h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well Fnord, I'm not sure that Classical music is necessarily far right wing, any more than heavy metal is far left wing. The anarchisty bands are an embodiment of the 'mindless rebellion' crowd, and my BNP friend lies Abba!

"...I am convinced, have immanentized that eschaton."

I was guessing from your name that you'd read something that I've read, nice to have it confirmed.

Not for the first time, I have to say I'm glad I'm not a teenager now. I've always thought myself incredibly lucky to be exactly the age I am. I hope everyone feels the same...

H.

Az,
In a way I agree about us all living our own personal lives according to our own beliefs, but I do think that it is important to work together on the big issues. If we want to save starving children in Ethiopia, there's no point us all going out there and each saving one, maybe two people, you have to be organised and work together. This fourth way has even fewer certainties and simple answers than the third, so will be even less popular.

I don't know. I used to think people were really good underneath, if anything, it was the system that was bad. But the last few months have made me really unsure of that. I don't mean the people who murder and rape, because there were usually reasons why they did those things and you could say they were disturbed or unhappy or whatever, not bad anyway. (Not that I thought the things they did were ok, not at all, but I still felt sorry for the people who did them). But just normal people, humanity, seems less and less good, stupid and cowards and selfish and not caring about stuff, and tricked by propoganda and media into hating good things and accepting bad things as ok. And I can't see the left having an answer, the poor are just as stupid as the rich, just as easily led, and there are no easy answers anywhere, and no one can be bothered to look for complicated answers so no one knows the answers and noone realises that. Does anyone get what I mean or am I going crazy?

Clare:

"I don't know. I used to think people were really good underneath, if anything, it was the system that was bad. But the last few months have made me really unsure of that."

Anything in particular?

"But just normal people, humanity, seems less and less good, stupid and cowards and selfish and not caring about stuff"

In the words of Morpheus, in the 'The Matrix' - "Welcome... to the real world."

"the poor are just as stupid as the rich"

Actually I'd have phrased that precisely the opposite way round. Which is interesting in some ways in itself.

"no one can be bothered to look for complicated answers so no one knows the answers and noone realises that."

Which, if I'm not mistaken, is sort of where we came in on this thread - isn't it?

"Does anyone get what I mean or am I going crazy?"

I think I do. You are approaching a realisation of a profound truth about the world. Be careful.



H.

Clare,

By being you and living your own life you might very well set up an enormous world-wide organization that will help children in Ethiopia more than ever. I wasn't talking about just living for yourself - but living YOUR life. Which could take you many places.

Most systems, although maybe not particularly bad, are also not particularly good. It is very hard to work within a system and try to do the things you truly want to do. So then your personal choice is to work either inside or outside the system (though even if you choose to live outside it, you will still have to deal with it, but in a different way).

Re: your entire last paragraph. Good. You are questioning so many things. And you are very far from going crazy. You are very healthy and intelligent and wanting to live a full life and you are now noticing that, in fact, the world is crazy.

Humanity has always been cruel and ruthless. You know that. It's not getting worse. It's just that the bad-guys have more efficient weapons now. The motivation is still the same as it always has been. Greed.

But you see, the whole gist of your last paragraph was you getting overwhelmed about EVERYTHING. And that was why I said I think it's important to do as much as we can as individuals. None of us is about to CHANGE THE WORLD. But we *can* make changes for the better, in our own way.

And twenty years from now you'll be the Prime Minister of England and tell me I was full of crap. Well, you can tell me that now if you want. I don't claim to know anything or have any answers. But I do know I asked myself many of those same questions when I was your age. It also seemed to me, back then, that the world was on the brink of destruction and that the media was playing these massive manipulating games. Well, so not much has changed.

No, not all people are good underneath. But I do still think that most people don't mean any real harm.

Anyhow, better post this now before computer crashes!

kisses,
az

Phew! I *was* tired last night. I think I still mean what I was saying though, and thanks guys for replying .

'Welcome to the real world.' So it's true, things really are bad. Iwas hoping it was just a phase I was going through!

'Anything in particular?'
Well, the war for a start. Monstrous as it sounds, I enjoyed the build up to the war, my friends and I went on marches, made banners, made up chants. It was so exciting because we really had something to focus on and rebel against, though none of us thought the war would ever actually happen. Well, we were wrong, and it started on my birthday, which I'm ashamed to say is at least partly why I minded so much.
The day after it started my friend and I went to the head to ask if we could have a vigil. We arranged everything and at the end the head said something like, 'I'm pleased to see some teenagers who are still idealistic.' I thought huh? The world is good, how, then, is thinking this idealistic? So I began to wonder whether it moght not be so good after all.
Reading Brave New World made the most difference, I think. Before that if I felt things were not great I could usually talk myself into being happy, now any kind of happiness seemed to be deception. I cried all afternoon after finishing it. I also started reading Nausea, but gave up as it was just making me too miserable.
Learning about how the Russian Revolution failed it another thing. Socialism is the idealistic teenager's comforter, and seeing how awfully wrong it went made me sad as well.

About the poor being as stupid as the rich, you only have too read fairy tales and children's books to find wise peasants, listen to Clash songs and the stupid rich are eveywhere. But in fact there's no difference, we're all brainwashed and materialist and apathetic.

Well az, it is overwhelming to discover that the world is crazy. And that this is the same world it always was, that it was crazy all the time and I didn't realise that. And are you saying everyone else knows this?! How can they stand it? Why doesn't anyone do anything about it? How can it still be crazy, if everyone knows that, are they just letting it be? Doesn't it drive them mad? I think it will me.

I hate the idea of randomness, of no plan, which makes it a whole lot easier to believe in in a way.

hi Clare,

You think you got problems??? *I* have to go and see Reloaded AGAIN on Wednesday with my young student (just got home from taking another group). Perhaps if I'm lucky I'll faint from boredom. Such a disappointment as I loved the first Matrix so much. Ah well, worse things happen at see, apparently.

Yes, it's a crazy old world, but I don't let it bother me too much anymore. Possibly because I've gone mad and just haven't realized it yet.

Anyhow, getting disillusioned about stuff is natural. It feels crap at first but then you start looking for your own meaning of life. Just don't let it make you negative and cynical (though I'm sure you won't - after all, you're not a white, racist, etc etc). There is lots of joy and good stuff out there too. Though have also been thinking about what being 'happy' means and even started a thread on it to ask others. The response has been quite interesting, I think.

What can I say? It's not meant to be a bed of roses. And there is no such thing as 'perfection'. I don't find this sad, just challenging. In fact, quite like being alive. Don't you?

kissitos,
az

oops - worse things happen at SEA. must learn to preview . . .

Hi az,
Poor you! Does it not live up to your expectations then?

Thanks, I'm just adjusting to this new 'crazy old world'. The sun is shining here and we went punting this afternoon and came home and had scones and . Do you know the snoopy cartoon where he is lying in top of his doghouse thinking 'my life has no meaning' when Charlie Brown brings his supper and snoopy leaps up and shouts 'Ah, meaning!' I have definitively proved that the four best cures for 'Nausea' (in the Sartrian sense) are 1)Sleep 2)Food ( is best), 3)Poetry (all the awful epic heroic poems they make you learn at school) and 4)Bach. The cello suites or the cantatas are best, but it all works

My deepest sympathy on your recent sad disappointment

Clare

Too much searching for the meaning of life is definitely bad for you (and I'm a philosopher - I should know ).

Meaning just kind of grows out of development. I know it's trite advice but - maintain your integrity, think for yourself, balance idealism with realism (and vice versa), treat others with the respect they deserve (whether lots or none at all), treasure the good bits for strength when they're not so good; all that stuff. You're more clued up than I was at your age, and look at me now.

Okay, perhaps not the BEST example...

Noggin

hi Clare,

Just lost a posting I sent to you - fU**ing computer crashed again! Was nothing important, just telling you that your Snoopy cartoon reminded me of a Calvin and Hobbes one I once had about the meaning of life that was quite perfect. Loved it so much that, back in the old days when I used to actually hand-write letters and post them, I had this comic strip printed up as letterhead. Can't remember it exactly now (getting old, getting old . . .) but if I find it again I'll let you know what it was.

Thanks for your heart-felt sympathy, but in fact, am going to need it more on Wednesday when I have to go back again and watch this load of crap AGAIN! Well, never mind, this too shall pass . . .


Hi Noggin,

Nice advice. I also agree that too much searching might not be healthy. Might stop one from actually living.

az

ps (to Clare)

nice to see you are using a bit of distraction therapy. not a 'way of life' of course, but is quite useful at times to distance oneself from what is going on and gain a fresh perspective.

az

Hoo - how could a sophisticated, hip and froody young teen such as me with interests such as mine *not* have read that thing? I do hope that you've read the sequel to the thing, too. (I wondered if anyone'd notice if I put that in)
Clare - as Hoo said, massive revalations on its way if you continue in the next logical steps from "Does anyone get what I mean or am I going crazy?"
Noggin - "The meaning of life comes from development" - could be the other way round. Nah, just kidding. It'd only work on a semantic level.
Az- check out my new journal entries and page (finally!)

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I shall try to keep it all in mind!

Fnord: Next logical step? I can't wait, tell me what it is. Hnag on, it's not the 'how do I know I'm not crazy?' or 'How do I know there is anyone else?' is it? Tell me tell me tell me!

Thanks again everyone

Advice is both dispensed and received by fools. No offence.
The next logical step can go in any direction, and all are correct. Don't try and second guess yourself- just wait and think. Like wu-wei in the Tao (showing off).
Keep guessing and I might confirm it.

Fnord

it strikes me how Camut-like you all are in your existentialism


I can do it too!

'the next logical step can go in any direction' How? And if it can go in any direction, how is that logical? Hmmm

Yeah, well, go easy on him Clare,

After all, he's ONLY 15!



az

No but really, Camut is the guy for you. Ask Noggin if you want, he'll know way more than I do.