Lasher
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Global Steward
Destruction of the empty spaces is my one and only crime \m/ >_< \m/
Posts: 118
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Post by Lasher on Mar 6, 2009 17:11:46 GMT -5
I think my generation, and maybe the one before as well, are unlike any other. I'll try and explain this, but I'm finding it difficult to articulate. I've been struggling to put it in writing for days. It's kind of sad actually...  I believe there is a certain fatalistic strain within consciousness of the youth of this age. This is something I've put into context for myself by considering that, while in times past, there have been difficult times and massive struggling for those generations, without doubt... but I don't believe that there was ever within their consciousness a sense that the world was actually going to end. Certainly ones own immediate world, and maybe even ones entire country.... but not, like, the whole freakin world, you know? I think that foreboding is an ever present and innate sense within my generation. Ever since I can first remember, there was always an ending to everything... it was always how the world was never going to be the same or even be there period. Whether it was some ridiculous number of species that went extinct everyday; or some natural wonder eroding and disappearing before your eyes; the decimation of forests and natural resources that had existed for millennia before; the havoc of Global Warming; the masses that are born and then died simply for want of food or water; the rusted inability for the system to change; the violence around the world and this seeming compulsion to destroy - like some kind of rats-in-a-barrel psychosis; or just the exponential effect of the human population doubling. All of this has left a feeling, or even a premonition, in my life of having no future. I've never been able to imagine growing old. And I sense a kindred feeling in those around me... in anyone my age I see this state of suspense. Maybe I'm just projecting, but I believe it's there. I don't know that people are consciously aware of this feeling, and are consistently analyzing it like I have... but I think it's completely woven into their subconscious. I wonder how do you move forward? How do you live your life? Do you put your nose to the grindstone and try your hardest to keep it from happening... Even if you believe it's useless? Do you say, "Fuck it" and live it up while you can, and soak up what ever you get your hands on, since it's not gonna last for long? Do you find Jesus... So you'll be in good shape in case the Rapture comes along? Or do you kill yourself...? Just to take matters into your own hands and regain some kind of control? Is there a fifth option? Do you maintain hope and faith no matter the confusion and the seemingly insurmountable odds whirling around this world that seems to be dooming itself? Can you? For me, while I have experienced all of these reactions, the fifth option is overwhelmingly predominant. And I attribute most of that to the way I was raised, particularly by my Dad and his philosophy. While this near-apocalyptic state and the never ending influx of information supporting it has effected me deeply, I've managed to stave off my cynicism and sensations of defeat. I was brought up to be tremendously aware of the ongoing evolution of the world around me, which has led me to this analysis of a world suspended in balance... equally able to topple one way or the other. And regardless of how bleak it so often seems to me, I remain positive and conscious of the goodness. And even if ultimately we're faced with the worst case scenario, I believe that the Faith instilled within me of a greater destiny will forever be present. I still think we can change the world. I do know that there is a sense of anticipation... this state of suspense, like I said. Maybe like we're waiting for it to go down, so we can rebuild. There is an enormous pent up energy... I feel that. Like a raging Hope. It's tempered with anger and disappointment... but it's this huge massive hope.I made this lil piece of fanart awhile back... uber dork that I am. ;D Anywho... it kind of suits this thread, in a bleak post-apocalyptic kind of way, so I thought I'd share...  |
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Post by Trivium515 on Mar 7, 2009 16:32:23 GMT -5
Nicely put Lasher, i definitely feel that way sometimes, (though it isn't so coherent in my mind) it just all seems insurmountable at times, there's so much to do, and so little we actually can do, it's like, screw it! I feel like a lot of young people have just tuned out of it all together, maybe as a sort of coping mechanism? I mean with technology these day, there's always a distraction. Kind of ironic, that with all this information coming at us all the time, it actually does the opposite and creates a sort of lull.
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Lasher
Administrator
Global Steward
Destruction of the empty spaces is my one and only crime \m/ >_< \m/
Posts: 118
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Post by Lasher on Mar 7, 2009 16:47:01 GMT -5
Yeah... you've got a point there Triv... info overload, the brain can only take so much. I think you're getting what I was trying to say though... which is kind of a relief. Reading it back I figured it was just gonna be misunderstood, like I'm some lamo depressed kid who's all self-absorbed and waiting for the world to end. When it's really the opposite... I'm just trying to explain this undercurrent... that our generation is just waiting for the chance to come into our own. This feeling like the world is due for another big change... a mass shift in consciousness. It's funny I've been hearing those words more and more lately all over the place... which reaffirms for me that these are legitimate issues and I'm not just thinking too much.
You know I was having a discussion on this over the phone the other day with a broha in Cali and he totally got it... he also got the empowerment aspect of it... the idea that we have such immense potential.
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Post by MagnetMan on Mar 7, 2009 16:53:54 GMT -5
it just all seems insurmountable at times, there's so much to do, and so little we actually can do, it's like, screw it! I feel like a lot of young people have just tuned out of it all together, maybe as a sort of coping mechanism? I mean with technology these day, there's always a distraction. Kind of ironic, that with all this information coming at us all the time, it actually does the opposite and creates a sort of lull. In earlier times ignorance was bliss the poor had no idea of the wealth of choices that are open to those with money and shut out against those with none. Now you are tantalized and urged to hitch a ride on the money machine or think of yourself as a loser Ask yourself this what is material wealth and artificial enjoyment while the vast majority can only stand outside the party halls and stare through the window? |
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Post by Trivium515 on Mar 7, 2009 17:05:48 GMT -5
That's a good point MM, and we do take for granted how much access we have to instant information, compared to past generations. Yeah... you've got a point there Triv... info overload, the brain can only take so much. I think you're getting what I was trying to say though... which is kind of a relief. Reading it back I figured it was just gonna be misunderstood, like I'm some lamo depressed kid who's all self-absorbed and waiting for the world to end. When it's really the opposite... I'm just trying to explain this undercurrent... that our generation is just waiting for the chance to come into our own. This feeling like the world is due for another big change... a mass shift in consciousness. It's funny I've been hearing those words more and more lately all over the place... which reaffirms for me that these are legitimate issues and I'm not just thinking too much. You know I was having a discussion on this over the phone the other day with a broha in Cali and he totally got it... he also got the empowerment aspect of it... the idea that we have such immense potential. Exactly, i get what your saying, it's not that we don't appreciate our predecessors hardships and efforts, but a lot was damaged in the process, and it's it's going to be our problem to fix. You know what? It's funny you were worried about it being misunderstood, Magnetman took your essay, and MY peom, and put it on another forum, and they're totally not gettin it man. Dude, they resorted to the ultimate insult, they called us...... EMO!!!! You should go read, it's freaking hysterical. |
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Lasher
Administrator
Global Steward
Destruction of the empty spaces is my one and only crime \m/ >_< \m/
Posts: 118
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Post by Lasher on Mar 7, 2009 17:19:41 GMT -5
In earlier times ignorance was bliss the poor had no idea of the wealth of choices that are open to those with money and shut out against those with none. I hadn't thought about it that way exactly, MM... kind of a wise take, Pop. Thanks for bringing some elder perspective to our musings. Do you think that it's also like... the more awareness we have, the more oppressive it can be? You know what? It's funny you were worried about it being misunderstood, Magnetman took your essay, and MY peom, and put it on another forum, and they're totally not gettin it man. Dude, they resorted to the ultimate insult, they called us...... EMO!!!! You should go read, it's freaking hysterical. Oh yeah, that's right...MM told me he was going to... I hadn't gone there... I just read it now. And you're right, what a total lollercoaster!  As to that emo comment.... Oh no they didn't!  Laughing my ass off. Friggin emo kids, man! They give us all a bad name!  Hey sis, get this... we're also Cult members! Did you know that? I didn't know that! Booyah!!! |
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Post by Trivium515 on Mar 7, 2009 17:32:35 GMT -5
As to that emo comment.... Oh no they didn't! Laughing my ass off. Friggin emo kids, man! They give us all a bad name!  The Metal Gods are frowning down at us as we speak. *shakes head* Hey sis, get this... we're also Cult members! Did you know that? I didn't know that! Booyah!!!I had no idea!!! SaWeet!!! What should we name our cult do you think? hmmm, like the Cult Of Badassery!! Yeah, i like it, or The Cult of Headbangers. lol, sooo... what do people do in cults? do you think we should perform some sort of, i don't know, sacrificial.... sacrifices? |
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Lasher
Administrator
Global Steward
Destruction of the empty spaces is my one and only crime \m/ >_< \m/
Posts: 118
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Post by Lasher on Mar 7, 2009 18:24:20 GMT -5
As to that emo comment.... Oh no they didn't! Laughing my ass off. Friggin emo kids, man! They give us all a bad name! The Metal Gods are frowning down at us as we speak. *shakes head* I know, babe... I mean...there's a three letter word that is just blasphemous... and that's emo. Excuse me while I dry heave a little bit. Hey sis, get this... we're also Cult members! Did you know that? I didn't know that! Booyah!!!I had no idea!!! SaWeet!!! What should we name our cult do you think? hmmm, like the Cult Of Badassery!! Yeah, i like it, or The Cult of Headbangers. lol, sooo... what do people do in cults? do you think we should perform some sort of, i don't know, sacrificial.... sacrifices? I like it.... Or better yet.... the Cult of Headbanging Badassery! Huzzah! I don't know... I mean, what do Cult-y peeps do? Should we have candle lit ceremonies or something...? Chanting and stuff. I like your sacrifices idea! .... Hey, I know! We should kidnap emo kids and sacrifice them!!Hey, Triv, did you see that comment on the "50,000 species becoming extinct every day"?! Shit! I'd never heard that number before! Damn.... it's worse than I thought! We really are screwed, lol. Ah well, sis... what can you do? It sure is pretty incredible how judgmental folks can be. Just epic levels of arrogance, really. I gotta say though, props on imagination! Some amazing theories and conclusions with very little to go on. Added bonus...always hugely bloody entertaining! w00t! ;D |
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uki
Initiate
yeehaw!!!
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Post by uki on Mar 10, 2009 22:36:51 GMT -5
i believe you are right about the dead generation... nothing but weeds, soon to be thrown into the fire. everyone is so distracted by pointless technology that they miss all the truth that is surrounding them in this life... i myself feel somewhat guilty of this by spending so much time on the computer, but it is thru the computer that you can transmit and broadcast your thoughts and beliefs to others, some of which may be waiting for that one post or string of words that ignites the flame of their flickering soul. perhaps this is just another lame excuse, but i feel it is not... peoples perceptions can be altered via the information superhighway... the sides are polarizing at an accelerated rate; the lines are being drawn in the sand... once the music stops, some will be left standing without a chair to sit on. nothing happens by random chance... all things are destined to be... there is no such thing as a co-incidence in this life. the dead generation is what gives us power to endure our own trials and tribulations... if it were not for others whom are dead, we would have nothing to measure our individual and collective progress as a species against... anyhow... i am mindlessly rambling on.
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Lasher
Administrator
Global Steward
Destruction of the empty spaces is my one and only crime \m/ >_< \m/
Posts: 118
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Post by Lasher on Mar 12, 2009 17:20:37 GMT -5
Some good points there, uki. Sometimes it feels as though there is nothing else you can do but keep trying to reach out and wake up anyone and everyone. Keep trying to change how you are saying it to some how make it resonate, or resonate more. And the the information superhighway puts everyone within reach, as you say.
Had a discussion last night as to how it feels as though we are all on one big ship. And you stand there looking ahead and you can see we're all headed straight for a reef. So you scream and you shout and flail your arms in the air, "Hey! We're gonna crash!!" But no one hears you. You run from person to person shaking them by the shoulders and they just stare at you like your mad.
I don't know. If everything is destined, maybe the ship is supposed to crash. Maybe we're not supposed to stop it... or even be aware of the impending hardship ourselves. Maybe the only way you can create something completely new is for that which is old to thoroughly die.
It's funny... the system is us. We are the system. If every man woman and child woke up tomorrow morning and decided to be something else, it would disappear as if it never existed. The only evidence that it had would be the ruins of it's institutions... and little useless sheets of paper. It's such a total illusion... an illusion built on something invisible and artificial. Yet we've created such a construct in our minds, that we need it to survive... even though it's killing us.
I don't believe in an Armageddon. What I was trying to express in the opening post was that I feel as though the people my age are in a state of suspension. Waiting for the beast to stumble and collapse so that its hold will loosen enough that we can change the contract.
The hope that I spoke of is not for individual desires. That's not what hope means to me. Hope is everyone's.
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Post by MagnetMan on Mar 12, 2009 17:40:45 GMT -5
The human mind
is an artificial construct
it is made up of opinions
planted by someone else
If you were a feral child
you would have no opinion
They say you are what you eat
You
are made up of opinions
which you have absorbed
from your family
your society
You are never
you
That is one thing I do know
about my you.
I can never really communicate
with you
for the real you
does not exist
So I refuse
to accept your opinion
about anything
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uki
Initiate
yeehaw!!!
Posts: 9
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Post by uki on Mar 13, 2009 19:53:45 GMT -5
Maybe the only way you can create something completely new is for that which is old to thoroughly die. nothing ever completely dies; nature is testament to this fact... change is the only constant and absolute of life... yet as a collective conscious moving forward in a time of change, one must experience it on an individual level... this is what adds experience of our respected journeys. armageddon is a fancy little word that has been used to expalin the concept of change at it's periodic inflection point... the time when all things are created new and the former things are forgotten... much like a pupae in the midst of transformation, which appears to be doing nothing to the casual or ignorant onlooker, but is in truth transforming from one manifestation to the next and will only emerge after the set required time for the catalyst has been met. hope is a deception to get the mind out of the present and into the future... hope is never for the moment, never for today... it is always for tomorrow, next week, or next year... the only thing we have is the moment, the time for action is only right now. |
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Post by MagnetMan on Mar 14, 2009 10:11:55 GMT -5
All points wisely covered You have a healthy world view, Uki Your opinion on many other points already posted will be noted with interest Interesting take on hope which I have never heard before. But I would say reflection on the past and expectations for the future are integral dynamics of consciousness The present has to be predicated on both past and future or there would be no one to witness |
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Post by Trivium515 on Mar 14, 2009 17:24:12 GMT -5
All of this has left a feeling, or even a premonition, in my life of having no future. I've never been able to imagine growing old. Yeah this is another thing that i meant to touch on. for those of our generation that feel this way, how will this effect the natural instincts to eventually settle down and well, reproduce? I mean when the world seems to be in turbulent waters (following the shipwreck analogy), to bring more young people aboard seems almost, irresponsible. I don't really believe in an Armageddon either, but things are definitely going to get worse before they get better. |
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uki
Initiate
yeehaw!!!
Posts: 9
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Post by uki on Mar 14, 2009 19:52:27 GMT -5
All of this has left a feeling, or even a premonition, in my life of having no future. I've never been able to imagine growing old. some believe the most glorious way to go out is simply in the midst of battle, then again... these are just the ones pre-destined to do so and have accepted their fate. for those of our generation that feel this way, how will this effect the natural instincts to eventually settle down and well, reproduce? it will happen according to the cycles of nature... i have three children and none were planned out. yet what if your purpose in life was to survive and continue on the human species, seeding future generations with your genetic traits? to be enlightened is to be filled with ligt, to be filled with light the DNA must be activated and turned on to allow the information(light) to open up and expand your consciousness. natural disasters and periodic cleansing of the populations is needed to ensure the proper genetic structures evolve with the planet... those who are not turned on or fated to recieve the information and help progress the planetary( universal) consciousness will be justly destroyed by the forces of nature... these " acts of god" as has been written about them are nothing more than the manifestations of planetary intent, described by words and inscriptions(mediums upon which to transmit information to future generations that might not have access to or hear it being said... when an organism becomes sick, it's immune system kicks in to get rid of the germs... the ignorant continue about on in their destructive ways, but those destined to survive begin waking up to natural healing, natural medicine, natural foods, self-defense, and so forth; these people(beings) help spread the information( light) so that it can reach the dark places... by living our light within our realm of understanding we help nuture others into becoming more aware, to wake up; we help spread information that allows people to survive... we are all light... this reminds me of the parable of the seeds... without understanding just how bad things can be without experiencing them, one cannot fully appreciate just how good things will eventually become. |
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