The Greatest Show
"Don't give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy. Any man who can take a TV wall apart and put it back together again, and most men can nowadays, is happier than any man who tries to slide, rule, measure, and equate the universe, which just won't be measured or equated without making man feel bestial and lonely. I know, I've tried it; to hell with it." – Captain Beatty, Fahrenheit 451
"You know what I'm saying? Happy (sha la la)! It's so nice to be happy (sha la la)! Everybody should be happy (sha la la)! It's so nice to be happy (sha la la)!" – Alexia, Happy
Fretting is for losers. Everything we secretly need is right in front of us. All fantasies are not for naught. Impossibilities only exist for pessimists. Imaginations can eventually be manifested as realities. Life is simple and easy. The world is our oyster.
We shall not think too much. Stop being too smart. Asking existentialist questions is idiosyncratic. Thou shall not ask "What's my purpose in life?" and "Who am I?" Let loose. Be fun. There is no point on having an inquisitive mind: it only gives pain, misery, and suffering.
Leave the cave of shadows. Step inside the empire of full-color high-res displays. Silence and boredom have been decimated there. In fact, just by sitting on a couch and watching from afar, every corner of the planet Earth and the intergalactic space can already be accessed. Wearing some cool shades and sitting on reclining chairs can also make rain, lightning, and tornado comfortable to experience.
There is no room for arguments. Stories can always be rewritten. Time can also be warped: past wars can be witnessed without death tolls, and future technological advancements can be foretold without forebodings. Even if environmental problems, religious conflicts, inequalities, poverties, corruptions, illiteracies, and other world problems are discussed, there is magic in the number of views. Stare at it repeatedly and be amazed by how optimism can shine.
There are no relationship issues: we can be whoever we want to be. Only nincompoops stay in unbearable occupations. Talented geniuses create clones through different profiles. Nabobs are cyborgs. It is easy to recreate personalities, and to gain many friends and followers. Take a picture. Voice out feelings. Highlight the events of your day. Record videos. Publish recipes. Hit a head against the wall. Expose thugs. Pull a prank. Laugh till you fart. Be liked. Be shared. Be loved.
Art may be redefined. Talent can catch up. Everyone has the right to film, write, paint, sing, dance, and move like a jagger. Popularity matters, not content. The greatest weakness is anonymity.
This is the greatest show. Just sit back and relax.
Masochists would always label this empire as an illusion, but it is, in fact, real – real for those who want to make it their world, as it is what works. This show has saved gazillions of lives from the unbearable stabbing feeling of loneliness.
Neil Postman, in Amusing Ourselves to Death, is totally oblivious of what he's saying: "Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us." What is the point of the debate when we are so happy? William James, in his pragmatic method, surely agrees from his grave: "What difference would it practically make to anyone if this notion rather than that notion were true?"
P.S. I am just playing devil's advocate, OK? 😉
Click my pic below to return at the Digital Galaxy main page. *lol, judged*
