Stop and think a little.

Posted by Atlas on April 14, 2012, 5:33 a.m.

So, there i was, ordering myself some fries at some local fast food shack when one of my friends asked me: "What do you want out of life?"

I had to stop for a while here, and think, and think, and think. Right then and there, I wanted to buy a burger, but then i thought some more, and said to myself; but in ten minutes, i will have forgotten this food, and i will not crave this taste.

Hours later, I was still trying to think, and to answer this question.

I thought that I must have been, all of these years, all of my study, working towards a clear ideal; there wasn't anything that came clear to mind. maybe i was thinking too hard. All i knew is that i wanted people to like me.

Later that night, while studying, i thought to myself.

I want to be important to humanity, to make an impact, to, later, have a wife, and to have a steady job in research. Of course, if I was to keep talking about what I want, I'd end up looking like a whiny little bitch. It was later that i thought to myself, what does everyone else want out of life?

I asked a few people, and most of them were counter-intuitive with their answers, wanting things that they were actively working against.

For some reason, most people think I'm crazy, or not quite sane. When someone hears that i like science, rather than sports, they find it to be a shock. I then think to myself; Sports contributes nothing, it takes money from a wide band of the population and condenses it into a small area, between a small selection of people.

Sports contributes to debt, and many people have had ruined lives, due to gambling.

Of course, most people want something big, and exciting. Something you can throw, something you can label, brand, copy and buy. Something you can sell, and something you can be sold; Sports. What's interesting though, is that most of the sport enthusiasts i know are obese, or out of shape. Maybe it's better to watch someone else succeed, than it is to succeed yourself. Or maybe it's easier to just pretend that you're them. Sure, that's one way you can sleep at night. To tell yourself; I am great, and adored by the nation. Only, that makes you more depressed when you wake in the morning.

In-fact, this is something I've been thinking about for a while. most people view their lives as boring compared to the rest of society, who, incidentally, also have nothing to do. because of this connection we make, between the rest of society, and a bustling freeway of things to do, we feel unsatisfied with our lives. Are people actually happy with their lives, or do they just pretend to be?

OK, that went a little off track, but there are some things to think about.

1: What do you want to do with your life? what are your ultimate goals? are you working towards, or against them at the moment?

2: Do you want to be important, do you want to be that guy in the headlines?

3:Why do you buy good food when it has no long term satisfaction?

4: How do you see society? is it better, or worse than you are?

5: What effect does the success of others, in no way linked to you, have on you, and does it make you feel better? What if they put it in movie, or or the form of a media for you to watch?

In-fact, fuck thinking, post any of them here, or maybe just 1, 2 and 4, it's always interesting to see.

Oh, and I'm going to have to make a couple of student films soon, on no budget, and I'm open to any story ideas you guys might have.

Comments

Castypher 12 years, 5 months ago

I'm with Iasper here. Though lately I've been debating on what I want to do as far as family goes. But if I can do what I love for a living, and become successful in at least most of my endeavors, well, that would make me happy.

With riches comes taxes, and with fame comes pain. I want my name to be known, but I don't want to be famous.

Rez 12 years, 5 months ago

I like this blog. A lot. You're going to fit in here nicely, Atlas.

As for the questions. I want to be rich, famous, happily married, and undisturbed. But in my own definition of those words. I want to have enough money to get what I want, I want to be known and respected by a community I know and respect, and I want to share it with someone who's equally involved and independent in their own endeavors. I don't want to be in headlines if I'm not really important and I buy good tasting food that's shitty for me because I'm weak and bored and unable to achieve my long-term goals immediately.

Society has stunted itself because it's no longer aware of itself. Instead of using technology to really connect with people, it has primarily been used by everyday Americans for trivial communication and materialistic one-upmanship. No one cares about the advances of tomorrow because they're not here today, and no one notices the significance of today's advances because we've made them pocket-sized and menial. Frankly, I've reached a point where I sometimes don't think humanity is good enough for what it has. Just like how I'm too weak and impatient to not buy shitty food, the rest of humanity is too anxious to wait and see what one person's accomplishment will amount to in ten years, so they all watch some gorilla kick a football and that seems to go quick enough.

colseed 12 years, 5 months ago

What Rez said.

Toast 12 years, 5 months ago

Quote:
I want to be rich, famous, happily married, and undisturbed. But in my own definition of those words. I want to have enough money to get what I want, I want to be known and respected by a community I know and respect, and I want to share it with someone who's equally involved and independent in their own endeavors.
yes

Castypher 12 years, 5 months ago

Quote:
I like this blog. A lot. You're going to fit in here nicely, Atlas.
I was trying to say the same thing before 64Digits briefly stopped responding.

Other than that, I think Rez has some great insight.

As usual.

blackhole 12 years, 5 months ago

1) There are two specific tech demos that I want to be able to make. If I succeed at making them you could run over me with a truck and I wouldn't give a fuck.

2) Not directly, but it will undoubtedly be a consequence of success. I kind of want to be important, but only so people would fucking listen to me for once instead of dismissing all of my opinions, no matter how right they end up being, for a bunch of stupid reasons.

3) I buy food that is good for me and tastes good. The immediate satisfaction gets me to eat the food and in the long-term I am healthy.

4) Society is complete and utter shit. Society is worse than almost anyone that I have even an ounce of respect for. Society is diseased and needs hospitalization.

5) It depends. If its success that has no relation to me, I don't care. If its success in something related to me, I will poke at what they have to say to see if there is anything useful I can pull from it. Rarely I use it as encouragement, but what usually drives me is my imagination and the artistic works of others.

svf 12 years, 5 months ago

I don't want to be rich or famous. I want to be a Programmer for a job. :)