It's something that has been turning in my head for nearly a decade now.
Why am I doing this? I am doing this because I am someone that tends to pick up new hobbies and interests very quickly. This isn't a good thing. The nature of humanity, the nature of the world we lives in, shows that 5 specialists will always be superior to 5 generalists. This quote from one of my heroes, Bruce Lee, summarizes my sentiments well:
"Perfection is achieved when nothing more can be taken away, not when nothing more can be added."
The less I have in life, the better off I will be.
It occurs to me that civilization would be better off without television, for example. Think of how much information is accessible with the television. And more than that think of how much of it is absolutely useless. To take it one step further, think of how much actually makes one more foolish and contemptible for having acquired that information. Every reality show, every new drama, the vast majority of what I see is not worth watching. I do not care who was kicked off the Real World last week, I do not care who is left on American Idol, I do not care why there are polar bears and secret societies on some stupid Pacific island. All of that clogs up the pathways of my mind. Once again, this is only an example.
This path, ethos or do, should serve as a reminder to me and a standard for me. This is worthwhile. This is not worthwhile.
I know some things about life already. I know that it is not an accident. I know that I'm only going to get one pass through this tunnel. I should not waste it. I cringe when I gaze upon the section of humanity available to me. What waste! The covers of their magazines, the topics of conversation, their very existence crushes my spirit. It is as if they live life accidentally accumulating experiences and sentiments. I do not see how the life of the average human being is so far different from the life of a sponge on the sea floor. That is a tremendous tragedy given the capacity of a human being.
So this do is also a reaction and a response to humanity. I do not quite know what I want to be but I know some things that I do not want to be. I do not want to waste my life like the vast, stinking mass of American civilization. I have no desire to be a sponge.
As I intimated earlier, there is no tragedy in a sponge existing as a sponge. That is the limit of its abilities. Humanity is capable of so much more. I agree with Mark Twight in this article of his where he correctly states that
"Athletes are 'entertainers' rather than examples of mankind's potential."
To boldly go, to dare, to dream, to achieve, to accomplish great things in life should be applauded, but too often it is seen as the hubris of a pretentious individual. "Do you think you're better than us?", "So you think that I'm a bad person because I watch this or that T.V. show?" and so on and so forth.
I, honestly am sensitive to all those statements, and that is why I want to forge this ethos. I want to have my own aegis and proof against these barbs that soft and flaccid people hurl at me. I want to finish this race, to achieve my potential. I want to see the utmost limit of my capability. This is why I am going down this path.
No comments:
Post a Comment