2008-02-18

 

Things That Aren't Shocking Anymore

"On The Road" Maybe the tale of abandoning people and doing drugs was a horrendous shock at one point. Today, to me, it is not. While it's fun to hang out with your friends and party, it is not fun to be left with dysentery in Mexico or rip people off.

I understand the buddy genre; I also understand that one of the buddies is going to be an overall better person, but I can't help but think that the better half should dump the friend louse. Sure the crazy guy is fun, and shirking responsibility is fun ... for a while. When you end up cold, hungry, and alone, taking a little care in life doesn't seem all that bad.

"A Clockwork Orange" was another icon that didn't live up to its hype. It was a good movie and I loved the imagery and story but I wasn't shocked. It's hard to be in a day of constant wars and the internet. Just the other night I saw video tape of Al Qaeda members assassinating two men and then burning some still twitching bodies. Gore and violence are all around us. Even on the radio, on NPR no less, you can hear a graphic description of crippled cattle being drug through shit covered floors by a fork lift on their way to your plate.


# posted by Justin @ 8:31 PM
Comments:
After our conversation the other day regarding responsibility (particularly its backhanded ability to impart meaning/purpose in life), I thought about why I do like 'On the Road.' In reflection I've come to the conclusion that I don't like it for the purpose of providing instruction or template for the vegabond lifestyle...although... for my taste occational trampishness can be interesting and provide spontaneity in life. I think what drew me to the book was simply the story. I enjoy story telling, and that book, although rambling at times, truly feels like the everyman simply sitting down and telling his story...however fantastical the "stream of consciousness" prose may seem. I enjoy visiting with people regarding the mundane of everyday living...infact it may be one of the only aspects of my job that I like: visiting with older folks about times they experienced that I never will. I imagine part of my fondness comes from the period in my life when I read it too...graduate school when everything in life was planned down to the minute and spontaneity was simply a dream. At its core, for my life, I think I will always want to live with one foot in each lifestyle...attempting a precarious balance of responsibility, freedom, and fiction.
# posted by Anonymous Alven : 11:04 AM
 
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