"...every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around" (David, Vanilla Sky)
Yet, knowingly, we keep on wasting a bunch of them on a whole lot of stuff which comprise what we call everyday life, and with that wasting the chance, if we ever had one, of finding ourselves a real one, happiness, fulfilment, of finding whatever there is when you "turn it all around".
Yes, but not every minute can be used to "turn it all around", that would be impossible and quite undesirable. Everyday life need not be a waste of time - we can use every minute to learn, feel, think, create, and if we don't, either because we can't or because we won't, we can always try harder, or accept that we won't change. Hopefully we can use some minutes to be better prepared for that minute which we can use to "turn it all around" (not all minutes are the same). Either way, it's all subjective, even the concept of "waste".
ReplyDeleteObviously, I wasn't trying to say we should turn it all around once at each minute that passes, though that might be someone's idea of an awesome life, it's not at all mine.
ReplyDeleteI agree that everyday life doesn't "need" to be a waste of time, but I disagree that we can use every minute to learn, feel think and create, precisely because everyday life doesn't let us and forces us to waste a surprisingly big amount of minutes on tasks that are to the self and even to the community usually quite unnecessary.
There is no point in brooding on the chances we wasted because we couldn't or wouldn't change something (or everything) but later realize we should have. But there is a point in thinking about how one sometimes feels as if he is being discouraged to risk it, occupied every single minute and loosing every single chance of "turning it all around". Accepting that we won't would produce (or is producing) a moronic society to which I0d rather not belong.
Using some minutes to be better prepared for the one that might bring that chance to turn it all over is exactly what I am doing and inciting others to do when I speak about this.
Subjective? All opinions are subjective. Does that make them less important than facts (themselves mostly mere opinions widely accepted and then found to be wrong when other facts are "discovered")? You'll agree, I presume, that even if one assumes that considering these minutes wasted is a matter of opinion, it's still important to think about it and probably try to change it, be it the opinion or be it the waste?
You are over thinking my answers.
ReplyDeleteOf course we can use all the minutes to think, feel, create and learn. Some people can do that even if they're doing the most useless task ever. Or do you propose you're not thinking when you do it? The mere fact that you realize there are more important things you could be doing is thinking, some would say productive thinking. We could, of course, disagree on this, which is why I said "waste of time" is subjective - more on that in a bit.
Of course that accepting that we won't change would create a moronic society. Didn't you understand this from my comment? I said that when we realize we are wasting time we have two options: try to change it, which we would do if it was important for us, or accept it, if we don't care. I'm sure you can easily guess which one I agree with.
Yes, all opinions are subjective. So what? I never said they were less important than facts (I never even mentioned any facts). It's just that your original text was very definitive, like you assumed everyone is wasting their time, or that everyone needs to turn it all around ("we keep on wasting a bunch of them on a whole lot of stuff which comprise what we call everyday life", "wasting the chance, if we ever had one, of finding ourselves a real one"). I was merely pointing out this was a completely subjective matter.
Of course this is an important subject, though I wouldn't try to change the opinion. Would you? Changing the waste, in case it's happening, I can get behind.
You seem to be over thinking some of mine to, as is usual when one reads and writes about these kind of subjects. Let me try to clarify some of it.
ReplyDeleteYou never said opinions were less important than facts. I agree, and were not accusing you of the contrary, I was merely making a point, and one that I understand we both agree on.
I also know that you'd rather not accept the moronic society were you to notice that we were all wasting all our time and becoming one, and you'd be right there with me fighting against it.
Hoping all that is clear (and I'd love to talk to anyone who would actually disagree) there is one subject on which we don't think alike. In my opinion and from my experience we can't use all the minutes to think, learn or create, at least not in the way we would want or need or would consider personally or globally useful. Many of the contemporary life tasks are perfect in achieving precisely that: a society of people who keep doing stuff and believe that they understand why and think they are contributing when in fact most of us are mere pawns. These tasks, useless or not, keep you from free complex thinking and they occupy most of the minutes of your life. And that's is precisely why, even if one agrees that any minute could be used to "turn it all around", one is likely to not even notice the chances or noticing them but not being capable or prepared to take action.