To describe the origins and purpose of entertainment, the idea of escaping comes to me immediately. Entertainment is probably just as old as the human race and is necessary for a sound mind and relaxed demeanor. It stimulates or sedates us, and in all cases I can think of, offers an opportunity for escape.
Escaping through means of entertainment can be quite powerful; media such as music, novels and film especially create ulterior environments in the mind. I believe there is an innate demand to escape occasionally, and entertainment is experienced because of a desire to experience, not a need to. An aspect of fantasy is definitely involved, but the main reason for escape is to take oneself away from the outside world for an enjoyable, personal experience of his or her choosing.
If entertainment had an “opposite”, it might be most of what has to be done in one’s everyday life that can be found boring and is done out of necessity instead of desire. This could have the reverse effect of escaping, it can be confining because the person doing the things he has to do doesn’t have the freedom of choosing what to experience and for what reason. On a larger scale, fantasy involved in escaping can mean different things for different people. Fantasy is always part of someone’s quest for a new destination through media. If someone is very unsatisfied with their life, chances are they’ll have more of a need for consistent entertainment of some sort through which they can transport themselves to a happier state of being.
Even though escaping is necessary, it is frowned upon at times for indulgence in a certain form of entertainment or for being experienced at the wrong time. A child will get yelled at if he is watching TV instead of doing his homework. Someone might wish that his or her friend would not listen to a type of controversial music nor to be as addicted to social networking sites as they are. Many of these media are also coveted because they can be so relaxing and require no work on part of the viewer but to simply watch or listen. Most people escape everyday, looking forward to their freedom away from mundane responsibilities and the “ordinary” in life.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Keeping in Touch
“Keeping in touch” with what goes on in the world provides indispensable information that is necessary to know in today’s butterfly effect of global affairs. I use the term butterfly effect (in which a small occurrence somewhere in the world can lead to larger repercussions) because we have easy access to the rest of the world. International relations of any one country to another are strong today, and any overseas decisions or affairs the U.S. decides to get involved with ultimately affects the lives of Americans in some way.
The media, especially the internet, is useful for keeping in touch with the world. Of course news in the papers is the closest to unbiased (although often small biases in news are unavoidable). I prefer to hear more about what’s going on in the whole world rather than just the U.S., so I try to keep up with that. I am lucky to have grown up with that interest; I’ve lived in 5 countries and most of my friends are from very mixed backgrounds or nationalities, so I also like to keep up with news for their sake. For example, my good friend who is half Israeli and half Brazilian temporarily served as a soldier in Gaza very recently for the crisis with Hamas. My parents who work for the government and are living in Frankfurt keep me informed on American political relations with foreign countries.
I like to hear about global politics most steadily as well as political affairs within our country. I also like to closely follow a presidential campaign, so up until the recent election I was watching very carefully to always see what was going on with the candidates and their parties. Despite the importance of the constant global news-flow coming our way, “getting away” from it all is also enjoyable in small doses. Many people have stressful jobs and are frequently tied to keeping in touch with family and the outside world. In this case quiet vacations and meditative time away from the blackberry, pager and internet is good for the health! Following global current events is a good idea as long as one can strike a balance, and is able to occasionally part from his or her PDA!
The media, especially the internet, is useful for keeping in touch with the world. Of course news in the papers is the closest to unbiased (although often small biases in news are unavoidable). I prefer to hear more about what’s going on in the whole world rather than just the U.S., so I try to keep up with that. I am lucky to have grown up with that interest; I’ve lived in 5 countries and most of my friends are from very mixed backgrounds or nationalities, so I also like to keep up with news for their sake. For example, my good friend who is half Israeli and half Brazilian temporarily served as a soldier in Gaza very recently for the crisis with Hamas. My parents who work for the government and are living in Frankfurt keep me informed on American political relations with foreign countries.
I like to hear about global politics most steadily as well as political affairs within our country. I also like to closely follow a presidential campaign, so up until the recent election I was watching very carefully to always see what was going on with the candidates and their parties. Despite the importance of the constant global news-flow coming our way, “getting away” from it all is also enjoyable in small doses. Many people have stressful jobs and are frequently tied to keeping in touch with family and the outside world. In this case quiet vacations and meditative time away from the blackberry, pager and internet is good for the health! Following global current events is a good idea as long as one can strike a balance, and is able to occasionally part from his or her PDA!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
