paul is dead!
i love conspiracy theories, i am yet to buy into any one of them as of yet; but nonetheless they entertain me to no end. the illuminati, jfk, i even have a good friend from a very relevant band that is into the conspiracy that 9/11 was planned by the government. though i don’t agree at all its always interesting to me to hear another side of the story.
my favorite has to be the the apollo moon-landing hoax theory that suggests that some or all elements of the apollo missions were faked by NASA, i.e. we didn’t really land on the moon, it was all just a sound stage with actors and such. but i once heard one of these theory that actually made me think.
i was in high school and one of my teachers who had fought in several wars and was well versed in politics and government actually told me that he believed the conspiracy that the national football league was actually put together by the US government. he said they did this to take our minds off politics and government goings-on so that they (the US government) could do what we want and the US citizens would be so busy (sidetrack by sports/games) that they became oblivious to what was really happening around them.
i am not saying that is true by any means but that does beg the question 'what have i wasted my time on that could have been used on things that actually matter/improve my life?'
for example if i took all the time that i watched TV in my life and tried to learn a language i would probably have learned the majority of them by now. if i could take all the time that i have watched movies and instead devoted it to helping build houses with habitat for humanity my community would be a better place to live in. if i took all the time i have spent watching the ‘government instituted sports’ (including the nfl) and devoted them to learning/being an activist in the government i wonder how much change i could have implemented by now.
now for the balance: i don’t think we should alleviate entertainment (after all my job is in the entertainment industry) but i think there should be a limit, keeping oneself accountable to the time they spend doing such activities as noted above. figure out where your time and money is spent and that is your priority in life. make time for yourself, this world can be overwhelming at moments (hence my daily escape to coffee' shops) but also take time to make a change, not only in this world but in your own life.
but for the time being i am going to devote myself to figuring out if paul is dead, (the theory that states paul mccartney of the beatles died in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike while clues were hidden in songs and album cover art.) i personally think its true and hope to prove it to the world.
my favorite has to be the the apollo moon-landing hoax theory that suggests that some or all elements of the apollo missions were faked by NASA, i.e. we didn’t really land on the moon, it was all just a sound stage with actors and such. but i once heard one of these theory that actually made me think.
i was in high school and one of my teachers who had fought in several wars and was well versed in politics and government actually told me that he believed the conspiracy that the national football league was actually put together by the US government. he said they did this to take our minds off politics and government goings-on so that they (the US government) could do what we want and the US citizens would be so busy (sidetrack by sports/games) that they became oblivious to what was really happening around them.
i am not saying that is true by any means but that does beg the question 'what have i wasted my time on that could have been used on things that actually matter/improve my life?'
for example if i took all the time that i watched TV in my life and tried to learn a language i would probably have learned the majority of them by now. if i could take all the time that i have watched movies and instead devoted it to helping build houses with habitat for humanity my community would be a better place to live in. if i took all the time i have spent watching the ‘government instituted sports’ (including the nfl) and devoted them to learning/being an activist in the government i wonder how much change i could have implemented by now.
now for the balance: i don’t think we should alleviate entertainment (after all my job is in the entertainment industry) but i think there should be a limit, keeping oneself accountable to the time they spend doing such activities as noted above. figure out where your time and money is spent and that is your priority in life. make time for yourself, this world can be overwhelming at moments (hence my daily escape to coffee' shops) but also take time to make a change, not only in this world but in your own life.
but for the time being i am going to devote myself to figuring out if paul is dead, (the theory that states paul mccartney of the beatles died in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike while clues were hidden in songs and album cover art.) i personally think its true and hope to prove it to the world.
Comments
agreed. the only tv i watch is house, so as long as i keep my internet time in check i generally get a lot more stuff done. i read more, i write more, i paint more, i run more. all of these things have been goals of mine. but i work at starbucks so i have to go to the beach or something to get away [in the words of goule, NA-TURE!].
i did a project once in comparative religion, we had to create our own religion. my friend and i turned the hollywood scene into "hollywoodom" [wasn't difficult] and rudolph valentino ["rudy," as we call him] was the diety of sorts, joan rivers was a prophet, the red carpet served a yellow-brick road purpose. when celebrities earned enough hollywood-ness [as deemed by their degree of worship by "norms,"] they "died." elvis and b.i.g. are hanging out with rudy, now, really. i imagine paul is there as well.
yeah those theories all do make me laugh a lot, but you are right. time is a valuable thing, and we should all use it more productively.
Thanks for the reminder.
hope you succeed with convincing the world Paul's dead.
I agree with what you're saying regarding free time or wasted time, but also, I think how useful we could be if we didn't necessarily replace those activities with, say a missions trip, but really invested in people WHILE we engage in those activities. If we would be so focused on other people and investing into their lives, not only do those activities become great vehicles, but the world truly begins to change one person at a time. That said. It's about time for a headline ;)
and yes, good luck with proving Paul is dead - i do agree with you.
and yes to the fact that we need to find the balance in our time spent here on earth - besides, the bible does state that we are to be held accountable at the end. now doesn't that change the dynamics..
i should get offline and go change the world :D
great post stephen!
maybe bertrand russell's quote is a lazy way for me to justify all my procrastination.
originally when i read halfway through the post, i thought it was about things like work/grades/success that took time away from more important things like family/friends/or just other people.
i always said i wanted to change the little things i did that would consume my life. but i want to actually do it. i think i found motivation in this blog. thanks for that!
good point.
number nine. I heard about that from my dad. he has a great stories.
I agree 100% which is why, over July 4, 2005 I swore off movies for one year. It is now October 2007, and I'm working on my 3rd year. My wallet and my social life thanks me. =]
I like how Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay phrased it when giving his mid-concert speech regarding Blood:Water Mission--"It's a way to live as if there are people in Africa who are dying, because they don't have clean water."
I think the trick is living purposefully, not passively. If you're purposefully entertained, you'll get more out of it, and if you're watching for those moments and ways to implement change, you'll catch them faster, and make more of them. That, and, as mentioned, keeping one's priorities straight.
Where is Paul buried?
I've been thinking about this whole time wasting thing myself because in one of my anthro classes we are learning about capitalism and how the development of the corporation and its spread through out the world to countries who's time measurement has been cylindrical ie: based upon harvest season or hunting season have been corrupted because of campitalism which was brought about during Victorianism. And since Victorianism was a major influencer on Christianity I surmise that the Christian faith and its desire to better itself is due to the influence of Capitalistic desires for effeciency. For instance some of the early evangelists who would spend hours fasting and praying, traveling from one town to the next or time reading reading reading scripture and yet in the process neglecting their families? Because they wanted to be more productive in spreading Christ's word they neglected their families? Which is more important 'bettering' yourself, investing in other people other than your immediate family or spending time with people dear you?
I say use your time wisely but don't be afraid to smell the roses and don't guilt trip yourselves all the time for not being 'productive'. Is our worth judged by how much we do or by how much we love God?
Oh consumerism and capitalism how I hate thee! You reduce people to commodities to 'win over' or to be used.
Thats my little rant on your blog....sorry.
Joseph Stalin is not our president! thank God...
dawn
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6313033861848773690&postID=5867253765658248355
...almost word for word what you said in your blog.
I do believe we are one in the same.
Once I began to heavily scrutinize the wasting of precious time I had been doing for so long, I have made pointed efforts to avoid such activities. I almost never watch television anymore. I frequently have "unplug" days where I avoid technology as much as possible. They keep me grounded and allow me to find some serenity in such a media-saturated, public world.
On another note, from one eternal-learner to another, have you seen Zeitgeist yet? It's fascinating, whether on believes in the verity of the information being presented or not. [And please don't let the first half hour deter you from watching the rest... it's theological, while the rest focuses on the government and banking system. Conspiracy theories abound.]
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com
And, I leave you with:
Paul is dead, man.
Miss him.
Miss him.
enlightenment.
P.S.
daily coffee shop escapes are a must.
I am taking a Beatles course so I do hope my professor somewhat goes over the conspiracy, despite what the administration would prefer! Hopefully, I shall be enlightened and maybe by then I'll be able to say "I know the guy that proved Paul is dead!" ;)
I have the vinyl record of Abbey Road, and when I first got it I looked at all the clues that were supposed to indicate Paul was dead. Pretty interesting.
I guess Paul is hanging out with Tupac now.
#1 Movies are a form of ART!As musician you might understand the importance of ART;
#2 Actors, screenwriters, stuntmen and many other people are getting their salaries out of film business;
#3 The average life expectancy in the erly 20th Century was 30-40 years the current world average is about 67 years; (from WIKI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy :you might wanna write a new blog about that: the difference between US/Europe and Africa is shocking!)
#4 If you watch right things you can learn from it;
Fact is you have 27-37 years time for watching TV without feeling guilty! ((:
oh yeah, i have something to share with everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcpX8sVmP48
you guys might want to see that.
well... actually, it's our rendition of an "Everything" skit (the song is by Lifehouse) done originally by a church in the States; the rendition of one of our creative ministries made almost half of our congregation cry. i hope you guys get touched by Jesus too.
I am just looking to get connected with some other people who are into designing.
Take care,
Grace Kelly