Rant

Yes, driving will inspire some reflection upon our state of being. Actually I find that large crowds of people do this for me. Occasionally, I will find myself at a ball game or an amusement park or something and large groups of people are milling around. I start to think, 'what is this experience like for each one of these people?' I wonder about the feelings, and thoughts that are being generated by so many people just being in such a close proximity to one another. Are all of these people focused on the game, the line for the ride? I don't think so, these are only distractions, things we do to break the monotony that would set in without such diversions. So one must conclude that 'no, this isn't working for everyone.' Some of these people are still trapped in their little worlds (like me) and are spinning their brains on the mortgage, the kids college tuition, extra-marital affairs, the latest golf shoe technology...whatever. And this is what fascinates me...how are all of these people able to set aside their true desires, inclinations, pre-occupations, obsessions...just to stand in line for a 'jungle cruise?' You look into their faces, and some of them you can tell are fighting it, the diversion isn't working as expected. Some of the men look as if they are wearing an invisible neck-tie that is too tight. Some of the women are thinking, 'can we just skip this shit and go shopping?' Meanwhile the children (most of them) are fine. So when dose this change in our mentality take place? I think Freud might say whenever the ego has come to a maturity. The world no longer holds the surprises it once did for us, and we have constructed what we believe to be reality. So what should be a shared 'amusement' is not what it seems. It is a façade and yet in our minds we are all convincing ourselves that it is working, that we are content. Rant, rant, rant......

One last thing though…all of those thoughts (about mortgages, affairs, golf shoes)…those are actually measurable brainwaves. Thoughts and feelings are created by chemical/electrical pulses in our mushy grey matter. Just think about that. This is all energy; if it could be measured in a quantitative manner it would probably amount to epic proportions, or at least power a light bulb. So, all of this stuff is floating around us in a sense. Energy! Stuff we can not see but nevertheless is still there and is just beyond the tangible.