We live in very confusing times - on the one had people are bombarded with silly pranks that win them money or fame or other things from TV or radio or internet, and along with that we really don't know what is what.
For example:
the shooting Thursday night in Colorado - a very tragic event indeed. I understand the shooter was dressed in a costume and had what theatre staff was replica guns, sadly that was not the case. And sadly 12 people who were doing nothing but sitting in a theatre lost their lives. Reportedly many people thought that the smoke bomb which started the tragedy was a publicity stunt - and really, how could they think otherwise? Too many times they've been shown that a failure to be curious has cost them the prize. That the furry thing that brushed against them in the dark was a doll head and if they completed the correct sequence of behaviours, they could've won something. Or if they only poked that person on the street they wouldn't have been embarrassed by a hidden camera, etc. By the sounds of it, this 24 year old man didn't look so out of place as he walked into and around the theatre - how could anyone have known what fate lay ahead?
Sure con-men and crooks have existed as long as man, but there was a time when a 'gentleman's handshake' stood for something. It's no wonder that there is such a prevalence of anti-anxiety medication being taken by not only young to old, but also our pets. Society has bombarded everyone and everything with so many inputs - SOUND! COLOUR! MUSIC! VIDEO! FLASHING LIGHTS! and on and on. In general, it seems that most people don't really know how to relax. And they also don't know what's expected of them and surely this is all leading to a very anxious and nervous and stressed out society. And not only do these factors take a toll on the body but they result in other things such as weight gain, or loss of sleep and the negative impact just snowballs from there. The way things are going, it's not looking so good for the humans. Forget that we're overpopulating the planet and depleting it's resources as we (in North America at least) tend to live a very wasteful lifestyle. Forget threats to humanity by nuclear war or germ warfare or the West Nile Virus. No, it almost seems like we've just going to implode ourselves, self destruct as it were - unless the vast majority of us can learn to take responsibility for ourselves, and slow down on the consumption of
everything and learn to meditate and learn to be still, and to communicate with one another face to face instead of hiding behind little electronic devices to practically communicate for us.
Forgive me if I sound all 'doom and gloom' but I'm worried for mankind, and perhaps that's what needs to happen as complacency only leads to our downfall, does it not? I remember whenever I had a test in school or college - the times I thought I'd ace it, I didn't and the times I thought I failed, I did much better. So maybe enough people's eyes will soon open and they will take charge or their lives and perhaps we can get a handle on these situations that shouldn't happen at all. But how many wake up calls do we need? Man has come so far in evolving and civilization and knowledge, but yet, in many ways we are more out of touch with our bodies, ourselves, our planet than we have ever have been.
If you had to assign a letter grade to the human race, would would give us?
