It's strange that in an age where we live longer and have technology that can provide our every necessity, depression is high and still on the rise. As comedian Louis CK puts it, "everything is amazing but nobody is happy."
This article is an attempt to dive into writing about what we take for granted in life and is something I've written not only for steemit, but to remind myself of a lesson I cross too often.
Maybe it's the fact that we're so busy with so many distractions in the world now that our brains, although stimulated to new levels, are becoming more exhausted and drained just trying to make sense of it all.
Life is complex. The generations of today, particularly in the west and many parts of the east are bombarded by a variety of choices - be it the brand of phone you're looking to buy, which insurance company you want to sign with, which political party do you wanna vote for... Food, clothing, gadgets, gizmo's...
It's all a part of a library that's growing bigger and bigger everyday, and it's something that you and I are contributing to simply for creating content here on Steemit for example.
We're in an age of information. It surrounds us. We can't seem to escape it. The world's on an industrial conveyor belt line which pumps out products that symbolize it and the times we're living in. It's a lot to take in.
I'm going to throw some perspectives out here.
A long car journey to us might seem boring but for a medieval peasant it's an adventure at high speed.
Travelling via plane is a common occurence nowadays. At first, this would've been an amazing experience for people, but as time has gone on, it just became normal and thus 'boring' to us. People talk about how cramped their flight was with babies crying, late departures and arrivals for example, ignoring the fact that they're actually partaking in the 'miracle' of human flight. We are literally on a chair that's flying through the sky. If one of our early ancestors saw us doing this, they'd maybe see us as gods or an advanced alien race.
Imagine your internet speed slows down to 2 kb per second. You'll most likely crack the shits if you're trying to watch youtube or if you're a PC gamer trying to play online. Something to think about is the fact that humans have actually even achieved the ability to send information to and from the sky!
That's basically what the internet is doing. To ancestors, this is magic or witchcraft.
2 Kb\sec could be a god-send for them.
This is where I will base my point.
The more things we have, the more things we have that can break, the more we have on our minds, the more paranoid and stressed we are.
I had a thought whilst I was working at a retail store after seeing a mother and her kid near the toy section. The toddler saw a toy that interested him so he asked his mother if he could have it.
His mother, unable to afford it, said no. After a few attempts hassling his mother to get the toy and receiving the same answer, the toddler started to cry and throw a tantrum. For some reason I just thought to myself, "What if the toy didn't exist in the first place?"
There'd be no reason for that kid to cry, right?
Maybe the mum was thinking of something similar, along the lines of "jeez, why did they have to put that toy on display right there!?"
If we're told that we can catch a disease through shaking hands with others, we will generally shake hands less often and probably wash ourselves more often as well. If we're told that a particular car is sexier and comfier than other rides, we'll probably believe it, simply because it was said. If we're told that the rain contains poisonous chemicals, we'll probably stay inside when it rains. If parents tell their kids that they are going to hell unless they worship a particular god, think of the type of conscience that places upon the kid, growing up in a world of information that completely contradicts it.
The truth is that currently we're being told a lot of things in life. We're becoming stuck in the middle of lessons that contradict one another, ideas that contradict eachother and we're unable to move as an effective unit towards a supreme goal. That seems to be the price of living democratically. To be honest, it's quite a chaotic blur, but the right to believe in whatever we want is worth it, simply because we as humanity will always believe in whatever we want. It's inevitable unless we become programmed to think in a certain way.
Life is a ride. Enjoy the sights. Enjoy the smells. Enjoy your rights.
As far as I know, such a rare opportunity only comes along once.
Thanks for reading everyone,
- Shredlord
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