Jeremy and all,
All you say about the tasteless aspect of the American way of life may be
true, god knows, even the rich and famous don't look too
happy to me and they supposedly live the American dream.
But atleast, I for one, have the freedom not to watch (or even own) a TV;
have the freedom and access to watch any quality movie I wish to and avoid
the mindless rubbish mass produced; to read any book/author I want and learn
about any religion I feel compelled to; to listen to Bach, Lennon, Armic,
Dylan; to frequent galleries in the hope of finding a genius amongst the
mediocrity, to mix with people of like mind; to party, drink, love be
merry....I have the choice of following quality and not end up with a couch
potato ass, gall stones, bopping to Brittany, wearing the latest tasteless
trend, idolizing Oprah, and reading self help books!
Further, I have the right (the obligation) to pass on my values to my
children so that they make better choices and not be mindless sheep
following static values of very low quality indeed.
But atleast my children would not be at risk of following static patterns
encouraging fanatical pursuit through death and destruction.
It is easier to turn away from the brainwashing of coca cola and the pursuit
of "the latest gadgets", then it is from a regime that enforces their
values by (metaphorically) placing a gun to your temple and planting seeds
of hate from birth.
And lets face it, those same movies, bands, food (I am never surprised -
though disheartened - to see a McDonalds in even the most remote places on
earth), and even Brittany are extremely popular all over the world.
Happiness seems to be what we're all after, but we're all a little confused
about how to attain it. Wealth does not guarantee it, but without freedom,
neither will anything else.
Victoria
----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Chaves <westward@sympatico.ca>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2001 6:40 PM
Subject: Re: MD Pursuit of happiness AKA GREED
> A pursuit of happiness you say?
> Then perhaps with a century's worth of time of doing this surely America
> must be a truly happy place? Or at least, progressively getting happier?
> Wrong. Prozac, St. John's wart, lithium, RITILAN! That's what keeps
> Americans going today.
> No I don't think any pursuit of happiness includes gorging yourself to an
> unhealthy plumpness. Road rage? where's that coming from? The pursuit of
> happiness?
> How about your children? Kids shooting kids the end result of a pursuit of
> happiness?
> Nope, not me. I don't buy it. When I look at the people surrounding me, I
> don't see happiness. What I see is a misunderstanding of where happiness
is.
> Always some place else. When I look others in the eye, I see misery
rotting
> them from the inside out. And their actions, which are pushed onto me, are
a
> reflection of that.
> Are they hurting anyone?
> YES they are! It's a swamp of Karmic dumping.
> Bad music, bad movies, a general misunderstanding of the difference
between
> Art and entertainment.
> Are people naturally drawn to bad movies or music?
> What do you say for the thousands who are subjected to the idolization of
> Britney Spears? Does she have anything at all to do with the working
through
> of internal issues? Why do so many people flock to her for answers? Is
there
> something I'm missing?
> I recommend you pick up an issue of Adbusters, watch fight club, listen to
> Rage against the machine, achieve peace of mind, and think about Dharma.
> Jeremy Kirouac
>
>
>
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