Before I get started, I want to mention that I'm not writing this blog on my computer. Right now I am sitting on my back patio, smoking a cigar, eating cookies, and drinking and orange soda. I've also got a pen in my hand and a pad of paper on my lap. It will just have to be transferred onto the computer later.
Now, why on earth do I feel the need to do something like this? Bizarre behavior for someone who claims to be a normal guy. First of all, who said anything about me being normal? I just said that I'm nothing special, or overly spiritual. I'm just a guy who is just living his life and stumbles across answers and truths. Second of all, I felt it more... personal. More real. more... human.
People have asked me on several occasions why society is in the crapper. Why no one cares about anything but the satisfaction of their own desires, and their own entertainment. Well first of all I want you to admit that, at least to a certain degree, you too are like that. Every single one of us, no matter how altruistic we may be, still has a certain part of ourselves that is exactly as I described above. Well, there's my answer. Because if you take the little part of you that is selfish and whatnot and add it to the 300 million Americans, all those little selfish attitudes add up to one big problem. In addition to that, there is a reason we have been getting more selfish and increasingly consumeristic. The simple answer: convenience.
We now, for the first time in history, genuinely don't have to leave the comfort of our own home if we choose. With Fed Ex, online shopping, and that yellowish truck that looks like an ice cream truck but without the fun song otherwise known as the Schwan's guy. With a simple phone call, you could get a person to come and install a big screen TV, Internet, computer, and a satellite dish bringing you hundreds of channels of televised entertainment, unlimited access to the world of information, and be thrust into artificial community such as Facebook or Myspace.
Now before the heathens reading this start tossing the "H" word at me (hypocrite), I realize that A) I'm posting this on the Internet (though keep in mind that I am writing this on paper) and B) that I currently have a job designing and installing home theaters and other entertainment systems. Let me establish something. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of this stuff. The problem comes when these things are used as a substitute for reality. Secondly, my involvement with these things makes me, at least partially, qualified to comment on them. Lastly, with the proliferation of the Internet and new affordable communication and information technologies, it is becoming more and more popular for companies to encourage their employees to work form home this limiting office/cube space, but at the loss of personal interaction with other people. (By the way, working from home like this is the way that a person can pay for all the above mentioned conveniences without ever actually leaving home).
Have you ever wondered why Facebook, Myspace, Aim, and other such Internet programs are so popular? What about Reality TV? Sitcoms? Simple, because those shows are designed to bring us into the lives of others without exposing us to the risk that comes with personal interaction. We can see into the lives of others without actually having to let them see into ours. The networks, both on TV and the Internet have realized this, created artificial environments for low-risk socialization and then laughed their way to the bank as we bought into their created fantasies.
I realize that I've been seemingly all over the place so far but it all comes down to this: we've lost something as a society. Especially men. Now, I invite you to grab hold of your seat and prepare for the first "Sailing Preacher Rant".
At one time in our history, men were strong and courageous. Hard working and self-sacrificing. Now in this generation, things look quite different. Now, men have taken to seeking first their own entertainment and then those things that are the exact opposite of what we're supposed to be seeking. Our founding fathers are probably rolling over in their graves because of the men of this generation. If anyone wants to see what a real man looks like, instead of turning on your daily sitcom or referring to shows like "Gray's Anatomy" or even to reality TV like "Big Brother 47", watch the 2000 Mel Gibson movie The Patriot.
The main character is a farmer and plantation owner from South Carolina named Benjamin Martin (played by Mel Gibson). Benjamin Martin lives a few miles outside of Charlestown, South Carolina right at the onset of the American Revolution. He's a widower, a father, and a veteran of the French and Indian War. Without giving way too much of the plot for any of yo who have not yet seen it, let me compare Benjamin Martin with the average "man" of the 21st century.
Right away, we learn that Benjamin Martin is hard working. The movie begins with a scene where there is corn growing all over the place and the look of the house and fields is that of a farmer. About twenty minutes into the film, we see Benjamin plowing a field behind a team of oxen. Simply from the look on his face, it's unmistakable that what he's doing is hard work, yet he continues doing it. At the start of the film, we first meet Ben in a workshop, making a chair. Things don't work out so well for him, and he throws his failed attempt at a chair into a large pile of other failed attempts.
Compare this to a man of the 21st century. A man in today's society has an average lawn of about half an acre or less. He then then spends a large sum of money to get someone else to tend to it. Does he then use this extra time to do something productive? Does he work on his car? Does he play with his kids? Does he try and improve the world around him? Sometimes, but more often than not, he sits down in front of a large TV with an intoxicating beverage and tries to ignore everything but the glowing screen in front of him. Or, for the younger guys, he sits down with an XBox controller and escapes into a different kind of fantasy world. If a man of the 21st century actually attempts to make something like a chair, and fails... more often than not, he just gives up and buys one from a furniture company.
Secondly, Benjamin Martin is self sacrificing. As the film opens, a man on a horse rides up to the house and delivers a parcel of mail to Abigail, the house keeper. The man is post-rider. Now, keep in mind that at this time, mail was at most an every few weeks event, not a daily occurrence like it is today. When mail came at this time, it was a huge event. Anyway, at the end of the day, all the kids are in the house waiting for "dad to come back in". Ben walks in the door, over to the table where the parcel is placed, and instead of grabbing the mail, reaches for a glass and walks over to the fireplace. The next words out of his mouth were "So, what was in the mail?" The kids then race up and open the parcel. What Ben did there was comparable to letting someone else open his birthday presents.
Looking at the modern day, men seem only interested in their own selves. They sit in front of the best TV in their house and watch their favorite shows. 21st century men leave their wives and kids to use other TVs and if they are disturbed, it had better be because grandma died, someone just won the lottery, or dinner is ready. Their excuse: "I work hard to support this family, I deserve time to relax." Again I say, if the early Americans knew what men have become they'd kick the crap out of us then rub our noses on our TV screens like little dogs and say "NO!"
The last thing I'm going to compare specifically is the purpose that both men pursue. Benjamin Martin, though a veteran and hero of one war, was dragged into a second. he then leaves his kids with his sister-in-law and sets off to join the cause that would lead to American freedom. He then suffers many hardships, personal losses, and even the death of some of those closest to him, yet he never gives up. This is because he seeks a purpose that is beyond himself. Compare that to the men of the 21st century.
If you were to walk up to a man and ask him why he gets out of bed in the morning, the answer is usually one of three things: A) "So I can make money." B) "So I can enjoy the day" or C) (for single guys) "So I can get laid tonight". Along the same lines, modern college guys go through all that schooling just so they can get a job to achieve "A". It is very rare indeed that you'll ask a guy why he goes through it all and get the response "So I can make a difference."
That's all the comparisons I am going to make for now, but I promise that if you watch the movie and keep in mind what I've said, you'll see many more differences. Differences such as what kids are exposed to, personal glory, and dealing with tragedy. Not to mention courage, innovation, and perseverence to name a few.
Men and women alike should watch this movie, and my hope is that by pointing out some of this, you men will see the need to change a few things and you women will see how your man could be. For you ladies, I ask that you pray for your man and encourage him to live up to his potential. Single ladies, there are men out there that possess many of the same traits as Benjamin Martin, and I suggest that you seek one of them. They WILL treat you right and honor you as a man should.
Finally, Men, I say this knowing full well that I, myself, still have a logn way to go, but I will not stop seeking to become the MAN that I need to be. This, is a promise.
-The Sailing Preacher
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4 comments:
Dear Intelligant Brother,
I understand where you are comming from, and agree that people are lazy and self-serving for the most part. I for one am admittingly guilty of this in ways, but not in others. I am in college, studying hard and working for good grades. At the same time, I am not going out of my way to make sure everyone has the same drive and motivation as myself. All too often my dearest friends fail in life, whether through drugs, or lazyness on slacking grades, or other things. That isn't my problem, because they made those choices. You can be there to support people emotionally, but in the end, the final call goes to them. I plan on much success and happiness in the future, but I know it won't be handed to me. The problem with society is that they expect things given to them, or second chances. NO! If you fail on a test, you shouldn't go nagging for extra credit. That doesn't happen! People know what is expected of them, and it is up to them to make the choice of whether to do it or not.
As far as video games and television goes, it is a way of entertainment, which has always been necessary to society, and it is a way that one can do something without encroaching on others. It is a time used to get out of the day by day work schedual, and give variety and interest to one's life. For instance, in a video game, you can pretend to be someone that can save the day by killing the bad guys, or to experiance something unreal. This same concept can be put to things such as Shakespeare, or Greek plays, radio broadcasts, or even books. Books were once seen as a waste of time. Consider children that grow up on a farm. They are expected to take care of the crops and fields, with many responsibilities. Books are not required for that sort of work, and can be seen as a waste of time. With entertainment, it gives humans a chance to escape from the day after day routine, and puts variety in our lives. Some of this can be corrupted, and too much time spent on those, but again, it is up to the individual to draw the line between harmless entertainment and detrimental to one's life.
As far as the social factors go, it has taken effect on the lives of people, but is it entirely a bad thing? For instance, because people don't have to worry as much about being social, they can have more freedom to develop themselves and fight conformity. The social expectations are not the same, and each person does not have to be like each other.
Benjamin Martin is a good character because of his achievements, but it was his choice to be a good father and citizen, but that was a personal choice, and his drive and motivation is an individual based aspect. I'm sure for each Benjamin Martin, there were five town drunks, at least. Historically, not everyone was a southern gentlemen, so that was not the standard of the time. Today, it is the same.
Success is based on the individual, and it should be up to the individual to be productive, prosperous, and loving, but freedom allows people to make that choice for themselves. In fact, it wouldn't be such a great feat of individual achievement if everyone were that great, and it makes those who are that stand out above the others.
Each person has potential for society, and the nation needs everyone, from doctors, politicians, preachers, and lawyers to the burger flippers, the postal workers, the button pushers, and the computer workers.
America really is the best place in the world, because it is up to the individual to determine where they will end up (generally speaking). The idea of more successful loving individuals is grand, but it is up to the individuals to mold themselves to be as such.
Ah, This is perfect! Puts to bed
many contradictions I've read
Ah, This is awesome! Clarifies
several contradictions I've read
Ah, This is perfect! Clears up
several contradictions I've read
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