God's Own Electric Circus

There's a television in the lunchroom here at Resolve. When you are granted a break, or lunch, you needn't fear the horror of free mental activity. Freed from our headsets, and the scripted conversations of our programs, removed from our 17 inch monitors for a brief relief and once more vacuumed into the vortex of technology. Instead of freely conversing with colleagues, or simply enjoying the panoramic view afforded by the windowed walls, you are deluged by a constant torrent of noise and flittering images. This is information, self-important in its delivery. These programs designed to retain your attention, these commercials with compressed sound blasting, and ridiculous scenerios captivating, drawing you into a false sense of knowing, trusting, passively inducing you to consume. A ravenging consumption of time and attention.

I turned the employee TV off today when I went for my first break. This would have been a much bolder move had the lunchroom been filled with casual gawkers. Imagine the consternation, the brutal awakening... Melodramatic? We have soap operas for that. In our own lives we often have very little self importance. These characters on TV with their entangled lives of power, fantasy and vice, this irrelevant reality, is a brilliant distraction from our own self-induced boredom.

Holy stream-of-consciousness rant batman.

Let me be clear on my statement: communication whether with another being, or within your own mind is absolutely imperative. Continuously plugging yourself into any technological medium is a passive and developmentally thwarting behaviour.

When you get together with friends, turn off the TV, turn down the music. Use this time to converse, talk, interact, communicate, learn and develop friendships.

When you are alone, instead of escaping begin contemplating, planning, visualizing, dreaming; mull over concepts, develop ideas, do not worry about approaching a conclusion, understand all understanding as merely an abstraction from the wave and waft of universal energy. For most people, doing nothing, with no focus, is the best start to breaking free from this crazy information domain. And while we may never be truly free, approaching lucidity from whichever direction possible is the best method to living on your own terms and understanding your true purpose.

I went back to the lunchroom for my thirty minute break. The place was empty, the TV had been turned back on... blaring insignificant sports factoids to the deserted tables. I turned it off again, this time taking the care to trace the power cable back to where it met with an extension cord. After finding the source outlet, I vanquished the cold cathodes.

This time when some desperate person attempts to turn on their boob tube, they'll have to troubleshoot why it isn't working. The act of solving this problem may: 1) annoy them to tears 2) reward them with a grand sense of accomplishment 3) lead them to forgo this passive brain drain.

Check out White Dot: The international campaign against television for more information on this crisis of consciousness. 0 comments