It's Wednesday, and I'm in Devon...

[nadriel]

Okay, not quite as catchy as some titles, but hey look at the material I have to work with here...

Didn't sleep well last night- still feeling fairly shitty. Still got some good thinking in, as always. Not about anything of note, just generic thinking on reality, perception, the usual sort of thing.

So, today's thoughtful bit:

I sometimes despair of the human race- every day I see people not thinking about anyone other than themselves, or just not thinking. I mean, if people just took a little time to think about the effect their actions, then surely the world would be a better place.

But the prevelant attitude seems to be, "Well, it benefits me, so it's okay".

*sigh*

Comments

[mistressbuffy.livejournal.com]

*coughs*
I made a similar post yesterday. Seems things are the same all over. As one Christian "goth" to another, may I add you to my friends list?

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

By all means- us really minority groups should stick together...:-)

[mistressbuffy.livejournal.com]

Excellent!
May I draw your attention to this : http://www.livejournal.com/users/mistressbuffy/18614.html
Just so I knows where to categorise you. :)

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

Not normally my thing, but I'm interested in other "amateur" authors, as I'm on and off working on some fiction.

[aleph-hq.livejournal.com]

Just Hijacking your LJ
and have you ever thought xtian Goths are a minority for a reason?
93 93/93

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

Yes. But then I remembered that reason is, on occasion, overrated...

[joysilence.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of Goths who are Christians, and while this surprised me at first, I actually think that the icon-worship and preoccupation with sentiment, as opposed to reason, of Goth, makes it a very attractive proposal to Christians, (especially Catholics, but not just them.) What other mainstream youth cult has such a fixation with love over death, eternal bonds, the struggle against darkness, and blood symbolism? People expect Christians to be annoyed by the way Goths hijack religious imagery, but why would they? They'd have to be very humourless not to appreciate this skewed compliment.

[aleph-hq.livejournal.com]

"What other mainstream youth cult has such a fixation with love over death, eternal bonds, the struggle against darkness, and blood symbolism?" That sounds more like a decription of Xtianity than goth. Most goths I am aware of would probably take the opposite view (with the possible exception of eternal bonds); it's more like love & death, a love of death, and embracing the darkness within than light & redemption. I could understand a Catholic Goth perhaps, & see the attraction in ritual, repetition & mantra (not to mention the clothes, jewellery & wine) but other than that I remain puzzled.I suppose you could argue that Xtianity is a death cult, and take it from there...

[joysilence.livejournal.com]

I didn't expect you to agree with that statement, but I would argue, solely based on the goths I know of course, that they embrace the "darkness" to tame it, to come to terms with it if you like. If you revel in something,understand it, and feel you can harness it's power, then it hurts you less. I don't think I know a single Goth who's a "dark" person in the sense of being doomed or even out-of-control, though some may like to think they are. Of course, there may well exist such a Goth, but I would argue that they are using the trappings and mechanisms of Goth as therapy, rather than to reinforce their sad situation.

[nachtherr.livejournal.com]

An outgrowth of the "fuck you jack, I'm all right" attitude. Becoming more prevalent in today's society *gets on soap box*.

I could go on but I get paid for working :o)

Hope you feel better after my 'food' post, hee, hee!

Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[joysilence.livejournal.com]

"I sometimes despair of the human race- every day I see people not thinking about anyone other than themselves, or just not thinking. I mean, if people just took a little time to think about the effect their actions, then surely the world would be a better place."
Get out of that groove quickly if you can, that mindset can lead to fascism. Even the most apparently simple, football-TV-and-McDonalds soul can hold complexity and depth beyond guessing. That's something I've learnt at a high cost to myself. What you see everyday is not necessarily what there is, not by a very long chalk.

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

I wouldn;t worry- I don't stay in any one mindset for very long- it's almost an anathema to me.

And my statement was based on observational evidence, which I stand by. Obviously I can't judge on what I don't see, but my point is that these are actions that affect other people, and people are either not thinking or not caring. Either way...

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[joysilence.livejournal.com]

"people are either not thinking or not caring"
My point is: how do you know they're not thinking? Or caring? I'm not being snide, I really am curious as to why you think the "human race", as a whole, doesn't 'do' altruism or consideration. You've seen the twatty actions, but have you seen the motivations behind the twatty actions? Does anyone ever?
I'm guessing you've had a pretty shit few weeks/years/whatever, and I sympathize,but you're going to have a shit life if you write off the human race as a result.

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

I never said the human race as a whole doesn't do altruism or suchlike. However, I keep an eye on trends in society and, in particular, in politics, and I don't like they way they are going.

I haven't written off the human race. If I had, I would do something about it.

I am optimistic and hopeful about individuals in general, and I am frequently disappointed.

Anyway, I can't get my points across properly in this medium, so we'll have to continue this next time we meet.

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[joysilence.livejournal.com]

Sorry if I've misunderstood you, I tend to treat sentences beginning with "the prevalent attitude seems to be..." as more or less equivalent to "the human race as a whole does/thinks X", though maybe some people have different definitions etc. A lot of arguments seem to boil down to word definitions after all. But, if you "despair of the human race" even sometimes, how can you be optimistic about individuals? Unless you just mean individuals who haven't pissed you off yet ;)

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

Because I have an intrinsically strnge nature. I can disassociate the individual from the group that they associate with. So while I may have a low opinion of the group in general, specific individuals that I have encountered may well have a better reception, depending upon their individual actions....

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[joysilence.livejournal.com]

That's not indicative of a "strange" nature at all, because that's the attitude the majority of people takes: 'the human race/people from Manchester/blacks piss me off but I like my friends'. Show me someone who doesn't take that attitude, and I'll show you either a saint or a complete fiend. It's the strength of your revulsion for those not part of your circle of friends that puzzles me, not the fact that you distinguish between having friends and enemies. We all do that; we're all capable of overcoming prejudice when it benefits us socially to do so!

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

I dislike wasted potential.

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[joysilence.livejournal.com]

So what, you're going to "despair" and cease giving these people any credit for having potential? I know you don't think like that all the time though, because you said so; which is good. I don't think there's a person alive who likes wasted potential. The hard thing is judging whether or not the person has wasted their potential.

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

Hardly. But this journal is one of the places I prefer to vent in- it means I can get it out of my system and get on with things.

Re: Prevalent attitude BOLLOCKS

[joysilence.livejournal.com]

Sure, it's your journal.