Thursday, December 6, 2007

Action Vs. Reaction

There are those who would have us think that the time to act is now. There are those who would have us pause to reflect upon the implications of our actions, causing us to second guess everything. What do we do? What does my gut tell me? I think too much, I do nothing. I act first and accept the consequences of those actions.

What is all this about? I sit here from time to time and I read the news on the internet and carefully invest my belief in what I deem to be an adequate balance of what seems credible and what my instincts tell me. I recently heard a conversation where someone commented on how the newspaper was a dying art and that when people read it, they got their information from one or few sources, thereby creating a unified consciousness on what was happening in the world. To me, the benefit of having alternative sources of media online is that your finger is on the pulse of what people really think. There is two way communication. The lines between Left and Right begin to blur when we learn that the average Joe isn't so typically dumbed down as to digest and regurgitate what is spoonfed from only one or two points of view who happen to be pulling the strings on what we think we know to be true.

"One more run-on sentence and I'm bailing," you say. I don't blame you, but please bear with me. There is a point. Many feel that we are so disconnected through our technology and gadgets. We isolate ourselves from personal interaction through the use of e-mail, IM, and online forums. This may be true to an extent. Personally, I prefer eye contact over a drink and some music in the background when it comes to communication, but to those whose whispers become silence because of what will no longer be accepted in our "free society," we have a place at our fingertips where we can speak our peace without fear of retribution and, more importantly, to listen.

Those same fading industry moguls would have us believe that our youth today are uncaring and hopeless, that you are too distracted by your reality TV and the rest of the sensory assault which is perpetrated and perpetuated by your very accusers. The idea is propagated with the goal that we all buy it and in the end so do you. You are our best last hope, my friends. You are out there and you are listening, watching, speaking. I see you. I hear you. We have an arena to offer and display all view points. Plenty to consider, to reflect carefully about the implications of what we do next.

Now, what to do about the state of things? Do we throw our arms up and say, well, "they" all think we're stupid anyway and do nothing? Then, we simply moan and groan when something comes down the pipe that we don't like, OR, only then do we get all fired up and want to go taking names and breaking things. I say right now that we are in the midst of absorbing unprecedented amounts of information. It's seeped into our mental, spiritual, physiological, and developmental processes as well as our Collective Unconsciousness. I believe that as a whole, we are processing this information and narrowing it all down to simple conclusions on what the next logical steps are to advance as a culture and to leave behind what has not worked. This absorption allows us the sense to believe or disbelieve what our gut tells us when it becomes time to act.

The question remains. Should we always think long and hard before before we act? Time's up. Decide now. You are alive and capable. Your actions are based on what you already know. Me, I'm going to bed. Let me know how it turns out.

PS: The real purpose of this post is to call for solutions to the observations that stop us and make us think, "yeah, that could be better." I listen to a lot of talk radio and the thing that I notice is that it's a great forum for people who just want to complain. Let's get creative and offer ideas from people who may not necessarily agree, but would otherwise feel they have no real power to change things for various reasons. Let me know what ails ya. Let me know how we can make it better!

~Donnus

3 comments:

Toadie said...

Wow that was great. I was going to leave my response in a comment...but it would probably be too long hahaha sooo see above!!

Visible said...

Thanks Todd! I'm glad you got something useful from my spewerage (I just coined that ;) Basically, everyone contributes when they have something that they are passionate about and nothing stands in their way. What we care about has meaning to us. Today's culture would have us live vicariously through the efforts and whims of celebrities. It's not good enough. Some people don't hit their groove until later in life. I'm living proof, but I've always had things that I cared about, and when the time was right, I turned up the heat.

Nice job on the response too. I really enjoyed the points you made on having a piece of paper to signify one's credibility in the world. I understand the need to have something to show for it, but as I said, if you something is your passion, then nothing stands in your way. I don't to go to the doctor and be treated by Nick Riviera (obscure Simpson's reference), but I also know that the greatest artists don't necessarily come from an elitist "my-daddy-sent-me-to-RISD" background. World leaders have come from very humble places (not so much today), but the important factor in rising up out of that is to NOT FOCUS ON THE STRUGGLE! Keep your eye on the ball and where you'd like to be. Carpe Diem. If your schtick is to be known as a starving artist, then that's exactly what you'll get.

Oops. Did I just undermine the title of the blog?

Keep dreaming and keep living, people! Hard work pays off, but it's better to work smart. Just love what you do and do what you love and NEVER let ANYONE stand in your way! The youth of today (I still count myself as one) will be the wipers of yesterday's asses, so you'd BETTER help'em out :)

Toadie said...

Thanks alot man. Everything you said is completely true and with time hopefully we can change the world as much as possible!