Throughout my life, I've used
entertainment, like many Americans, as an escape from reality. As
I'm nearing age 30, I've spent more time questioning that effect on
my life. Is this escapism creating a false sense of reality in me
and is it in turn affecting my expectations in life?
What makes fictional stories so
different than reality? I thought about this a lot the other day, as
my wife was watching Office Space on Netflix, a movie about a
disgruntled office employee. The main character goes about life in a
careless way, with everything falling into place even though he'd
given up all effort to be productive at his job. I could never be
late for work everyday and skip the days I don't feel like coming in,
all while having a “I don't care” attitude and tearing down my
cubicle, without the consequence of losing my job. But this
character did, in fact he got a promotion, and it made for a great
story.
The difference is, I have bills, 2
cats, and a wife. However, there's that part of me that desires more
chaos in the world and a bit more freedom. It's that part of me that
wonders if these characters are truly so far fetched. It's not that
we can't be outrageous, it's that we won't. Pressures from society
and fear of being different, or abnormal, save us from potentially
making fools of ourselves. That is, unless you live in Berkeley, CA.
A good story has colorful characters,
each with their own flavor. The problem with real life, at least in
American society, is that we're so caught up with fitting in, that
the the lines of individuality become thin. When someone acts out of
the norm, such as owning a flock of cats, or tattooing feline spots
on their face, they're looked at as freaks. But at the same time,
many people suppress their desire to stand out in fear of being
ostracized. Where's the fun in that?
So I've come to the conclusion that
many of these fictional stories, that masterfully transport our minds
to a place more colorful, are not so out of touch as we are from
life. People can, and should be eccentric, they should take chances,
and their appearance should reflect how they feel inside instead of
adhering to social pressure. Remember that character is defined as
the aggregate
of features and traits that form the
individual nature of some
person or thing.
Do you have character?
Another great blog!
ReplyDelete-Saebur