by the power of suppression, as it is this human ability that falsely guides us. Unfortunately, the only way to avoid the soul searching realms of ignostic Buddhist retreats and monasteries is to continue living this way.  The fantasy has become the only reality we know, and any aversion would erupt the being into a state of disarray. This is why I have come to believe that there is fine line between fact and fantasy; a line that only a small population have the curiosity and capability to cross.

Deal with it

" The only way to forget is to remember"  Stephen Cope