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.

Comments

tehillim said…
double post! i'm in a boring class so thanks for the entertainment.

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.
Catherine said…
haha wow, that just made my day.
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.
AWretchLikeMe said…
Wise words, my friend. Wise and entertaining. I've heard the NASA one all my life from my post-soviet friends. =) And I must say, I agree with you about Paul.
guard my dreams said…
wow! two posts in one day. this brightened my day considerably. this post pretty much outlined what i need to change about my life right now. i need to work on spending less time watching meaningless television shows or talking on the phone. its a hard thing to do, though. i'll be working on changing that and learning to use my time more wisely.
Josh said…
Not only is it a priorities issue, but a worship issue. Everything we do, we are to do unto God as a Christian. And worship is our reaction to what we desire most - not always to God. So what we worship, ie where we spend all of our time, is the object of our worship.

Thanks for the reminder.
William said…
turn me on dead man (=
hope you succeed with convincing the world Paul's dead.
Hudson said…
I had no idea about some of those theories... obviously I've heard of the moon hoax.

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 ;)
Chris said…
Amusing and sobering post! A reminder of how precious time is and how we all need to spend it wisely. TV is one of the top time robbers. Although, I must admit, I did catch House tonight!
Sarah Joy said…
oh HOuse IS addictive and so is that Facebook.. :)

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!
Unknown said…
such a relevant reminder, and i admit that i'm way too guilty of that. though maybe, i have my own reasons too.
philip said…
“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

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.
chris said…
i have no shame in saying i spend too much time using the computer. i will have consequences. after reading this, i think its time to change.

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!
Anonymous said…
Fascinating! (Also a potentially enjoyable waste of time!)
Anonymous said…
well gosh... why couldn't they have given us a Jim Morrison look alike too? not fair.

good point.

number nine. I heard about that from my dad. he has a great stories.
Anonymous said…
I understand what you mean about the TV. I mean if you think about the US is 'behind' is test scores and you look at other countries with kids that don't have time or don't have the money for one of these appliances that are supposedly provided to us as "brain-washers". That are produced by the other countries that are more industrialized and have students that are doing very well in their schools. A hint perhaps that we're being "brain-washed" by these other countries that seem to have a high intelligence level than us. Because we all know, as humans ourselves, that we (some of us) take advantage of those with a lower intelligence level than us. BUT that's only if you're getting comparative.
Sarah said…
hahha that's so funny, i just recently read about that conspiracy theory!

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. =]
Hans said…
Paul is dead, but John is alive!!

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?
Adrienne said…
You are hilarious Mr. Stephen Christian! Paul McCartney eh!? Well I guess it would explain his ability to still give a good performance at his age.
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.
Dawn said…
I don't know about the rest of you but that 9/11 organized crime thing is totally bogus!
Joseph Stalin is not our president! thank God...
dawn
Lexi said…
Oh, Stephen, your thoughts once again echo mine. I had blogged about this subject:

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.
dana said…
i waste too much time, come to think of it. the key to my problem is self-discipline--i keep thinking of things i could do to better the world around me, if i would just pull my eyes and will my legs away from whatever screen i'm transfixed upon and actually DO SOMETHING.
enlightenment.
P.S.
daily coffee shop escapes are a must.
Raechel said…
Never fail to impress us... :)

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!" ;)
Kate said…
this doesn't have to do with conspiracy's, or anything else that you have posted about, but i thought i would let you know i have been following the spin book club and noticed you guys just read "Love in the Time of Cholera", which happens to be one of my all-time favourite books. Of course, that was before Oprah picked it for her book club and masses of 40-year-old women flocked to the bookstores for their own copy. Regardless, I just was curious as to your opinion of the book. I was also curious if you had ever gotten around to reading "The Awakening" and "A Separate Peace" that some silly little girl gave you in Dallas in March.
Kas said…
Its ridiculous to suggest that the American government is behind the NFL. Clearly its the aliens.
Anonymous said…
No, the devil is behind the NFL to prevent people from going to church on Super Bowl Sunday haha.

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.
Anonymous said…
Paul is the Walrus. ;)
Christopher said…
You probably already know this, but I know you like Sigur Ros (as I do) and they have a double disc out today called Harvf/Heim and a DVD coming out later called Heima. I'm pumped. Their untitled is soo good. Good post by the way, although I don't buy into the whole paul mccartney thing.
James said…
while I also enjoy the prospect of a conspiracy theory i find it hard to believe without undeniable proof. Which is also contradictory when i believe in christianity becuase of faith and not needing proof. The possible reasons for pauls death are there, but they may be entirely coincidental or in this case may be just a promotional plan they came up with. Does it mean you are mad? yes, because you seek to prove something that others wouldn't and therefore you are different. Does not madness= difference? I really do hope you follow up on this conspiracy, It sounds quite interesting.
Barbara said…
reasons to watch TV:

#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! ((:
kaity said…
you are so inspirational. i just recently met you at a show and i've been reading your blog for awhile, just never left a comment. i would love to read an update soon. :)
@eesai. ♥ said…
speaking of, paul mccartney's last music video done was creepy... in a certain sense. i guess the concept for the video is related to what you think about the conspiracy theory about him, eh? =o

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.
Anonymous said…
thank you stephen. i always knew paul was dead, now i'm not alone
Grace said…
ok random i know but I am a friend of the Weichhands and I came across your blog because you wrote on Josh's. Anyway they talk about you from time to time but I was wondering...do you design clothing or did you just take your pic in front of a dressform for the heck of it?
I am just looking to get connected with some other people who are into designing.
Take care,
Grace Kelly
Anonymous said…
did you read this is wired magazine?
. said…
There is definitely far more that we could do than get caught up in tv, yet at times the mindless shows we watch are a nice distraction from things. I had not heard the Paul theory before, that's pretty interesting. I know some people still believe that Tupac and Elvis are still alive. And I often find myself escaping to coffee shops too, other than the free internet there's something quite comfortable about a coffee shop.
Anonymous said…
Paul is alive.
Anonymous said…
"Cranberry sauce."
RN Student said…
Interesting theory about Paul. Not sure what to make of it. However, you have brought an entertaining idea of replacing TV with educating or bettering yourself. What would this place be like if we did things to help ourselves or help other people... perhaps help our God?

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