One of my homeboys - you could call him a friend - runs a blog called Random Rants and the Like (Harris Lunt is my friends name). I just read his latest post, One Voice is Not Enough, and I can't make the title into a hyperlink. I'm trying to put the link to the article in there and for some reason the pop-up menu for the hyperlink function button isn't appearing. So much for a professional looking post - here is the link: http://randomrantsandthelike.blogspot.com/2010/12/one-voice-is-not-enough.html
My recommendation at this point is that you read the article and then get back here and read my commentary. That's about as egocentric-sounding a sentence as I've ever heard. Still, go read his stuff and then come back for my observations. I was going to just leave a comment on his post to answer his rhetorical questions, but figured I'd end up typing more than a comment box can hold, so this is the better route to take. Now I can post this and just copy and paste the URL into his comment box.
The swagger of his story is that one voice alone is not sufficient to make a change, so we all need to unite our voices in a chorus for good. I agree with the end result of that argument, but I think that one voice alone is sufficient. Jesus Christ was one voice, supported by Spiritual confirmation, but one voice. There have been other "one voices" throughout history. Jesus changed the world with his voice alone, but he is God, so it is different in some regards. The great "one voices" that have been mere mortals have also changed the world. But perhaps this is just another matter of semantics and definitions. Does "changing the world" mean the final action before a universal paradigm shift? Or could it be the reveille of the united chorus? If one voice unites the people for a good cause, haven't they changed the world? Hasn't that one voice been enough? It was enough to put the wheel in motion.
That was the swagger of the story, here is the thesis of his tract: art defines culture and our art is defining us as monsters. Harris cites the Saw movie saga as one example of how we might be defined by other cultures or future generations. If you think about it, it is kind of disturbing to think that perhaps all that will one day remain of our civilization is the movie Saw. It is a horrendously disturbing premise for entertainment, from what I understand. I have not seen any of the movies from that franchise. Harris' post is a call to arms for all of us to unite against filthy and degrading works that are being passed off as "art" and "entertainment." I don't know if quotation marks are appropriate in that spot. My intent is to make it clear that I don't see degrading works as works of art. If that requires quote marks, great, if not, my apologies to you, kind reader.
As long as money is being pumped into the pockets of movie producers, we'll continue to see disemboweled people on the big screen. Unfortunately, money will continue to be spent on these kinds of things because people are using extreme forms of everything in order to feel and to fill a void they have, but are unsure what to do with. That's my thought. Harris brought up some good points: a collective voice is more powerful than one voice and a culture is defined by what it produces. We can look at those ideas and see where we fit. Are we uniting with like-minded people and uniting for a good cause? Are we creating things that we want to be defined by? I'll let you answer those questions for yourself; right now I am getting back to the topic of people being drawn to extremes.
This is where I would have stopped if I put this in the comment box on Harris' blog post; as you can see, it is good that I didn't try to type it all there. But even this next bit is relevant. Why do movies like Saw and other horror/thriller types exist? Because they elicit physiological reactions in people. Even though the deranged person mutilating a body isn't real or in the same room as you, your body reacts in some ways as though they were. When you get scared your body increased production or release of certain hormones and chemicals. You feel. For some, feeling isn't a natural occurrence.
Being locked into a rigid routine from day to day, not experiencing basic human emotions other than vicariously through television or books, can make a bland existence. Some people when dealing with depression say they did something "just to feel anything." We want to feel. Sometimes it doesn't matter if the feelings are good or bad, we just want them. I think this plays into why humans do everything they do. But when you have someone with a void, and they find a quick fix (such as extreme movies), they stick with that quick fix. It becomes a drug, which is dangerous because the acting chemical portion of the drug is created in their own body. Imagine how much harder it would be to kick the cocaine addiction if the cocaine were being produced by the body? This is why it is as difficult as it is, because cocaine mimics chemical processes that are natural to the body. But I'm no doctor, so this is speculation based on some recalled knowledge from psychology classes. I think it is accurate. My blog isn't accredited so it doesn't have to be accurate, I'm just trying to provide a topic of contemplation, if you so choose to be contemplative.
Anyway, this is falling apart faster than a meeting between a producer and agent when the producer finds out the agent represents Pauly Shore. When people have a void in their life they seek to fill it. They dig and dig and dig until they get something. There are plenty of counterfeits out there, so sometimes you find something and it works, but it isn't lasting or completely fulfilling. Personally, I believe that making faith in God your top priority above all else helps to fill the void and put all other practices of fulfillment in order. When you seek God first, you can't help but seek good things after. And when we unite our voices with the voice of God, we don't have to worry about our voice not being enough. This doesn't mean that life will always be smooth or go how you'd like it to, but it does mean that you will make progress and accomplish the purpose for your life.
Now you know what I think about a few more things.
Date Tricks for Guys that Truly Work
4 years ago
Firstly, I appreciate the reaction. This is the sort of thing we, people who want good things representing our culture, need to do. Secondly, when I noted, "One voice isn't enough," I was speaking figuratively. I do not thing you missed that but feel the need to note it. Lastly, Christ, indeed, was just one voice; though, he was backed by 11 spectacular men (and one not so spectacular), and two members of the God Head. Yes, he was the voice speaking alone, figuratively of course, but he had more than himself to accomplish some of his task. I so not doubt that he could have done it on his own, for at points Christ was on his own. I do understand what you are saying, however. One voice can be enough, but usually isn't, and one voice is always better than no voices. There have been great people to get things moving, and they were just one voice.
ReplyDeleteAfter thoughts: I credit your site and accredit it. Count this blog as accredited. Also, pornography releases does the same thing to one's brain as the extreme movies and carries the results of harder drugs. Meaning, the brain reacts very similarly. The brain actually shrinks, I think. Luckily, my comments are not accredited. The trouble with quitting it is for the reasons you cited. The "high" or "the good feeling" is literally all in your head (real chemicals, as you noted). And your conclusion, as one might say when playing basketball, "Nice finish."
Thank you. I knew you knew what you said about the one voice stuff. What I typed is just what came to mind. I got your point and wanted to add to it. We are in agreement that unity is the key. I was saying it takes one voice to get it going, and then people have something to unite with. I think we were saying the same thing in the end.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of behaviors that can create chemical dependence without introducing any chemicals into the body. We have built in chemistry sets in our glands and neurons. Addiction is a really fascinating subject, unfortunately it is also a very real and devastating situation for a person to be in. Aside from the chemicals involved, there are new neural networks created by repeated behaviors. Just like digging channels in the ground, say, like irrigation ditches on a farm, when water starts running it is going to follow the channel. The brain is similar in that when a certain experience triggers an action potential (the electrical signal that occurs with every thought or movement) in the brain the pathways are there, created by habit/addiction and the signal can get lost in the channel and the person behaves in their addiction almost as an unwilling participant. I don't think we ever lose power to choose what we will think or do, but just like getting pulled into a moving body of water it is a lot harder to get out, especially without external help.
And that brings us back to all of our voices united for good. Rather than stay lost in the thrill seeking lifestyles that distract us from what is more important in life, we can all band together and promote good things. Never to the point of taking away someone's right to freedom, even if they use that freedom to stagnate themselves. The best we can do is lovingly encourage and teach by example. And start with ourselves, have our own whimsical revolution. It is just so easy and sometimes fun to be distracted from taking the high road.