Recant

If I could, I’d like to clarify or refocus what I said in the previous entry. I wrote it very late at night, so I was being my usual late night fanatical self.

First off, I strongly believe that the meaning of life cannot be found in technology. But that doesn’t mean that technological advance is a bad thing. The meaning of life cannot be found in sex, drugs, or food either. But that doesn’t mean that those things aren’t good. The problem is that its difficult not to notice a trend that as technology gets more advanced, expectations and laziness of people increase as well. These technological advances make it more difficult to sit back and actually think about your life and better yourself.

So the problem isn’t necessarily the technology itself, but the lack of education/experience of the people who use it blindly. I feel very blessed to have had a very influential track and cross country coach, who taught his athletes that there’s more to running than running. Being any type of athlete in high school teaches you the lesson that in order to get what you want, you have to work hard, and do just about anything to resist giving up. People who rely on technology or personal services to take care of the hard parts of their life simply do not have this drive. If they were in a situation where they had to rely on more basic skills or tools, things would be be very difficult for them.

That’s one reason why the movie “Saw” hit home for me. Jigsaw’s philosophy is that people who do not take the time to appreciate what they have should not deserve to live. While I can’t say I agree with him, I do agree that everyone should put themselves into some type of situation that is physically challenging and stressful (like a race) so that they can learn how to get a grip on life. Its an interesting fact that you do not learn how precious life is until you use the entirety of your talents and effort to get yourself out of a sticky situation. People who have never gotten that “HOLY FUCK” feeling just simply do not know anything about what life really is. There is a whole other side of our lives that gets woken up when we are put into that situation. And I think that figuring out how to wake that part of you up, and to develop that person, is the meaning of life.

That person represents your passion. Whether it may be snowboarding, cycling, running, swimming, hell – even badminton. If there’s something you really love to do and it puts a fire under your ass, keep doing that thing and learn as many ways as possible to get better at it, and make it more interesting for yourself. It also really helps if this activity is something physical, too, because I believe that mental activities only use half of your capabilities. It’s good to develop your brain, but you have to remember that your brain is only half of your whole self. Remember to use your body as well.

~ by daveinthewest on February 23, 2008.