I am sitting on a bus, traveling from New York City to Toronto. I am listening to music on my computer through headphones, and operating fully online through the bus' wireless network.
Recently, a question has continuously found its way into my minds eye; How is it that I can be sitting here, in North America, enjoying luxuries that not even the Caesar of Rome could dream of, and yet there are still people in the world that suffer from problems that seem so... obsolete. What I mean is, even with technology like the one I am using that allows me to write this message right now (not to mention a world surplus of food), our species has somehow managed to find a way to perpetuate this dilemma. Are we not smart enough? Compassionate enough? I have seen, on more than one occasion, the whole world come together for a cause - huge natural disasters, horrendous dictators - but once the story gets old, we get bored and move on like we are playing a bad video game.
I am curious what it might take for humanity as a whole to wake up to the almost comforting reality that life is really like a game, where we are presented with options and choices that help us to guide our stories on to the next great adventure - at least of one chooses to see it that way, and even though social conformity often prevents us from seeing this.
In my intro to psychology class, we read about an experiment where a group of regular college students were brought in and made to replicate a prison environment. Curiously enough, the students ended up taking on the roles of guard and prisoner even to the extent where the guards were making the prisoners run around naked and sleep on the floor. Such is the power of role play.
I hope that my writing is comprehensible, as I am not going to edit this, and it is 6:00 am and I am riding on a bus, eagerly awaiting the finishing of my thought process, and anticipating a nap. I will end with a question: What role, in this game of life, are you choosing to play? Is it you? Or some random character that you feel socially obliged to play? How do you feel being the main character of your story?
Gnight
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Jan 7, 2009 at 2:32
Recently, a question has continuously found its way into my minds eye; How is it that I can be sitting here, in North America, enjoying luxuries that not even the Caesar of Rome could dream of, and yet there are still people in the world that suffer from problems that seem so... obsolete. What I mean is, even with technology like the one I am using that allows me to write this message right now (not to mention a world surplus of food), our species has somehow managed to find a way to perpetuate this dilemma. Are we not smart enough? Compassionate enough? I have seen, on more than one occasion, the whole world come together for a cause - huge natural disasters, horrendous dictators - but once the story gets old, we get bored and move on like we are playing a bad video game.
I am curious what it might take for humanity as a whole to wake up to the almost comforting reality that life is really like a game, where we are presented with options and choices that help us to guide our stories on to the next great adventure - at least of one chooses to see it that way, and even though social conformity often prevents us from seeing this.
In my intro to psychology class, we read about an experiment where a group of regular college students were brought in and made to replicate a prison environment. Curiously enough, the students ended up taking on the roles of guard and prisoner even to the extent where the guards were making the prisoners run around naked and sleep on the floor. Such is the power of role play.
I hope that my writing is comprehensible, as I am not going to edit this, and it is 6:00 am and I am riding on a bus, eagerly awaiting the finishing of my thought process, and anticipating a nap. I will end with a question: What role, in this game of life, are you choosing to play? Is it you? Or some random character that you feel socially obliged to play? How do you feel being the main character of your story?
Gnight