WARNING: If you flame or troll this without reading it because you're another jaded Dawkinsian net meme quoting twat, you suck.
Now that I've pissed off everyone who came here to slap down the Avatar depression poster, let's get this on.
EDIT: Because I'm a presumptive tool I need to explain something. Avatar depression is a phenomenon where people who see the movie Avatar realize their lives will never be as cool/pretty/exotic as Pandora and get really depressed about it.
EDIT#2: For those who want to picture me without knowing what they're talking about, I have lived in places with a minimum of technology. I spent a summer on a native reservation climbing mesas. I spent another summer raising chickens and a winter in the same place where our only source of heat was a single wood stove. It can be tough. It can also be strengthening. I'm not advocating abandoning technology, and if you claim that I am in any way, you're lying about what I've written here. I am saying we should NOT worship tech, or dogmatic religions, or capitalism, or anything that has destructive ends when carried too far. Read and learn folks, don't blindly quote in an attempt to prove your own half-baked ideas
At it's core Avatar depression brings out a very basic fact of Western European culture (read: roots of western culture from ancient Rome, brought to it's fullest stupidity in America because we use capitalism to drive everything into the ground). We have spent a large portion of our history as humans relying on technology after technology while ignoring or destroying every culture that put learning how to live first and foremost. Mao did it to the Taoist and Buddhists, America did it to the native tribes here, Rome did it to, well, damn near everyone they possibly could. When we weren't using technology as our crutch, we have relied on spoon fed religions devoid of compassion. Christianity was a beautiful thing until Constantine (another fucked up Roman) completely ruined it.
The world is beautiful place. I live on the north west coast area of the US. It's a rainforest here, and there's nothing quite like hiking in the woods out here. I personally prefer it stoned, so I get my own "Avatar" fix whenever I want it. Still, there's a lot of beauty and wonder around. Go study and ancient religion you know nothing about. Go make friends with random people. That beauty and wonder can be found.
We are slowly driving it out of the world, still. A few years back I went to a Buddhist meditation and discussion session. I about geeped at the idiot who said buddhism was about meditating on what you want so you can get it. According to him I could meditate myself a new car. This actually works, by the way. Meditation focuses the self, and if you focus yourself on your goals you have a better chance of achieving them. However, if buddhism is about new cars for you, you really missed the fucking point completely.
We have the technology now to look outwards and find near-habitable and eventually habitable planets. We have the technology to begin building generational starships. If we can re-focus ourselves on learning how to live first, and treating the rest as it should be treated (all the tech is toys folks), if we can relax in the world we have around us instead of finding new and interesting ways of crushing each other physically and economically, then the galaxy is ours with world after world to discover. If we don't learn how to live first, then the first generational ship we send out will end in insanity as the crew destroys itself.
If you suffer from Avatar depression (I know, escapists are better than that. Share this with someone who needs it then) then work to keep beauty in this world and to find the beauty in others.
Now that I've pissed off everyone who came here to slap down the Avatar depression poster, let's get this on.
EDIT: Because I'm a presumptive tool I need to explain something. Avatar depression is a phenomenon where people who see the movie Avatar realize their lives will never be as cool/pretty/exotic as Pandora and get really depressed about it.
EDIT#2: For those who want to picture me without knowing what they're talking about, I have lived in places with a minimum of technology. I spent a summer on a native reservation climbing mesas. I spent another summer raising chickens and a winter in the same place where our only source of heat was a single wood stove. It can be tough. It can also be strengthening. I'm not advocating abandoning technology, and if you claim that I am in any way, you're lying about what I've written here. I am saying we should NOT worship tech, or dogmatic religions, or capitalism, or anything that has destructive ends when carried too far. Read and learn folks, don't blindly quote in an attempt to prove your own half-baked ideas
At it's core Avatar depression brings out a very basic fact of Western European culture (read: roots of western culture from ancient Rome, brought to it's fullest stupidity in America because we use capitalism to drive everything into the ground). We have spent a large portion of our history as humans relying on technology after technology while ignoring or destroying every culture that put learning how to live first and foremost. Mao did it to the Taoist and Buddhists, America did it to the native tribes here, Rome did it to, well, damn near everyone they possibly could. When we weren't using technology as our crutch, we have relied on spoon fed religions devoid of compassion. Christianity was a beautiful thing until Constantine (another fucked up Roman) completely ruined it.
The world is beautiful place. I live on the north west coast area of the US. It's a rainforest here, and there's nothing quite like hiking in the woods out here. I personally prefer it stoned, so I get my own "Avatar" fix whenever I want it. Still, there's a lot of beauty and wonder around. Go study and ancient religion you know nothing about. Go make friends with random people. That beauty and wonder can be found.
We are slowly driving it out of the world, still. A few years back I went to a Buddhist meditation and discussion session. I about geeped at the idiot who said buddhism was about meditating on what you want so you can get it. According to him I could meditate myself a new car. This actually works, by the way. Meditation focuses the self, and if you focus yourself on your goals you have a better chance of achieving them. However, if buddhism is about new cars for you, you really missed the fucking point completely.
We have the technology now to look outwards and find near-habitable and eventually habitable planets. We have the technology to begin building generational starships. If we can re-focus ourselves on learning how to live first, and treating the rest as it should be treated (all the tech is toys folks), if we can relax in the world we have around us instead of finding new and interesting ways of crushing each other physically and economically, then the galaxy is ours with world after world to discover. If we don't learn how to live first, then the first generational ship we send out will end in insanity as the crew destroys itself.
If you suffer from Avatar depression (I know, escapists are better than that. Share this with someone who needs it then) then work to keep beauty in this world and to find the beauty in others.
