A word that I think everyone is familiar with is efficiency. Now I don't know about you but I don't have the best associations with that word. It means getting more done in less time which should be a good thing, right?. Get the dumb crap out of the way so that you have more time to spend on the things that matter, right? But it always seems like whoever wants to talk to me about efficiency wants to eat up all of my time. They don't see efficiency the way I see it. They see me getting more things done in less time, and then take that free time, and then make me work harder.
A word I associate with efficiency is insecurity. The story goes something like this: you need to work as hard as you can, pinch every penny and milk every minute because if you don't someone else will and you'll be thrown aside. It's a little mind game employers, teachers and other authority figures play with you. The only way to stay in the game and reap the "rewards" of the system is to constantly figure out ways to deliver what they want faster and faster. And you have to play the game, or else someone else will take your spot. It could be your friend. It doesn't matter. You better start running or better get packing.
Since we can't be productive all the time we then have to justify our natural non-work needs like sleep and food. We call these "breaks" because work is what's supposed to be the norm and things like destressing and clearing your head are considered deviations from work. While no work is done on breaks, breaks are believed to make you more efficient. It's hard to quantify how efficient a break can make you so there's always pressure to keep breaks as small as possible to maximize work. This creates a very nonsensical situation because then we'll rush to bed to relax for the sole purpose of being ready to tackle all that work you have to do that you're probably freaking out. And somehow in all of this, efficiency means doing more in less time. Where's that extra time? Where's your reward for all of your hard work?
Am I the only one who thinks this idea is a load of crap? Work hours on average have doubled since the 1970's, and are only continuing to rise. If we took all of those time saving hours and gave them back to ourselves instead of reinvesting them into our work, the average person would only have to work 850 hours a year or just over 20 hours a week! We can work 20 hours a week and still have the same standard of living! What the hell is going on here!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Run to Bed! You Won't Relax if You Don't Run!
(This is an old post off my old blog. Still good, still worthwhile. Enjoy!)
It is 3:59 on Sunday June 14th.
The words that everyone would use to describe my situation would be the expression "I can't sleep". And it's true, I can't sleep. But I never viewed sleep as an act of will. Look at that phrase. "I can't sleep." Like sleep is a just another verb. "I can't jump." "I can't swim". Sleeping's not an act of mental might. You can crawl into bed, but you can't force yourself into sleep. That's ridiculous. Sleep comes to you. Sleep is anything but in our control. Of course, I'm not talking about sleeping drugs or chemicals or warm milk. Whatever. I'm talking about using your mind alone.
What if sleep were a normal force of nature, and when you couldn't sleep you were out of line with nature? Let's rephrase that. What if sleep showed itself only to people who had the right mindset, and all the people who couldn't sleep are either using sleep for some unhealthy application or have the wrong mindset? Here I am, twisting and reshaping myself in bed trying to get the most optimal body shape that would best result in bringing sleep to me. The most optimal sleep set up that would most enhance the likelyhood of getting to sleep. Flipped the pillow over to get to the cold side? Check. Window open? Check. Sleeping on my right side with my right hand behind the head pillow? Check. I was trying to bring sleep to me and I was trying too hard. And here's my thoughts as I'm twisting, turning and forcing my way into sleep.
Damnit, it's 3! Alright quick, how does sleep work? How do I usually fall asleep? You have to sit still. You have to sit still,be comfortable and don't move. Then sleep starts to come and it starts to bridge your thoughts together, and when your thoughts start to bridge together you eventually just slip out and you don't even know it. Okay then, let's start bridging thoughts together. Okay, uh...let's take this random thought you've had about cake and put it together with Snakes on a Plane. Uh, Cakes on a Plane. And the soundtrack can be the sounds of the engine and of the cake mixer. Matter of fact, I'm going to even listen to them right now while I imagine a scene from Cakes on a Plane. Are we there yet? Can I stop now and just drift along already?*
Clearly the wrong way to do this. Sleep is a natural process.
And it's this anxiety that I have that drives it all, this fear. Go to sleep. Bad things will happen to you if you don't. My anxiety isn't that rational, it isn't so outspoken and clear like that but I tried my best. My internal, fearful push to sleep doesn't use words. It speaks in the language of flight or fight responses. Sleep is a juicy, delicious fruit to be savored. Relaxing can be a wonderful, centering, and enlightening experience that puts the madness of life into perspective. We'll gain no real recuperation by only thinking of relaxation as a breaks between shifts whose sole function is to keep efficiency high during the work shifts. I have wanted to go to sleep so I can perform well tomorrow. Sometimes, our survival depends on us being at the top of our game and we need sleep to do that, but you can't fake the funk. It's infuriating, I know, but you aren't relaxing unless you're true to yourself and you inherent desire to relax. Not for your boss or your work, just for your own satisfaction.
And hey, it's not like I know anything about sleeping. It's now 4:30 in the morning and I'm still no sleep guru with years of good sleep or have a line of books that have been featured on Oprah. You'd have to be crazy to take me seriously.
*That's usually what happens when I fall asleep. This type of mindset falls on me and it's a place where music, words, images and movement are all linked and you can describe a gesture with a sound, or denote the meaning of a word with a landscape. And when that happens I usually drift off. I can't give a good example now because I'm, y'know, awake.
It is 3:59 on Sunday June 14th.
The words that everyone would use to describe my situation would be the expression "I can't sleep". And it's true, I can't sleep. But I never viewed sleep as an act of will. Look at that phrase. "I can't sleep." Like sleep is a just another verb. "I can't jump." "I can't swim". Sleeping's not an act of mental might. You can crawl into bed, but you can't force yourself into sleep. That's ridiculous. Sleep comes to you. Sleep is anything but in our control. Of course, I'm not talking about sleeping drugs or chemicals or warm milk. Whatever. I'm talking about using your mind alone.
What if sleep were a normal force of nature, and when you couldn't sleep you were out of line with nature? Let's rephrase that. What if sleep showed itself only to people who had the right mindset, and all the people who couldn't sleep are either using sleep for some unhealthy application or have the wrong mindset? Here I am, twisting and reshaping myself in bed trying to get the most optimal body shape that would best result in bringing sleep to me. The most optimal sleep set up that would most enhance the likelyhood of getting to sleep. Flipped the pillow over to get to the cold side? Check. Window open? Check. Sleeping on my right side with my right hand behind the head pillow? Check. I was trying to bring sleep to me and I was trying too hard. And here's my thoughts as I'm twisting, turning and forcing my way into sleep.
Damnit, it's 3! Alright quick, how does sleep work? How do I usually fall asleep? You have to sit still. You have to sit still,be comfortable and don't move. Then sleep starts to come and it starts to bridge your thoughts together, and when your thoughts start to bridge together you eventually just slip out and you don't even know it. Okay then, let's start bridging thoughts together. Okay, uh...let's take this random thought you've had about cake and put it together with Snakes on a Plane. Uh, Cakes on a Plane. And the soundtrack can be the sounds of the engine and of the cake mixer. Matter of fact, I'm going to even listen to them right now while I imagine a scene from Cakes on a Plane. Are we there yet? Can I stop now and just drift along already?*
Clearly the wrong way to do this. Sleep is a natural process.
And it's this anxiety that I have that drives it all, this fear. Go to sleep. Bad things will happen to you if you don't. My anxiety isn't that rational, it isn't so outspoken and clear like that but I tried my best. My internal, fearful push to sleep doesn't use words. It speaks in the language of flight or fight responses. Sleep is a juicy, delicious fruit to be savored. Relaxing can be a wonderful, centering, and enlightening experience that puts the madness of life into perspective. We'll gain no real recuperation by only thinking of relaxation as a breaks between shifts whose sole function is to keep efficiency high during the work shifts. I have wanted to go to sleep so I can perform well tomorrow. Sometimes, our survival depends on us being at the top of our game and we need sleep to do that, but you can't fake the funk. It's infuriating, I know, but you aren't relaxing unless you're true to yourself and you inherent desire to relax. Not for your boss or your work, just for your own satisfaction.
And hey, it's not like I know anything about sleeping. It's now 4:30 in the morning and I'm still no sleep guru with years of good sleep or have a line of books that have been featured on Oprah. You'd have to be crazy to take me seriously.
*That's usually what happens when I fall asleep. This type of mindset falls on me and it's a place where music, words, images and movement are all linked and you can describe a gesture with a sound, or denote the meaning of a word with a landscape. And when that happens I usually drift off. I can't give a good example now because I'm, y'know, awake.
Monday, September 20, 2010
When Marijuana Get Legalized, You're Gonna See Some Serious Shit
I think it's safe to say that alcohol just isn't as cool as marijuana. Alcohol is normalized and accepted into society. It's sold in mass produced bottles, there's only a few major brands per type of alcohol (as far as a college kid like myself is concerned). It's not like the average guy is brewing his own tequila. And I don't think most people develop good relationships with their local liquor store. Let's contrast this with weed. Weed isn't accepted into society, at least not officially. Because of its "underground" and illegal properties it's a bit of an adventure to go out and buy some. People do in fact grow their own weed that they're really proud of. There are thousands of different kinds of weed, and then there's the thousands more kinds that aren't actually new kinds but are other kinds that are just renamed. Weed is a bit magical. Which was why
this article interested me.
Very simply, the author's talking about what's going to happen to the state of getting high if weed gets legalized. Weed is going to be put under the same economic logic as any business. So prepare for weed pills labeled with precise dose counts of THC. They'll put a number on how much of a head high you'll get. They're going to take all of the magical properties of weed and make them a matter of science. You'll probably even smoke weed that's been genetically modified and patented, so that when you come across a seed you'll be slapped with a lawsuit if you try to plant it for yourself. Not to say that we shouldn't legalize weed. But as we bring marijuana into the light it's important to ask what type of world we're going to bring it in to.
this article interested me.
Very simply, the author's talking about what's going to happen to the state of getting high if weed gets legalized. Weed is going to be put under the same economic logic as any business. So prepare for weed pills labeled with precise dose counts of THC. They'll put a number on how much of a head high you'll get. They're going to take all of the magical properties of weed and make them a matter of science. You'll probably even smoke weed that's been genetically modified and patented, so that when you come across a seed you'll be slapped with a lawsuit if you try to plant it for yourself. Not to say that we shouldn't legalize weed. But as we bring marijuana into the light it's important to ask what type of world we're going to bring it in to.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
We just shit all over the past
Yeah, you heard me right. We do. When we think about people from the past it’s almost normal to shit-talk them. Why? Because they’re not as smart as us. Modern man, complete with iPods, computers, refrigerators and cars is better and smarter than those centuries of people behind them. Why are we smarter than them? Because they didn’t think of inventing the shit we invented. Hurr durr, you guys must be dumbasses. Any jackass could have invented the internet. Come on, where’s your head at? It’s also not common that people research their ancestors and learn their story. “Who the fuck cares?” goes the common story. Well, are you not like your parents? And are they not like their parents? Chances are, you and your great grandparents would have gotten along at some level. Maybe you would have been friends if you were born in their time.
We don’t give people in our past equal consideration. When presented with the options of going out to party and getting drunk versus dusting off an old book you found in the attic written by your great-great grandfather and reading it on a Friday night, most people would probably go out party. And that book could have been just bulletpoints! It could have been an easy to read, funny and awesome story of your great-great-grandfather’s life condensed down into its most meaningful moments. But no. We’d rather go out party. And a lot of times, people party with people they don’t even like! That is to say that a lot of times people spend their nights not even having fun! But no. We’d rather hang out with our friends. Here. In the present.
Part of me thinks that this complaint against society isn’t really valid. My counter to this complaint is a voice in my head that sarcastically snarls “Wait, wait. So you don’t like how people are treating people in the past unfairly? People who aren’t even here anymore? Don’t you think we got enough inequality going on here in the present?” It’s a valid point. And it’s probably not even true for everyone. I bet some families around here really are proud of their heritage and know their family trees inside and out, even do crazy stuff like trace their origin back to the Mayflower. But learning about your family’s past would make you feel a hell of a lot more secure. Next time your teacher or whatever comes around and wants to do something that gets you down you could roundhouse kick them in the face and say “Fuck you! My great-great father helped Lincoln run for president! I don’t have to stand for this shit!”
I wanna find out all the sweet stuff my family did. I bet my family's got some pretty sweet stories.
We don’t give people in our past equal consideration. When presented with the options of going out to party and getting drunk versus dusting off an old book you found in the attic written by your great-great grandfather and reading it on a Friday night, most people would probably go out party. And that book could have been just bulletpoints! It could have been an easy to read, funny and awesome story of your great-great-grandfather’s life condensed down into its most meaningful moments. But no. We’d rather go out party. And a lot of times, people party with people they don’t even like! That is to say that a lot of times people spend their nights not even having fun! But no. We’d rather hang out with our friends. Here. In the present.
Part of me thinks that this complaint against society isn’t really valid. My counter to this complaint is a voice in my head that sarcastically snarls “Wait, wait. So you don’t like how people are treating people in the past unfairly? People who aren’t even here anymore? Don’t you think we got enough inequality going on here in the present?” It’s a valid point. And it’s probably not even true for everyone. I bet some families around here really are proud of their heritage and know their family trees inside and out, even do crazy stuff like trace their origin back to the Mayflower. But learning about your family’s past would make you feel a hell of a lot more secure. Next time your teacher or whatever comes around and wants to do something that gets you down you could roundhouse kick them in the face and say “Fuck you! My great-great father helped Lincoln run for president! I don’t have to stand for this shit!”
I wanna find out all the sweet stuff my family did. I bet my family's got some pretty sweet stories.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Hello, World.
This post is here to fully explain the purposes of this blog that weren't covered by the header.
It's a strange world we call home. A world where we doubt we could have a good time with people that wasn't fueled by something external to us; weed, alcohol, cocaine, other drugs, TV, movies, video games. Of course. We couldn't be creative enough to make our own fun. We rely on other people. A world where little children are told by men in suits that if it weren't for their toys they wouldn't make friends and when the children grow older they doubt if they can pick up a girl without alcohol. I mean, it's only natural, no one could ever like you just for who you are. Your choice of things to wear and buy are what makes you appealing to people. It's also a world where people are afraid of opening up their own electronics because they don't have the proper clearance. I mean, it's not like we're experts or anything. It's also a world where people are afraid to be real with each other, because, no, they couldn't be like me and if I started being real I would drive them away. This world sure does have a lot of ways to get you down, doesn't it? Who the hell came up with these ideas? Who thought this was a good way to live? And even if you claim that you're not affected, is this really the place where you want to live? Or raise a family?
This is wastelandamerica.blogspot.com. I'm going to break down society into easy to digest chunks for you and myself with the aim of living a life worth living. We'll chase down these villainous beliefs to their cores and then rip 'em out by the roots. My beliefs are humanitarian, my political leaning is independent, and I believe that we can bring the good world back.
We'll be in touch.
It's a strange world we call home. A world where we doubt we could have a good time with people that wasn't fueled by something external to us; weed, alcohol, cocaine, other drugs, TV, movies, video games. Of course. We couldn't be creative enough to make our own fun. We rely on other people. A world where little children are told by men in suits that if it weren't for their toys they wouldn't make friends and when the children grow older they doubt if they can pick up a girl without alcohol. I mean, it's only natural, no one could ever like you just for who you are. Your choice of things to wear and buy are what makes you appealing to people. It's also a world where people are afraid of opening up their own electronics because they don't have the proper clearance. I mean, it's not like we're experts or anything. It's also a world where people are afraid to be real with each other, because, no, they couldn't be like me and if I started being real I would drive them away. This world sure does have a lot of ways to get you down, doesn't it? Who the hell came up with these ideas? Who thought this was a good way to live? And even if you claim that you're not affected, is this really the place where you want to live? Or raise a family?
This is wastelandamerica.blogspot.com. I'm going to break down society into easy to digest chunks for you and myself with the aim of living a life worth living. We'll chase down these villainous beliefs to their cores and then rip 'em out by the roots. My beliefs are humanitarian, my political leaning is independent, and I believe that we can bring the good world back.
We'll be in touch.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Desire Makes Us Unhappy
...or maybe not. Still deciding where I want to host my blog. In the mean time, here's an old rant of mine that's still fresh.
Maybe it’s the philosophy class that’s growing on me. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve had to read Brave New World in another class. And maybe it’s my own frustrations of living with A.D.D. that are starting to pile on high enough for me to notice that led me to post this today. But I don’t think I can live a life driven by desire anymore. Somewhere, somehow I picked up the idea that happiness is the fulfillment of my desires; that being happy means endlessly trying to get what I want because if I don’t it’ll just eat at me. Let’s take it down to a more practical level: You’ve got a song stuck in your head. It’s been there for the past two days. You have no idea who sings it but it’s addictive and it’s been driving you nuts that you only know a few words of it. You search for the few words you know and you get nothing. You got to Yahoo Answers and ask them, and it seems that with each barrier you come across you want the song more and more. Finally you find it on youtube and with the right program you extract the mp3 from it. The itching is over!…until next week when it’ll happen again.
I think this is a cultural idea. This is a cultural belief that we’ve been taught to believe in. Happiness is getting what you want. Let’s break this idea down.
Happiness is getting what you want, and not only that, but it’s a global rule for all of society too. For all of us to be happy, we must satisfy our own individual itches. You’ll attend to whatever floats your boat and I’ll attend to whatever floats my boat. You can’t criticize other people’s wants. Their wants, just as twisted as they may be, are in pursuit of happiness just like yours are. To criticize someone else’s wants is to be a hypocrite. There’s some restrictions on the things that society doesn’t want you to want, like drugs, child pornography, and harming another person, but there’s absolutely no society-wide endorsement of a want. Society didn’t teach all children that they should hunger to learn, or desire to be the best person they can be. Not even religion gets a stamp of approval from everyone. What has filled the void instead, what we all can agree on, is wanting. That way, you can do what you do and I’ll do what I’ll do. There’s only individual wants. Satisfying them is your business and you can’t tell me what to want because relativism is the only thing we’ll agree on.
I am so pleased to say that this philosophy has problems.
1) If happiness is the satisfaction of desires, then by definition it will not last. You’ll be happy when you buy a new toy. But then you will grow bored of the toy and the unhappiness will return, and buying another toy will not defeat the unhappiness.
2) Honestly, if we’re so chained to our desires are we even capable of holding ourselves back? Or are we just infants grown old? To demonstrate this point, go down to the store and buy yourself a hard candy. Leave it within arm’s reach. See how long you can hold it there.
3) And if we are so chained to our desires that we can’t hold ourselves back then there’s no way that another 6 billion people can live the same way without entirely strip mining the planet! We’re only a puny 300 million in the US yet use up a quarter of the world’s resources to fuel our desires. We’re gonna need a helluva lot of Earths if we think the rest of the world can live like we do.
4) And finally, what type of backwards-ass world are we living in where if you want to help people, society’s response is “Whatever works for you”?! What type of world are we living in when compassion has become something private? Isn’t helping people good? Don’t you think it should happen more? Then why are we keeping it stached away?
That’s my 2 cents on desire.
Maybe it’s the philosophy class that’s growing on me. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve had to read Brave New World in another class. And maybe it’s my own frustrations of living with A.D.D. that are starting to pile on high enough for me to notice that led me to post this today. But I don’t think I can live a life driven by desire anymore. Somewhere, somehow I picked up the idea that happiness is the fulfillment of my desires; that being happy means endlessly trying to get what I want because if I don’t it’ll just eat at me. Let’s take it down to a more practical level: You’ve got a song stuck in your head. It’s been there for the past two days. You have no idea who sings it but it’s addictive and it’s been driving you nuts that you only know a few words of it. You search for the few words you know and you get nothing. You got to Yahoo Answers and ask them, and it seems that with each barrier you come across you want the song more and more. Finally you find it on youtube and with the right program you extract the mp3 from it. The itching is over!…until next week when it’ll happen again.
I think this is a cultural idea. This is a cultural belief that we’ve been taught to believe in. Happiness is getting what you want. Let’s break this idea down.
Happiness is getting what you want, and not only that, but it’s a global rule for all of society too. For all of us to be happy, we must satisfy our own individual itches. You’ll attend to whatever floats your boat and I’ll attend to whatever floats my boat. You can’t criticize other people’s wants. Their wants, just as twisted as they may be, are in pursuit of happiness just like yours are. To criticize someone else’s wants is to be a hypocrite. There’s some restrictions on the things that society doesn’t want you to want, like drugs, child pornography, and harming another person, but there’s absolutely no society-wide endorsement of a want. Society didn’t teach all children that they should hunger to learn, or desire to be the best person they can be. Not even religion gets a stamp of approval from everyone. What has filled the void instead, what we all can agree on, is wanting. That way, you can do what you do and I’ll do what I’ll do. There’s only individual wants. Satisfying them is your business and you can’t tell me what to want because relativism is the only thing we’ll agree on.
I am so pleased to say that this philosophy has problems.
1) If happiness is the satisfaction of desires, then by definition it will not last. You’ll be happy when you buy a new toy. But then you will grow bored of the toy and the unhappiness will return, and buying another toy will not defeat the unhappiness.
2) Honestly, if we’re so chained to our desires are we even capable of holding ourselves back? Or are we just infants grown old? To demonstrate this point, go down to the store and buy yourself a hard candy. Leave it within arm’s reach. See how long you can hold it there.
3) And if we are so chained to our desires that we can’t hold ourselves back then there’s no way that another 6 billion people can live the same way without entirely strip mining the planet! We’re only a puny 300 million in the US yet use up a quarter of the world’s resources to fuel our desires. We’re gonna need a helluva lot of Earths if we think the rest of the world can live like we do.
4) And finally, what type of backwards-ass world are we living in where if you want to help people, society’s response is “Whatever works for you”?! What type of world are we living in when compassion has become something private? Isn’t helping people good? Don’t you think it should happen more? Then why are we keeping it stached away?
That’s my 2 cents on desire.
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