The baby and his toy story reminded me of another story someone told me. Their kid wanted to dress up as a cellphone for Halloween. Why? So they would look at him 😢
One of the last movies of the past century, or one of the first movies of this century, was Gladiator. There was such a craze about that film. In it, a son kills his father, a son who spent too many years in emotional neglect, undernourished of love and emotional rapport with his father. A father who, to be honest, had it coming because he spent too much time at work being virtuous and saving the nation and western civilization from barbarians and so on and so forth. The father is Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor, and Richard Harris is the actor who plays him. Best acting of the film. Such a great actor! His character in the movie says right before being stabbed: your faults as a son is my failure as a father.
The movie is based on a novel by the adventurer Daniel P. Mannix, a totally crazy guy who lived a happy life. This author also published a children's book, "The Fox and the Hound." In that book, the Fox is getting far too much attention from the Hound. The irony of attention! The hound's Master suffers a great disconnection as he ages. This other book tells the other side of the story: the effects of emotional starvation that starts midlife or in old age.
After some research, I have to fix my error: there is no stabbing in the movie, I misremembered the method of killing. It's much worse, in my opinion. My false memory of this movie I only watched once went for the stabbing because it was something easy and theatrical. What a funny thing to misremember that bit.
Here's a hyperlink to the dialogue, but please don't don't read it if this is going to throw you off balance (it might). https://www.quotes.net/mquote/1193645
Hello. I call him an a-hole because he seems to be fond of traumatizing and re-traumatizing his audience.
Filmography that I've watched: The Duelists (his best film), Alien (also great, but grimy), Blade Runner (super boring), GI Jane (one of the stupidest films ever done, super-duper corny, I couldn't finish that one.)
There is almost zero comedy relief in his productions. He wants people to feel despair and melancholy. I don't really like recent films (from year 2000 to this year) from anyone. Not interesting to me, sorry. I don't know anything about his recent productions, if he is still alive. He must be like 80.
Films should be about art and awe, presenting comedy and tragedy, not about inducing hopelessness on people. Tarantino's films are better than Scott's, in my view.
How about this compromise: I have a desktop computer, wired to ethernet. I scroll on that thing. Substack mostly. I have no mobile device, no phone or Ipad or anything wireless. When I leave the house, the tech stays home where it belongs. When I'm out I'm not distracted and fully focused on where I am, whom I meet. I never owned a cellphone and never got in to trouble yet.
I have 3 children, youngest 17, no phones. Youngest was angry at me for a while (when around11, 12, 13 years of age) but now he can easily afford one, but chooses not to. He saw what it did to his buddies.
Still good, with Tina Turner in the chorus. The War Babies, the Boomers, were the first generation raised on TV. Fathers lost family authority. Meanwhile MKUltra was being refined and implemented on a social scale. Mystics have it right. The only way out is in.
It is true. Only an expert can deal with a specific problem. YOU are the expert Celia. Nobody knows you better than you do. The world is gone, do not worry about it. Focus on you. It really is not the problem one has but what one does about it that matters. You have yours. I got mine.
Edward is not empty. I don't like it when people attack each other here but I don't want to be overly censorious. Indecision is one of my worst demons.
Celia, indecision can be and already is one character item that plagues us all, especially when there is the involvement of specific emotions including anger and judgmentalism. This often happens when leftists are involved and the topics are in and of themselves controversial. Most disagreements left alone resolve themselves with a specific winner and an outed "loser" whose positions give vent to his/her subjectivity.
At this point that is what has happened here but I need to offer a caveat to RosaryKnight for the acute accuracy of her observational bent that I must agree with 100%. It is stated all through scriptures and proven fact that the Author and Finisher of our faith is the Three in One of purpose, knowledge, power and all that is good. There can be no argument that Father, Son and Holy Spirit existent in and as all that is good. As Creator He is aware of who and what each of us are and proof of that is clear by His knowledge and statement of the verse, "God looked and saw that the imaginations of man were on evil continually and it grieved God He had made man and it repented Him.." At that point He orchestrated the worldwide flood saving only Noah and his family because he had found favor with God.'
A point here Celia of and by me is the example that RosaryKnight spoke irrefutable Truth in her clear thoughts unclouded by emotion. I am naturally predisposed against judgmentalist tripe because the truth of the matter is that there are three ways of looking at and doing things...the right way, the wrong way and up here the canadian way but unfortunately most look at and do things utilizing the last two ways.(the wrong way and the CanadIAN WAY)
As the Epitome of all that is good and as well including His Wrath, if we have accepted His plan for our lives He has given us the Holy One of God in the person of the Holy Spirit to guide, to convict, to educate, to comfort, to teach and all things to do with each of us. This is to be our "Way" but few choose Him to be our Guide. All wisdom is of Him. He was sent by the Son to guide those of us who accept Him as Author and Finisher of our Faith. The problem is that man in his arrogance and ignorance thinks that he/she is an Authority and we tend to take our own way, thus creating a maelstrom of confusion here below and all manner of sin spurred by "love of money." We are emotional beings and prone to error and sin.
Looking at the state of affairs is an exercise in desperation, and futility. Sex trafficking, the scourge of porn, greed, selfishness, avarice, jealousy, illicit drugs, pride, murder, etc all throughout history has brought humanity down through time immemorial.
As it is written, the only solution is to take the "high" road. As Jesus stated, "I am the way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh to the Father but by Me." Yet we think we know more than God, and in many cases reject and curse Him.
On my part, I am vehemently angry with anyone who exposes hurt on others by imposing their own judgmental tripe. I came by that anger after an episode and education noting the horrific hurt of abused women and specifically one who is the epitome of inner and outer beauty who suffered more psychological hurt than I ever have seen in my existence on this wretched planet. In her poise, intelligence, soft warmth, femininity, and other virtuous aspects of her character, in my attempts to steal her hurt she stole my heart but over two decades her and I have been close friends without crossing any boundaries or disrespecting the other. Like most of us we have close family ties but the dynamic of this specific friendship takes my breath away. Her middle names are steadfastness and control.
This was what I believe God created when He made woman. It was and is His most precious and beautiful creation. Why she chose a scalawag like me for a friend is beyond me but I offered her respect, understanding, safety and transparency which has created a closeness I only dreamed of.
I have strayed off the beaten path and topic but I dare to say that there are many fine women here who represent intellectual and character excellence. What He created by way of woman will always be a mystery and wonder to me.
That was a very small piece of my introduction but I have waxed long and strayed far away from the topic at hand. It is raining outside and I am going to enjoy the luxury of wallowing in my warm bed for another hour. There are few if any more pleasant topics that rate with the eighth wonder of the world, specifically woman.
"Your vacuity expresses one thing - emptiness ,in that you truly excel ."
You are entitled to an opinion but there are people and organizations that would think you are cracked in saying that. But I am all for free speech. I have lots of people in my life who tell me I do excel. That would be relative to my professions and two certified proofs of same. I work in a profession that has more injuries and fatalities than police and /or firefighting. That is all I need to know having had a 34 year clean record of no mishaps, no lost time injuries, no collateral damage, and for the asswipe pigs here, their litany of lies by way of vexatious charges all were withdrawn by the court. Voila, no criminal record.
I do not have to say I excel.....others do. And none have yet said I am vacuous. All except a coward who is all mouth and no action and has been too long in its cups and can only muster a cowards courage to try to insult other men thousands of miles away. There are those who would tell you that you must be tired of living but even so, I would not harm you. You see, I was raised by a WW2 veteran mother and a Methodist father and was told to never hit a dumb animal or entertain a fool. Both have a tendency to apply to you. Nuff said. Go back to your whisky. Or your drugs. Or look in the mirror to see a big fool looking back at you. I am in good humor now. Come back if you really want a hard verbal drubbing that will make an ass of your face.
Yes you are full of it. You have problems too. Everyone has. Even the richest man in the world. Or are you trying to tell me that the best expert of oneself is not the actual individual? Or do you mean to say that it is not about the problem one has but what one does about it that matters? So tell me oh great oracle of the god of BS why you declined to analyze the whole scenario instead of spitting out a word you do not comprehend the meaning of? Just one word? And that from the great oracle who knows all and sees all and thinks he can get away with a damaged spirit that tells him lies. Spare me. You have no idea what I said, you cannot speak English save for the word BS. Yup. You are a real winner. Let us have it out Shmergatroid. It is idiots like you I enjoy ridiculing though your IQ of minus one is far from you being a worthy opponent.
I think you might be giving the unhappy man more of your time than he deserves.
"Give not that which is holy to dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turning upon you, they tear you." - Matthew 7:6
BTW, I believe the best expert of oneself is not the actual individual but God.
Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (d. 1837) received a revelation from heaven that a ‘mysterious black box’ would in the future be placed in every living room, through which Satan could enter and wreak insidious havoc in souls.
Though the television is a tool that can be used for good, as well as for "programming", we have chosen not to have one for most of my life.
Yet, like old movies, or novels, or old articles in magazines, television can give us a glimpse into the culture of a time and place. When watched as though we are anthropologists, excavating the ruins of the past, even the recent past, television can be fascinating.
It can also give us insight into what the 'social engineers' were trying to achieve, then. Television programs can also give us insight into what they are trying to do now- how our perceptions and thoughts can be shaped.
Along with Go Ogle and now 'A.I.', plus some anti-social media, how effectively can what we perceive, what we think, what information we have access to - and thereby our actions - how effectively can these be controlled?
I had to get an education to get a job to get the money to be able to survive the process of exiting the system, so I make no apologies. I thought that one through.
Now I know how profoundly corrupt the media is, our entire system is rotting. I did a study of it on Substack, in my Mind Control post. Perhaps the system can be changed but not with the technocratic new world order (Satanic Fourth Reich) on the doorstep. Most of us will be killed, those that grew up with thoughts of equality and human rights are not desired in the new system. I'll give you this interview from someone who worked at the UN.
For some of us, joining a corrupt system "to beat the system" isn't worth it. Yet sometimes, a system can be changed, repaired, at least improved, from within.
I recommend "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. She was a corporate lawyer (from NZ, like me) working in the Facebook exec team. She really exposes the insidious and amoral nature of this industry
I had to quit the TV several times and I was never a very big fan of it, even as a kid. I always hated the canned laughter and I've never had a TV on when company is over. I read Trow's book and I agree with him--I've always been interested in media studies, and even wrote a book myself that I never tried to publish. It's even worse now. It is sad, I think, and alienating to exit the public square--but I have largely exited it, regardless, because--that's it is a casino, the house always wins. I feel that I understand media more than most--given all my time reading about it, studying it and working in it. But I still cannot 'suss' out exactly what is going on. I listen to a very small handful of people I trust--their than five, and I do so for less than 2 hours a week--and that's it. Everything is fake and I don't want to have my mine shaped, and so I'm dealing myself out. I did it with TV and survived quite happily. On the rare occasions where I am in a hotel room, I can't even tolerate watching it. It's absolutely apocalyptic now--even the film/video values nauseate me. I say, be arduous and strict with yourself and don't scroll. It's a habit like anything else. It can be broken and I think you'll feel that sense of euphoria come back. It always bothers me--letting unknown people gain agency in my head--they for what? Truly, for what?
I don't know. When I attended college many calendars ago in the fall following the summer following my graduation from high school, I lived in a dorm and no one there was watching TV. Personal computers did not yet exist. So no Facebook or Twitter or YouTube either. But there were still social dictates aplenty in play that penalized nonconformity. Actually, I didn't view myself as that much of a nonconformist at the time, truth be told. My identity was still pretty amorphous. "Friendship" was still a valued criterion as was the phenomenon of shared interests. Then gradually over the next few years, I began retreating from what I sensed what was expected of me and from common ground in general. I wished to forge my own future. So after my sophomore year, I transferred from UCSB to UC Berkeley and, for the first time in my life, was forced to manufacture a separate frequency. The transition was anything but smooth. Soon thereafter, I became entranced with the plastic arts; visits to museums amounted to sensory extravaganzas. The Aesthetics course I had enrolled in soon began to seem irrelevant, even impertinent. Art didn't need to be understood in intellectual terms but, rather, assimilated like impregnated oxygen. I taught myself how to draw using just a soft graphite pencil on bright white paper. The entire incremental, painstaking process was exhilarating and empowering. Of course the Matrix, like the Empire in the Star Wars saga, invariably strikes back... with devastating effects.
Lamenting is an outlet of sorts but done frequently it is an energy drain on the soul akin to scrolling. Antidotes to our social ills: 1.doing things because physically doing things moves energy and stimulates creativity and engagement with whatever and whomever may be in the nearby environment. 2.Connect with people you care about and who care about you. 3.Connect with people for a common experience such as the cultural festivals, attending a church service, help out at an animal shelter, walk through and then sit in the middle of a beautiful garden or nature reserve. The holy is all around us and within us but if we are passive and screen focused we are cut off from all the spiritual nourishment around us. What we focus on influences our fields so a little bit of looking at what ails us/world news, ok, but then antidote, antidote, antidote for the soul’s sake!
The baby and his toy story reminded me of another story someone told me. Their kid wanted to dress up as a cellphone for Halloween. Why? So they would look at him 😢
One of the last movies of the past century, or one of the first movies of this century, was Gladiator. There was such a craze about that film. In it, a son kills his father, a son who spent too many years in emotional neglect, undernourished of love and emotional rapport with his father. A father who, to be honest, had it coming because he spent too much time at work being virtuous and saving the nation and western civilization from barbarians and so on and so forth. The father is Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor, and Richard Harris is the actor who plays him. Best acting of the film. Such a great actor! His character in the movie says right before being stabbed: your faults as a son is my failure as a father.
The movie is based on a novel by the adventurer Daniel P. Mannix, a totally crazy guy who lived a happy life. This author also published a children's book, "The Fox and the Hound." In that book, the Fox is getting far too much attention from the Hound. The irony of attention! The hound's Master suffers a great disconnection as he ages. This other book tells the other side of the story: the effects of emotional starvation that starts midlife or in old age.
I had no idea about any of this. That's a true Greek Tragedy. Is Silicon just pulling out from us how loveless we already were?
After some research, I have to fix my error: there is no stabbing in the movie, I misremembered the method of killing. It's much worse, in my opinion. My false memory of this movie I only watched once went for the stabbing because it was something easy and theatrical. What a funny thing to misremember that bit.
Here's a hyperlink to the dialogue, but please don't don't read it if this is going to throw you off balance (it might). https://www.quotes.net/mquote/1193645
What an a-hole is Ridley Scott (the director).
Why do call Ridley Scott an a-hole?
Hello. I call him an a-hole because he seems to be fond of traumatizing and re-traumatizing his audience.
Filmography that I've watched: The Duelists (his best film), Alien (also great, but grimy), Blade Runner (super boring), GI Jane (one of the stupidest films ever done, super-duper corny, I couldn't finish that one.)
There is almost zero comedy relief in his productions. He wants people to feel despair and melancholy. I don't really like recent films (from year 2000 to this year) from anyone. Not interesting to me, sorry. I don't know anything about his recent productions, if he is still alive. He must be like 80.
Films should be about art and awe, presenting comedy and tragedy, not about inducing hopelessness on people. Tarantino's films are better than Scott's, in my view.
That’s sad but kinda of funny
Funny and sad! Reminds me of when I dreamt my little cairn terrier was a spreadsheet...
And i panicked in my dream because I could not get him off or out of "THE SCREEN"
How about this compromise: I have a desktop computer, wired to ethernet. I scroll on that thing. Substack mostly. I have no mobile device, no phone or Ipad or anything wireless. When I leave the house, the tech stays home where it belongs. When I'm out I'm not distracted and fully focused on where I am, whom I meet. I never owned a cellphone and never got in to trouble yet.
I have 3 children, youngest 17, no phones. Youngest was angry at me for a while (when around11, 12, 13 years of age) but now he can easily afford one, but chooses not to. He saw what it did to his buddies.
You're a great mom.
television. Conceived as a weapon.
We had dancing at the local hall every fortnight when i was a kid in the 60s.
TV arrived with the Tokyo Olympics, 1964.
In the seventies, the dancing was gone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPFIkty4Zvk
Still good, with Tina Turner in the chorus. The War Babies, the Boomers, were the first generation raised on TV. Fathers lost family authority. Meanwhile MKUltra was being refined and implemented on a social scale. Mystics have it right. The only way out is in.
TV is a mirror, so it lies to us.
tv is a mirror- so it looks at you...lying to yourself.
It is true. Only an expert can deal with a specific problem. YOU are the expert Celia. Nobody knows you better than you do. The world is gone, do not worry about it. Focus on you. It really is not the problem one has but what one does about it that matters. You have yours. I got mine.
Bullshit .
Your vacuity expresses one thing - emptiness ,in that you truly excel .
Edward is not empty. I don't like it when people attack each other here but I don't want to be overly censorious. Indecision is one of my worst demons.
Celia, indecision can be and already is one character item that plagues us all, especially when there is the involvement of specific emotions including anger and judgmentalism. This often happens when leftists are involved and the topics are in and of themselves controversial. Most disagreements left alone resolve themselves with a specific winner and an outed "loser" whose positions give vent to his/her subjectivity.
At this point that is what has happened here but I need to offer a caveat to RosaryKnight for the acute accuracy of her observational bent that I must agree with 100%. It is stated all through scriptures and proven fact that the Author and Finisher of our faith is the Three in One of purpose, knowledge, power and all that is good. There can be no argument that Father, Son and Holy Spirit existent in and as all that is good. As Creator He is aware of who and what each of us are and proof of that is clear by His knowledge and statement of the verse, "God looked and saw that the imaginations of man were on evil continually and it grieved God He had made man and it repented Him.." At that point He orchestrated the worldwide flood saving only Noah and his family because he had found favor with God.'
A point here Celia of and by me is the example that RosaryKnight spoke irrefutable Truth in her clear thoughts unclouded by emotion. I am naturally predisposed against judgmentalist tripe because the truth of the matter is that there are three ways of looking at and doing things...the right way, the wrong way and up here the canadian way but unfortunately most look at and do things utilizing the last two ways.(the wrong way and the CanadIAN WAY)
As the Epitome of all that is good and as well including His Wrath, if we have accepted His plan for our lives He has given us the Holy One of God in the person of the Holy Spirit to guide, to convict, to educate, to comfort, to teach and all things to do with each of us. This is to be our "Way" but few choose Him to be our Guide. All wisdom is of Him. He was sent by the Son to guide those of us who accept Him as Author and Finisher of our Faith. The problem is that man in his arrogance and ignorance thinks that he/she is an Authority and we tend to take our own way, thus creating a maelstrom of confusion here below and all manner of sin spurred by "love of money." We are emotional beings and prone to error and sin.
Looking at the state of affairs is an exercise in desperation, and futility. Sex trafficking, the scourge of porn, greed, selfishness, avarice, jealousy, illicit drugs, pride, murder, etc all throughout history has brought humanity down through time immemorial.
As it is written, the only solution is to take the "high" road. As Jesus stated, "I am the way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh to the Father but by Me." Yet we think we know more than God, and in many cases reject and curse Him.
On my part, I am vehemently angry with anyone who exposes hurt on others by imposing their own judgmental tripe. I came by that anger after an episode and education noting the horrific hurt of abused women and specifically one who is the epitome of inner and outer beauty who suffered more psychological hurt than I ever have seen in my existence on this wretched planet. In her poise, intelligence, soft warmth, femininity, and other virtuous aspects of her character, in my attempts to steal her hurt she stole my heart but over two decades her and I have been close friends without crossing any boundaries or disrespecting the other. Like most of us we have close family ties but the dynamic of this specific friendship takes my breath away. Her middle names are steadfastness and control.
This was what I believe God created when He made woman. It was and is His most precious and beautiful creation. Why she chose a scalawag like me for a friend is beyond me but I offered her respect, understanding, safety and transparency which has created a closeness I only dreamed of.
I have strayed off the beaten path and topic but I dare to say that there are many fine women here who represent intellectual and character excellence. What He created by way of woman will always be a mystery and wonder to me.
That was a very small piece of my introduction but I have waxed long and strayed far away from the topic at hand. It is raining outside and I am going to enjoy the luxury of wallowing in my warm bed for another hour. There are few if any more pleasant topics that rate with the eighth wonder of the world, specifically woman.
"Your vacuity expresses one thing - emptiness ,in that you truly excel ."
You are entitled to an opinion but there are people and organizations that would think you are cracked in saying that. But I am all for free speech. I have lots of people in my life who tell me I do excel. That would be relative to my professions and two certified proofs of same. I work in a profession that has more injuries and fatalities than police and /or firefighting. That is all I need to know having had a 34 year clean record of no mishaps, no lost time injuries, no collateral damage, and for the asswipe pigs here, their litany of lies by way of vexatious charges all were withdrawn by the court. Voila, no criminal record.
I do not have to say I excel.....others do. And none have yet said I am vacuous. All except a coward who is all mouth and no action and has been too long in its cups and can only muster a cowards courage to try to insult other men thousands of miles away. There are those who would tell you that you must be tired of living but even so, I would not harm you. You see, I was raised by a WW2 veteran mother and a Methodist father and was told to never hit a dumb animal or entertain a fool. Both have a tendency to apply to you. Nuff said. Go back to your whisky. Or your drugs. Or look in the mirror to see a big fool looking back at you. I am in good humor now. Come back if you really want a hard verbal drubbing that will make an ass of your face.
Funny huh? I am getting likes. It has been stated kilquor is merely jealous.
Yes you are full of it. You have problems too. Everyone has. Even the richest man in the world. Or are you trying to tell me that the best expert of oneself is not the actual individual? Or do you mean to say that it is not about the problem one has but what one does about it that matters? So tell me oh great oracle of the god of BS why you declined to analyze the whole scenario instead of spitting out a word you do not comprehend the meaning of? Just one word? And that from the great oracle who knows all and sees all and thinks he can get away with a damaged spirit that tells him lies. Spare me. You have no idea what I said, you cannot speak English save for the word BS. Yup. You are a real winner. Let us have it out Shmergatroid. It is idiots like you I enjoy ridiculing though your IQ of minus one is far from you being a worthy opponent.
I think you might be giving the unhappy man more of your time than he deserves.
"Give not that which is holy to dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turning upon you, they tear you." - Matthew 7:6
BTW, I believe the best expert of oneself is not the actual individual but God.
Yes, I woke up feeling guilty. But will try not to delete the post which is confusing.
The intimate world is not lost, just forgotten. We are here with you Celia. This is an intimate conversation. Definitely not impersonal. Love, Karen
Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (d. 1837) received a revelation from heaven that a ‘mysterious black box’ would in the future be placed in every living room, through which Satan could enter and wreak insidious havoc in souls.
wow I never knew that.
When I was circa 17 years old I coined the phrase "you have to join the system to beat the system".
People are nowadays more interested in the macro-political stuff but not so interested in the personal-political stuff.
I don't care to watch TV, it is a source of brainwashing.
https://rumble.com/v79bzsg-australian-actors-faked-covid-in-2020.html (2 minutes)
Though the television is a tool that can be used for good, as well as for "programming", we have chosen not to have one for most of my life.
Yet, like old movies, or novels, or old articles in magazines, television can give us a glimpse into the culture of a time and place. When watched as though we are anthropologists, excavating the ruins of the past, even the recent past, television can be fascinating.
It can also give us insight into what the 'social engineers' were trying to achieve, then. Television programs can also give us insight into what they are trying to do now- how our perceptions and thoughts can be shaped.
Along with Go Ogle and now 'A.I.', plus some anti-social media, how effectively can what we perceive, what we think, what information we have access to - and thereby our actions - how effectively can these be controlled?
I had to get an education to get a job to get the money to be able to survive the process of exiting the system, so I make no apologies. I thought that one through.
Now I know how profoundly corrupt the media is, our entire system is rotting. I did a study of it on Substack, in my Mind Control post. Perhaps the system can be changed but not with the technocratic new world order (Satanic Fourth Reich) on the doorstep. Most of us will be killed, those that grew up with thoughts of equality and human rights are not desired in the new system. I'll give you this interview from someone who worked at the UN.
https://rumble.com/v22dko8-dr-reiner-fuellmich-interviews-former-un-executive-director-clin-georgescu-.html
An insightful teen!
For some of us, joining a corrupt system "to beat the system" isn't worth it. Yet sometimes, a system can be changed, repaired, at least improved, from within.
Celia, by the time you're done with a topic, there's nothing left to explore.
Does no scrolling mean you've gone AWOL and that we're just here reading your diary?
Don't look for an answer, mo, she's not scrolling.
The moms no eye contact with their searching for recognition babies is a real heartbreak for me.
Maybe an Outward Bound style week spent on the Santiago de Compostela trail would have preempted the toys in your attic chatter :- )
I'm a confused person always trying to solve an immense puzzle I can't solve. Some days, after prayer usually, I lighten up.
Born too late, you missed out on the Quaalude era :- )
I recommend "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. She was a corporate lawyer (from NZ, like me) working in the Facebook exec team. She really exposes the insidious and amoral nature of this industry
I had to quit the TV several times and I was never a very big fan of it, even as a kid. I always hated the canned laughter and I've never had a TV on when company is over. I read Trow's book and I agree with him--I've always been interested in media studies, and even wrote a book myself that I never tried to publish. It's even worse now. It is sad, I think, and alienating to exit the public square--but I have largely exited it, regardless, because--that's it is a casino, the house always wins. I feel that I understand media more than most--given all my time reading about it, studying it and working in it. But I still cannot 'suss' out exactly what is going on. I listen to a very small handful of people I trust--their than five, and I do so for less than 2 hours a week--and that's it. Everything is fake and I don't want to have my mine shaped, and so I'm dealing myself out. I did it with TV and survived quite happily. On the rare occasions where I am in a hotel room, I can't even tolerate watching it. It's absolutely apocalyptic now--even the film/video values nauseate me. I say, be arduous and strict with yourself and don't scroll. It's a habit like anything else. It can be broken and I think you'll feel that sense of euphoria come back. It always bothers me--letting unknown people gain agency in my head--they for what? Truly, for what?
I don't know. When I attended college many calendars ago in the fall following the summer following my graduation from high school, I lived in a dorm and no one there was watching TV. Personal computers did not yet exist. So no Facebook or Twitter or YouTube either. But there were still social dictates aplenty in play that penalized nonconformity. Actually, I didn't view myself as that much of a nonconformist at the time, truth be told. My identity was still pretty amorphous. "Friendship" was still a valued criterion as was the phenomenon of shared interests. Then gradually over the next few years, I began retreating from what I sensed what was expected of me and from common ground in general. I wished to forge my own future. So after my sophomore year, I transferred from UCSB to UC Berkeley and, for the first time in my life, was forced to manufacture a separate frequency. The transition was anything but smooth. Soon thereafter, I became entranced with the plastic arts; visits to museums amounted to sensory extravaganzas. The Aesthetics course I had enrolled in soon began to seem irrelevant, even impertinent. Art didn't need to be understood in intellectual terms but, rather, assimilated like impregnated oxygen. I taught myself how to draw using just a soft graphite pencil on bright white paper. The entire incremental, painstaking process was exhilarating and empowering. Of course the Matrix, like the Empire in the Star Wars saga, invariably strikes back... with devastating effects.
hugs
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1980/11/17/within-the-context-of-no-context
Lamenting is an outlet of sorts but done frequently it is an energy drain on the soul akin to scrolling. Antidotes to our social ills: 1.doing things because physically doing things moves energy and stimulates creativity and engagement with whatever and whomever may be in the nearby environment. 2.Connect with people you care about and who care about you. 3.Connect with people for a common experience such as the cultural festivals, attending a church service, help out at an animal shelter, walk through and then sit in the middle of a beautiful garden or nature reserve. The holy is all around us and within us but if we are passive and screen focused we are cut off from all the spiritual nourishment around us. What we focus on influences our fields so a little bit of looking at what ails us/world news, ok, but then antidote, antidote, antidote for the soul’s sake!