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"A topic by Grix Thraves"

Is there nothing more demeaning and pathetic than being seventeen years old, and being stuck inside a house, doing little but pretending that you're not really there? Hoping and wishing that you can be somewhere, someone else? Can we honestly compare ourselves to people who go outside and garden all day, spend their lives looking after animals and treating the sick?

A man with a job still makes him a man, and beyond that, still puts him in the same position as us. Everything, yes, everything, is escapism. Be it watching a film, doing work, going down the shops... just to look around.

For what can we achieve in our lives that would matter one single bit to anyone when we die? For some generation to come along and look at us, wonder how wonderful we were and where we got our ideas from, perhaps take inspiration in what we've done...

But they die too. In the end, all we may do by letting ourselves live on is to help more people escape. Utterly devoid of sense as we all go to work, come home, discuss more methods of escaping from whatever we are possibly trying to escape from and into, and then go to bed, not a worry in the world, as we spend another day doing nothing and being no more than humans stuck somewhere where we can do little but try to express our emotions, as I do now.

So how on earth can we judge people by what future they have? Yeah, we can have a laugh, and escape for that brief moment... but those without grand jobs and making hundreds of thousands a year can have fun too. We spend far too much of our life worrying about what the rest of it will be like, and we waste so much of it trying to stay within the parametres of those set out to try and regain normality in a world that seems less and less sane the longer you stare at it.

So, what difference is there to playing a game to finding your dream job? What possible distinction is there between falling in love and getting a high score? It's all the same thing in the end, utter nonsense escapism. Simple emotions to try and keep us all happy until the one day that we all snuff it.

I'm not saying I don't want to find a dream job, and fall in love...

And here's the point...

Why on earth are gamers made out to be geeks? What possible harm to anyone including ourselves are we doing by playing games?

What? Instead of our larger leg muscles wasting away after playing football all our lives, our masculine finger muscles will now waste away, obviously making that so awful?

Exactly the same reason why some drugs are banned, and why some films are being censored to "protect" us. It can all be catagorised under the same heading, so why do so many people have a problem with things that aren't normal?

I have no real want or need to dance down a street naked, but why can't I if I want to? Would I harm anyone?

Not at all. But the fact is that we are so closly bound by what we've been bought up to believe that it's so difficult to see past our noses and realise that we're not so different after all.

And on that I end this topic. I don't pose any questions, I don't ask you to reply. It's just something I felt like saying at the time.

VenomByte wrote:
> Ant wrote:
Perhaps
> millions of years ago people wouldn't of been
> surprised or 'sickened' by the
> sight of a man dancing naked around the
> road.

>I would, seeing as humans weren't around that long ago....

Well, yes, there's that of course. {:)

Didn't anyone read my explanation?

Basically, everything you do is an escape route from the rael world - it challenges your brain and gives you something to think about.

This is what Grix said in the main topic.

He asked why some people are called Geeks.

I replied by pointing out that it's all about how people relate to each other.
If you use the same escape routes as someone then you can relate to them - your brain thinks in a similar way.

Mainstream escape routes include TV, Music, Socialising, Work, Talking - that sort of thing.
It's what the bulk of the world can talk about to each other and understand each other.

If someone doesn't use these escape routes and goes down escape routes that no one else goes down much, then people can't relate to this person well and can't communicate with them so well.

This person gets isolated from the main crowd as neither side can relate to or understand each other.
The side with the least members (normally just 1 or 2) are labled "geeks".

The odd person might show a large interest in their school work. Others will find that strange, be unable to relate to them and think that they're a geek.

Someone might spend too much time on a computer instead of going down mainstream escape routes.
People who don't use computers much won't relate to him easily and he won't be able to relate to their love for pop stars or that sort of thing.

The more different things you do, the more popular you will be because the more people you will be able to get on with a relate to.

Now all I have to do is put my preaching into practice...

:-D

If everything is escapism, what is there left to escape from?

Boredom, Discontent, Dispair, Depression or any other unwanted emotions.

As escape routes normally test your mind and let you forget things like bills and lifes problems.

Ofcourse, some escape routes give you problems like a film might disturb you or you might get bad news at work.
When that happens, you go down another escape route to put your mind of them.

VenomByte wrote:
> If everything is escapism, what is there left to escape from?


The Sofa.

(Reebok ad, for anyone who wasn't sure).

The belly too, of course.

Which is better? Belly or Sofa?

I say sofa.

Back on topic... perhaps happiness is ignorance. Horrible thing to say, but it seems quite right. Happiness is in denial of the fact that as every day goes past you get closer and closer to death.

The answer to your question Venombyte is death, but it's not something I really want to think about too hard. Ignorance, and all that.

Ignorance is indeed bliss.

Like when the World Trade centre was attacked and collapsed and stuff, it was on TV all the live long day and at first I couldn't stop watching it, me and a couple of my friends were all shaken, we didn't really understand why it was just plain weird.

Then I stopped watching the news, now I have absolutrely no idea whats going on in the world, apparently we're at war or something, but harsh as it may seem, I jusy don't want to know.

Ignorance is bliss, but if you're desparate, use denial.

On the occasions I've thought *deeply* about death, it's terrified me.

So deny it will happen until I see the end. Ageing isn't necessary. Maybe it'll be cured or halted by the time I'm old? Accidents can happen, but they might not. If you can't tell me how I'll die, there's no need for it to happen.

Hope is a great thing.

I fear other peoples deaths, I don't really fear my own. I'm not saying I have a deathwish, or even that I won't avoid confrontation, but my death doesn't scare me.

Pain on the otherhand, I could do without.....