I saw this episode of Friends recently where Alec Baldwin plays this guy who acts like he’s on ecstacy all the time; he’s constantly wowed and amazed by everything in life, from highways to weighted plate dispensers.
Of course, this is very rare (unless one is on ecstacy, retarded, or had a near-death experience in the past), because as far as I can tell the human brain is not prone to euphoria. Tonight as I looked up at the sky and saw Jupiter and Venus by the moon, I thought to myself how non-euphoric the astronauts who’ve been to space and/or landed on the moon were when it happened; if you asked them what it was like, they would respond the same way everyone does about senior prom- ‘eh, dissapointing, not that great.’
I know that theoretically life is an amazing thing. Right now I’m typing on an amazing computer device, communicating with thousands of fellow conscious apes on a ball of matter flying through outer space at an unthinkable speed that used to have giant lizards walking on it; and yet, I just feel meh. It should be amazing, but it’s not really.
Maybe instead of seeking awe from big things, you can go smaller. Have a staring contest with a cat. Or kick the dust outside and consider that once it all was floating in outer space, just like all the atoms in your body. Plant some wildflower seeds and watch them sprout and grow. Eat a slice of pizza and wash it down with a fountain drink. Let out a big burp.
This is just not true. They were amazingly well trained and therefore professional during their missions, but that belied the emotions they were feeling. What they achieved has had a profound effect on most of them. Have a look at the paintings of Alan Bean for a nonverbal expression of how it affected him.
Well, to be honest, I do think life is amazing; just not as much as I should, is all.
Every day I experience amazing things. Today for example I walked up to a local high school. It was windy as hell, and as I neared the back of the school I saw an old black bus driver vomiting and offered him a cigarette and he declined and got on the bus. They were loading handicapped kids onto special buses there in the back; poignant stuff.
I then laid on a bench there and listened to the end of school announcements for a minute. Then the bell rang and everyone got out of class to go home. Somebody left the building through the back door and I snuck in and started walking with the crowd of teenagers to the front of the school, and the best part was nobody thought anything strange about a 26 year old doing that :). I left through the front of the building where kids were getting in cars, walking home or getting on normal buses. I followed some badass looking asian boys most of the way to their houses and then walked home (it was the same way as their house). It was great, and wrong at the same time.
Yeah I reckon life is crap except for the sex and the food and the music and books and movies and good people. In fact it is so mundane that when they come up with a better alternative I’m signing up.
This is intended as observation and constructive advice rather than as a criticism, but for someone feeling “meh” you certainly have a lot of say. Thirteen new threads in your first day - you might want to pace yourself a little or you’ll burn out quickly. I mean, as the “newbie thread burst” effect goes you’re actually doing pretty well and getting decent discussions going. Just - relax a bit, is all I’m saying.
As an interesting (?) counter to that, I am terminally single, and don’t really care for food or music. Every so often I’ll look at my life and notice how I am not interested in what most other people take such great pleasure in.
I do like many other things, of course, so I am not in any kind of depressive misery, but I do wonder how it is that I get so little out of what most other people tend to think of as key to the joys of life.
At least one astronaut was so moved by his experiences that he underwent a complete and total paradigm shift (more cynical types, such as you, would of course claim he merely changed religions).
In any event I am living proof that your attitude is not inevitable.
Why do you think you sould be more amazed? Did someone tell you you should be?
Do you think you should feel stronger about other things? Why?
Maybe you should do more drugs.