i) Transformers 3
What a miserable day its has been today. LondonTown drenched in showers! The entire day a wash-out - low dark clouds. Perpetual rain. Soggy feet. Umbrellas and raincoats. The golden glow of coffee shops promising warmth, dryness, life-giving coffee and delicious cakes. That's what I did this morning - drank coffee and read and dreamt, and then I went and ruined it by watching the movie 'Transformers 3' in 3D no less! Why? Because I'd read a review somewhere by a respected reviewer (respected by myself - not respected anymore though!), who had said that too many of us take movies far too seriously. That we expect movies to be deep philosophical musings on human existence, and that we should relax a little, take a chill pill, and sometimes shut our brains, and watch a movie purely for the pleasure of it. So that's what I did. I bought a ticket for Transformers 3 - bought some of those disgusting Mexican nacho things with that yellow gooey stuff on them (called cheese?) - queued with some 13 year olds - went in - sat down - shut my brain off - and watched Transformers 3...
...and?
...and I survived.
Just about. By the knuckle of my teeth. The movie is a computer game! It has more explosions then all the world-wars combined. Every explosion was like an attack of intestinal diarrhea as my intestines slowly travelled up and up and up into my throat, until they were knocking on the door of my skull and threatening to stab my brain to death. They agreed not to when I promised them that I would be doing something more 'worthy' of my great intellect after the movie...
The 13 year olds loved the movie though. Well of course they would - duh duh! It's been a few hours now since I watched it and I've totally forgotten what it was about. Seems like my brain has decided to delete / expunge all evidence of this illicit movie act from its memory circuits. Never again. Ever. Never will I be seduced by the promise of orgasmic big explosions and special affects.
ii) How to grow up / or whether to grow up!
I've been thinking about something today. Or rather, I've continued to think about it today as I've been thinking about it over the last few days. What I've been thinking about is growing up. These are my thoughts on the matter:
As children we have a totally different view of the world. The world is wonderful and fun and interesting. For children the world is a magical fairy-ground ride. The parks are wide open green spaces with an endless blue sky above and s p a c e to run around and play football in. The buses are wonderful places from the top-deck from which to look down on the heads of people. The Underground is one big ride. The shops are full of toys and sweets and things we want. McDonald's milkshakes taste yummy. You can never eat enough sweets. The world is full of ghosts. Your neighbour is a witch and eats children and there are lots of mysteries in the world. Father Christmas is a bearded man and we wish grandfather was like him! - Also in childhood emotions are simple: if you hate someone you tell them. You like someone you tell them. Someone is fat so you make fun of them. Someone is ugly and you tell them. You like a girl and you turn red at the cheeks and then buy her a sweet. You hang out with your friends and you speak loudly - you say what you want - behave as you like. You also enjoy simple pleasures. The chicken and chips from the KFC that you bought for £1.99 taste nice and it doesn't matter if they're not good for you. It don't matter if the taste is not 'sophisticated' - it don't matter. You like chicken and chips because they're cheap, they taste nice, and they fill you up! Simple!
As children we have a totally different view of the world. The world is wonderful and fun and interesting. For children the world is a magical fairy-ground ride. The parks are wide open green spaces with an endless blue sky above and s p a c e to run around and play football in. The buses are wonderful places from the top-deck from which to look down on the heads of people. The Underground is one big ride. The shops are full of toys and sweets and things we want. McDonald's milkshakes taste yummy. You can never eat enough sweets. The world is full of ghosts. Your neighbour is a witch and eats children and there are lots of mysteries in the world. Father Christmas is a bearded man and we wish grandfather was like him! - Also in childhood emotions are simple: if you hate someone you tell them. You like someone you tell them. Someone is fat so you make fun of them. Someone is ugly and you tell them. You like a girl and you turn red at the cheeks and then buy her a sweet. You hang out with your friends and you speak loudly - you say what you want - behave as you like. You also enjoy simple pleasures. The chicken and chips from the KFC that you bought for £1.99 taste nice and it doesn't matter if they're not good for you. It don't matter if the taste is not 'sophisticated' - it don't matter. You like chicken and chips because they're cheap, they taste nice, and they fill you up! Simple!
Look at the faces of young people. What do you see? Worry lines? No! Worry free looks and bright shining eyes! Healthy minds not yet poisoned...Living in a world that is simple and uncomplicated...
and now...
...compare that life with that of an adult. Look at the adults in McDonalds stuffing their bellies with burgers and fries. Not enjoying them at all! Just filling their hunger as quick as possible! Like putting petrol in a car. You call that living? I don't. Taste is one the most beautiful of senses and pleasures. We should taste our food, saviour it on the tongue, in the mouth, before er, pushing it down the throat!
What else?
The life of adults is complicated. Oh so so complicated! Full of worries. Like a thousand arrows these worries come from all directions. In the bum, through the nose, through the ears. What are these so called 'worries'? Let me tell you: Boredom. Jealousy. Hatred. Anger. Sexual frustration. Money (or lack of). Annoying husbands / wives / relatives / children. Jobs that slowly kill us. And so many more.
Why do these things not bother children?
Why do these things not bother children?
Let's look at them one by one!
Boredom = children don't get bored. The world is a magical playground. Full of wonder, and witches and demons and goblins and Harry Potter
Jealousy = a child's jealousy is limited to not having a toy that their friend/brother-sister has. It's not the all-consuming jealousy of adults that eats away like a cancer, and besides, a child's jealousy is short lived and eventually disappears
Hatred = children might hate someone but its more of a weak hate and not the cancer-like hate that adults allow to grow inside of them - like a mutant baby!
Anger = a child's anger will be directed at an individual. An adult's anger (is usually) directed at the whole world - but there are exceptions!
Sexual frustration = none. Sex is simply not an important part of a child's life landscape.
Money = as long as they have the basics children are happy.
Husbands/wives/children = none cos they're too young to have any of these!
Jobs = too young to work (lucky sods!)
So here is the question I am begging to ask you: Why the fuck would you want to grow up at all?!
And if you do - why leave ALL childish things behind? Surely, we can pick and choose, and keep some childish things into adulthood?
And if you do - why leave ALL childish things behind? Surely, we can pick and choose, and keep some childish things into adulthood?
Is the world as seen from a child's point of view better? More accurate? More real?
Or is the world as seen from an adults point of view better? More accurate? More real?
How do we judge? Who say's what is better? More real? Us! Adults! - how can that be fair or right?
What is to say that a child's life is the best - and that adult life is a disaster!!
What is to say that a child's life is the best - and that adult life is a disaster!!
Why do we always automatically assume that a child's world is not real? 'Oh grow up!' we scream when someone is being 'childish'.
What I'm really trying to say is that we should keep something of that child inside of us as we grow older. That sense of wonder and adventure for example is a wonderful thing - but we lose it! We fucking grow up and lose it! We should not let family and people make our lives miserable. We should do what we want and not worry too much about consequences - because, in the end, we're all gonna die anyway. We shouldn't think too much of the future - because the future is not real. Only the here-and-now is real.
We chase dreams and illusions all our lives. We are fed lies about what a 'happy life' is all about, and we chase and chase and chase this butterfly - but we can never keep up, because we have endless 'wants' and 'needs'. The stomach of human greed gets bigger and bigger the more it is filled with things. The stomach of human greed has endless capacity! It never says: 'Oh! I think I've had enough!'. The human animal can never have enough. That is what Buddhism and certain Eastern philosophies (and Arthur Schopenhauer) recognised in their teachings. That is why many monks and other wise men throughout history have led ascetic lives. In caves. In the desert. In the jungles. Lives of simplicity. I'm not saying go and live in a cave or the desert! I am not saying that. But keep some of that cave, that desert inside of you - though you might be living in a busy city like London - think yourself like a desert - a cave - and distance yourself - from the poison arrows of adulthood!!
We chase dreams and illusions all our lives. We are fed lies about what a 'happy life' is all about, and we chase and chase and chase this butterfly - but we can never keep up, because we have endless 'wants' and 'needs'. The stomach of human greed gets bigger and bigger the more it is filled with things. The stomach of human greed has endless capacity! It never says: 'Oh! I think I've had enough!'. The human animal can never have enough. That is what Buddhism and certain Eastern philosophies (and Arthur Schopenhauer) recognised in their teachings. That is why many monks and other wise men throughout history have led ascetic lives. In caves. In the desert. In the jungles. Lives of simplicity. I'm not saying go and live in a cave or the desert! I am not saying that. But keep some of that cave, that desert inside of you - though you might be living in a busy city like London - think yourself like a desert - a cave - and distance yourself - from the poison arrows of adulthood!!
You can never have enough - but you can limit what you expect from life
It goes like this:
'It's not about how much you do want. It's about how much you don't want'
Strip out the crap - the junk - and you'll be much happier. Promise (or your money back!)
Amen!
iii) The best drinks experience in the world - ever!
When you've gone to bed having eaten a turkish kebab, or something spicy the night before - only to then wake up in the middle of the night with a parched throat feeling very thirsty. You then walk to the kitchen in your pyjamas with your eyes barely open, and you make yourself an ice-cold diet Coke with 7 (yes 7!) ice-cubes and a slice of lemon. You then pour this beautiful ice-cold drink down your throat and watch your thirst disappear...Mmmm...try it! - the best drinks experience in the world (and no hangover to worry about!)
iii) The best drinks experience in the world - ever!
When you've gone to bed having eaten a turkish kebab, or something spicy the night before - only to then wake up in the middle of the night with a parched throat feeling very thirsty. You then walk to the kitchen in your pyjamas with your eyes barely open, and you make yourself an ice-cold diet Coke with 7 (yes 7!) ice-cubes and a slice of lemon. You then pour this beautiful ice-cold drink down your throat and watch your thirst disappear...Mmmm...try it! - the best drinks experience in the world (and no hangover to worry about!)
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