Earlier on in the year, I posted a video that focused primarily on being outside and riding my longboard. To me there was no greater meaning in my life. I could condense that Idea to simply doing what I wanted to do, without worry of societal pressure. Or something similar. From then, we have gone through several units, largest of which I would say is the Animal unit. I think that specifically this unit was the most applicable to my standing principles on living a good and meaningful life, second being the health unit, which also applies if you think about it. Anywho, What I was trying to say was this; in connecting the Animal unit and the ideas we presented in it, those ideas of being outside with nature and recognizing our primal need to be surrounded by sunlight and pleasant activity only bolsters my original ideas about the meaning of life. It may not be particularly insightful, but I feel that by touching back to my natural roots as a human animal, I can appreciate the world more for the beauty inherent.
As for the health unit, well that is also applicable. Longboarding is helpful to health and well being both physically from the exercise of the action and emotionally/mentally from the endorphins released and the space to clear my head of everything but the linear: what's in front of me, slow down, speed up, etc. I get the rush of wind through my hair and the burn of exercise, so it's like I'm tackling two fronts in the meaningful aspect. Also, considering that I burn no fossil fuels in the process, I am safely within some parameters of a good life, because I am not detracting from the environment or other people's happiness with my activity.
Now, We have come to see from our analysis of corporate culture that to be happy is the main Idea that companies broadcast as a meaningful and good life. There exist so so so many ads on tv that tell us to put a smile on, be happy, do what feels right, etc. Does the fact that these are corporate sponsored ads mean that the messages are inherently false? I would say not, though to a certain extent this is the easy way out. To be happy is a truly noble pursuit that so few people ever achieve. Being happy is a pleasant emotion for things to feel, and leads to a more productive and less stressful existence. However, the corporate message of happiness seems to be that you can only find happiness with their products, their way of life. This is where the nice sunny, peaceful meadow-esque image of happiness meets the grinding metal and fiery brimstone of industry. Corporations would have Us believe that to be happy is to have expensive clothes and goods, that to be satisfied is to eat at a five star restaurant every night and shop at places like Wal-Mart and Target. I would say that we should take this message as a warning. That yes, we should be happy. Most people deserve happiness. But people should also know that you can be happy without a name-brand wardrobe. You should be informed in your happiness. The best things in life are free. I never understood that phrase until recently, but it is true. A walk in the park will probably leave you more happy than a Whopper ever could.
If you want to live your life with some meaning, you must also do your best to be aware of the things that try to mold and shape you, to turn you into a puppet.
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3 comments:
I enjoyed the paper because it was very personal and heartfelt, however I think your title "How to avoid a meaningless life" doesn't fit with your paper, your essay, you list ways that long-boarding helps improve your life, which is something more personal to you. I'd like to see how you can apply the ideas you had in your paper to everyone since not everyone long-boards, and extend those ideas to the masses
I enjoyed your paper a lot, and i liked how you connected it back to your lifestyle and how longboarding is healthy for your lifestyle. Most people connect their papers to our society, but i think it was nice to see how you could connect this paper to your own life. it shows that you did learn a lot from this course. However, i would also like to read about how you think we as Americans can change our lifestyles, and compare it to your lifestyle. However this is just a suggestion, and does not need to be done. Overall i liked your paper a lot.
I'm sorry Marco, the paper is still in draft-form and I inetend to make the content a little more fitting to the title by tomorrow at 5.
Also, rachel, again, it's still a draft, and I will take your idea into account along with marco's concerns.
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