KP's Thoughtful Spot - 01/12/07 11:50 PM
There's this little feeling I get from time to time, sometimes several times a day. It's an almost physical sensation which prickles at the back of my neck. Generally, it happens to me when I'm sitting around, being passive. Not being active. Allowing life around me to act on me, but not being active, myself. There are times when I think to myself, "Rather than sitting here at the couch, or staring mindlessly at internet site after internet site, you could be lifting weights. Or playing the piano. Or singing. Or working on those 25-or-so ideas for stories/plays/librettos that you have filed in the back of your brain over the past several years. Or maybe you could be thinking about your life, where it's going, and making plans to better it. Or you could be out there making friends and relationships that will enhance and better your life... anything, that would be better or more productive than sitting here on the couch. So get up. Get up. Get UP, Jeff! Get up! Damn it, get UP!!!!"
It's really an uncomfortable feeling. And the longer it goes, the more uncomfortable it gets. IT's like an army of ants with thumbtacks on their feet dancing on the back of my neck. Since it's so uncomfortable, I desperately search for something to bring me back to comfort. Many times, this takes the form of a video game. More often, it takes the form of chocolate ice cream from the freezer. I've found that about 3 scoops is all it takes to stop that little feeling on the back of my neck and send me back into my stuporific absorbtion of whatever Rachel Ray is cooking for the next 30 minutes. And then it's time for Simpsons reruns. And then Futurama reruns. And then Family Guy reruns. Anyway, by this time I'm fat and happy, giggling at Peter Griffin and co.
I think this feeling at the back of my neck is something like an alarm system God has installed in my subconscious, to wake me from whatever conscious sleep I've decided to engage in that evening. Point is, whenever an alarm goes off, you have two choices: to get up, or to stay in bed. And that's what this thread is: a conscious choice for me to get up out of bed.
I have to beg folks' indulgence here... the only topic for this thread is a chance for me (and others) to talk about... I guess, things that would be deemed more, well, serious. Art. Literature. What makes our lives worthwhile. The love of our families. Where our societies are going, and whether this is good or bad. Where we personally are going, and how we feel about that.
Such discussions generally can lead to politics and religion, which are the two polite taboo subjects of our society, of course. While my impulse is to say let's just see where conversation takes us and deal with it then, I think there are some ground rules which might be good to add here.
There are ways to criticize ideas without criticizing people. Let's all remember that no one (I hope) wakes up in the morning and says to themself, "I choose to lead an evil life today. Mwah ha ha ha." Sometimes we disagree with the choices that people make, but let's remember that everyone has their own viewpoint. Respecting those viewpoints is key.
Still, it's my thought that politics shouldn't be overdiscussed here. Or discussed at all, unless absolutely necessary. The subject matter I'd like to see in this thread is... better than that.
Anyway, I started having my feeling of inactivity alert at the back of my neck just a while ago, and one of the ideas I have been throwing around that I felt could better myself in some way was this thread. I hope anyone who feels like they want to come around and talk feels welcome and at home. Just keep in mind that I may be changing topics fairly regularly.
Thanks, gang, for putting up with me and my loopy ideas!
It's really an uncomfortable feeling. And the longer it goes, the more uncomfortable it gets. IT's like an army of ants with thumbtacks on their feet dancing on the back of my neck. Since it's so uncomfortable, I desperately search for something to bring me back to comfort. Many times, this takes the form of a video game. More often, it takes the form of chocolate ice cream from the freezer. I've found that about 3 scoops is all it takes to stop that little feeling on the back of my neck and send me back into my stuporific absorbtion of whatever Rachel Ray is cooking for the next 30 minutes. And then it's time for Simpsons reruns. And then Futurama reruns. And then Family Guy reruns. Anyway, by this time I'm fat and happy, giggling at Peter Griffin and co.
I think this feeling at the back of my neck is something like an alarm system God has installed in my subconscious, to wake me from whatever conscious sleep I've decided to engage in that evening. Point is, whenever an alarm goes off, you have two choices: to get up, or to stay in bed. And that's what this thread is: a conscious choice for me to get up out of bed.
I have to beg folks' indulgence here... the only topic for this thread is a chance for me (and others) to talk about... I guess, things that would be deemed more, well, serious. Art. Literature. What makes our lives worthwhile. The love of our families. Where our societies are going, and whether this is good or bad. Where we personally are going, and how we feel about that.
Such discussions generally can lead to politics and religion, which are the two polite taboo subjects of our society, of course. While my impulse is to say let's just see where conversation takes us and deal with it then, I think there are some ground rules which might be good to add here.
There are ways to criticize ideas without criticizing people. Let's all remember that no one (I hope) wakes up in the morning and says to themself, "I choose to lead an evil life today. Mwah ha ha ha." Sometimes we disagree with the choices that people make, but let's remember that everyone has their own viewpoint. Respecting those viewpoints is key.
Still, it's my thought that politics shouldn't be overdiscussed here. Or discussed at all, unless absolutely necessary. The subject matter I'd like to see in this thread is... better than that.
Anyway, I started having my feeling of inactivity alert at the back of my neck just a while ago, and one of the ideas I have been throwing around that I felt could better myself in some way was this thread. I hope anyone who feels like they want to come around and talk feels welcome and at home. Just keep in mind that I may be changing topics fairly regularly.
Thanks, gang, for putting up with me and my loopy ideas!