Living our life without escape
Many of us spend a significant portion of our available time amusing ourselves with any number of entertainment escapes, most notably video games, internet surfing and television.
Entertainment activities, such as these, often cause the participant to avoid interactive activities, which are generally more physically engaging. Such activities also tend to lead the participant towards spending most of their available time amusing themselves, as opposed to accomplishing something that will benefit them over the long-run.
For many years I have observed the effects of entertainment obsession and contemplated the long-term effects of taking this path. Each time I considered the possibilities, I confirmed to myself that it is not possible to reach one's potential if they are forever a spectator in their life and not an actual participant blazing a new path for themselves.
While there are a few educational benefits to be derived from our society's many forms of entertainment, these benefits cannot even begin to outweigh the benefits of building-up one's character through the experience of a truly spontaneous and unscripted life.
Spontaneous experience helps to build a unique personality and allows one to explore where few others dare to go anymore.
Often, I would think of the possible reasons why individuals would rather play an electronic game than actually doing something in the physical world. I think that the true addicts are using video games to give themselves the feeling that they are actually in control of their lives. It is essentially the easy way of getting the stimulus they want, as opposed to garnering such stimulus in the physical world itself.
These individuals do not seem to be in control of their lives and often they complain about their problems; which could have been solved, had they dedicated their available time to solving them instead of seeking escape.
Every week that goes by makes them more dependent upon society because they haven't utilized their time to solve real-life problems. Unlike a video game, when you solve problems in real life the benefits of finding that solution remain, whereas in a video game most of the benefits disappear when you hit the off-switch.
Imagine the difference it would make if one of these individuals were to spend that time building and maintaining a garden.
My own experience involved such a transformation. I turned away from games and entertainment and turned my attention towards becoming naturally self-sufficient by producing most of my own food during the spring and summer.
If I hadn't made such a transition, it is likely that I would have never discovered the many wonders of gardening and natural health. Gardening and natural health are a valuable combination; they can keep you out of the doctor's office and the supermarket. I am truly glad that I threw out my television and turned to mother nature for the answers. I hope to see more of us taking a similar path as we realize what a waste of time it is to merely be "entertained" all of the time whilst getting no-where in the greater scheme of things.
2 comments:
Instant and delayed gratification. I've been in and out of your site for at least 8 months now. Heard about you through opposing digits, which i learned about in return when i was going through my Alex Jones phase.
Never have I left a common here or there, but today I feel compelled. Being that i find it kind of ironic Im reading this passage in this particular present in my life. The line of "not being able to reach ones potential if they are forever spectators". That struck me the same way a line from a book called A Soul Aflame (a book of hours) which was given to me by this really smart counselor in rehab it said, "stop talking about great souls, and become one yourself". Intense.
Im guilty of seeking escape in more ways than one, some even obligatory to myself. Indeed most of the benefits disappear when you hit the off switch. Or in my case when the music stops. It's just you at the end when your head touches the pillow. When the car looses control at a hundred miles an hour the motor shuts off, the electric goes out, the stench of rubber fills your lungs, and the music stops.
Had I not gone through this life changing experience its very probable I would have continued in all my addictions and lifestyle. Would have never bought my jupiter ionizer, started going into sites like my strange mind or mercola. I anticipate having my own garden myself one day. I always enjoy reading self improvement orientated information. Right on bro.
Well Im off to see the movie 300. My name is vik and im a recovering movie holic and im about to relapse.
Indeed instant gratification will be the death of us if we fail to have a transfigurating experience quite soon. The need to become independent, breaking the shackles of societal routines is greater than ever.
The continued use of the corporate world to meet survival needs will fail as taxes rise, interest rates increase, currencies debase, natural resources become scarce and society slips into ever more lawless forms of tyranny in order to deal with the resulting chaos.
I think we are all guilty, on some level, of trying to escape our responsibility of having true compassion in each moment. When we waste our time and flounder around, as is so encouraged in our society, we are not tending to the things that really need our time.
Many of us are going to need a shocking experience, like the one you described, if we are to snap out of our trance. I think that nature has a method of doing this, and it will probably involve a catastrophe or a miracle (if we are fortunate), it can be natural or man-made.
Gardens are great to have, they pay for themselves very quickly and the skills you obtain from it may save your life one day, or at the very least, they will make your dependency on the supermarket minimal; something which, when you add it all up, makes a huge difference economically and ecologically.
It was nice to meet you, Vik, it is nice to know that someone else sees things this way.
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