Two Minutes Hate

Let's be clear on this: George Orwell is not only a visionary, but a freaking prophet.  I'm currently playing the part of Winston Smith in the stage adaptation of Orwell's, "1984."  I really didn't have time for this show, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate in this iconic show. After having rehearsed multiple times and thought through my character, I've been moved to consider some of the ideas presented in the show.  For instance, one of my lines includes a partial reading of a book called, "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism," which is a book written by the strawman antagonist, Emmanuel Goldstein.  The line I read from the book deals with a daily event in the lives of those in 1984 which is called the Two Minutes Hate.  According to the book, people are living in a world in which everything is controlled and the result of which is a discontent and unsatisfied life. As you may have experienced, when you have prolonged discontent, eventually it becomes a manifested emotion or action.  Left unchecked, this discontent would typically be directed at the very entity that caused such discontent. In the case of, "1984,", it would be the political system; the Party and Big Brother.  However, in order to avoid being the target of such discontent, the Party created another focal point for hate. This focal point is the Brotherhood, which is supposedly the group working against the Party. The Brotherhood is led by Emmanuel Goldstein, another focal point for the hate. The Party has also made it a crime to not focus your hate on that to which they are directing you.  The purpose is to exhaust your hate and discontent such that it gets it out of your system. Once out of your system, you no longer feel the internal pressure to manifest a hate towards the Party.

Romance Wanted: Dead or Alive

So, I've been talking with several people lately, some friends, some class mates, and from what I hear, romance is dead. And it's always women I hear say that.  Some say that it never existed and is just something for the books, some have said that it's something of the past.  Although, the people I've heard say it are usually in a long-term relationship who seem to have resigned themselves to the fact that THEY will never get romance in their relationship but are not going to be ending their relationship.  They've convinced themselves that romance is a pipe-dream and doesn't really exist because it doesn't, and will never, exist for them.  If romance truly existed, but doesn't for them, then they feel bad about their relationship.  If romance doesn't exist for anyone, then it's not bad that they don't have it in their relationship.

Did that sum it up?

Well, to those women who believe that romance is dead, you're right!  And to those who feel that romance is NOT dead, you're right!

But I'm going to say that it's only partially your fault.  But not in the same way as it is ours.

Crunching butterflies

I've always been a fan of the amateur study of people.  Really, not many things are more fun for me that I can do in public.  I love watching the cause and effect and how they interact. And with each person being completely different, the interactions are almost NEVER similar. How one person reacts to a good joke may be the complete opposite of how another person reacts, or even the original depending on the lunar cycle, what they ate that morning, who they came in contact with, what their routine for keeping their energy level up is, etc. I bet you could probably add a couple things to that.  Many many more things.  What affects your mood? Is it an outfit that just doesn't fit right? A nostalgic thought you had this morning after hearing your highschool sweetheart's song on the radio? If you woke up refreshed? How about 5 minutes earlier than you expected? Ever have those days where you wake up an hour early, refreshed, and you have all this time to kickstart the day?  What about the opposite? What if the line at Starbucks is 2 cars more than normal and you know that might make you late for work?

Is makeup really standard?

Now, first off, I just want to say that I realize the answer to my following questions are deeply rooted in the media portraying women as sex objects from a very young age. So no need to answer the questions that are answered by that statement.

That being said, why does the bar get set for women at having make up on? And without make up, they are simply not good enough?

Paradigm shift. Soul shift

Most people have heard of a paradigm shift.  Ya know. When your brain does a 180 degree turn in your skull?  It's what happens when a whole much of ah ha moments happen in one instant, such that the way you think is never the same. Some people have experienced one or two paradigm shifts in their lives. Some people many more. I think experiencing a paradigm shift is one of the most exciting events that happens in ones live.  And the topic is a varied as life itself.  It could be the moment you realize your wife is not a maid but an equal partner in the business of marriage (good luck ladies, most guys don't get this paradigm shift until they are... well... never). It could be much smaller in that you figure out the triangle doesn't go into the square hole. It's a great event that makes you feel accomplished and for those that have any kind of head on their shoulders, will change their lives forever.

Those who can't do, teach. My Ass!

I'm sure you've heard that one before.  I recall hearing it for the first time when I was 18 years old from a friend of my father's. He said it with a grin on his face but I knew he actually believed that.

I've always taken offense to that.  Not because it isn't true, because really, nothing's impossible. I'm sure there is a teacher out there that really tried hard to do a job, sucked, and so became a teacher.

However, have you considered the teachers in your past that have meant soething?  I've had the privilege and blessing to have had several of those in my life.

So what can you say about those teachers? You know the ones I'm talking about.  Most of you have that ONE teacher that completely changed your life.  I had four. Ms. Flanagan, Mr. Sequeria, Mr. Gray (ok, he was my house master, but still counts), and Mr. Mackness.

Let me tell you why teachers, the good ones, are NOT failures.

Just do it!

I was thinking the other of the legal repercussions of that phrase: Just do it.  More so in the inappropriate context.  Does the intent behind the word have anything to do with the enforceability of a trademark? Really, what if an adult franchise started using the slogan? Can NIKE still enforce its rights if they clearly meant something else?

I've been considering compiling phrases from when i was young, most of which I learned from my mom.  Phrases like, "if you can't pay, don't play". The rest of which I can't remember right now, which is why I need to write them down.  They always seem to pop into my head at the appropriate time though. Funny how that is.  And they are all great nuggets of wisdom.  Simple phrases that contain road signs of life.

Did you know?

What's that you say? The earth is round?  I say that's crap! Really, prove me wrong.  I bet some of you can say for sure, but the rest, how do you know?

I recall taking a class back in high-school and it was a great class. It spoke about knowledge. I don't recall the class, but it was akin to a college philosophy class. It discussed how one gains knowledge.  How do we truly know something.

I'm not going to go over each of the ways that we gain knowledge. That's what school is for. However, I wanted to address how YOU know something. I guess my thought spurs from hearing people have opinions on subjects that I think they could not possibly have come to a conclusion on.  I think most of us are guilty of it. But I think we, as a society, are in danger of getting completely lost in knowledge which doesn't exist.

Just plug it in!

Have you ever tried doing everything yourself? Really tried? Go ahead.  Wake up in the morning. Go kill the animal or get to your garden and harvest your breakfast.  Then go mine the ore you need to create your pan and cutlery.  Create the drills that gather the gas or the power plants that provide your electricity so you can cook your breakfast.  Harvest the trees and shape them into a house if you really don't want to cook out in the rain.  This is all so you can have a great omelet for breakfast.

There is so much more you would have to do just to sit at your table and have some eggs and bacon.  I don't believe anything is itself impossible, but let's say that it's statistically impossible for any of us to do this ourselves: to live the lives we lead simply having no help whatsoever.