The present is commonly thought of as a continuously flowing stream of sensation. Yet life is far from continuous, life is made up of brief moments of "meaning" amidst a vast ocean of mundane activities. On nostalgic afternoons such as this one, I search my mind for these clips of "meaning" and I am able to experience those sensations again.
But what is meaningful ? This is off course different for all of us, and often it is not what we would conventionally think of as being significant. For example, I'd been thinking about what to watch on Youtube today, and I suddenly remembered an old serial I used to see on TV after dinner. I decided to search for it and found some videos of old episodes. Watching those videos, I was able to instantly re-live the thoughts and feelings that went through my mind many years ago. It is strange that a fictional story meant so much to me, it's almost like I lived their life in my own.
Fiction has always been a central part of my life. Living another character's life is perhaps what fiction is all about. Isn't it amazing that we can sit on our couches at home and gain a whole lifetime of experiences and sensations from a light emitting box or from some pages of written word. So when, I look back at my life on nostalgic afternoons such as today, I can see not just my life, but several lives. Lives full of adventure, drama, romance all the ingredients of "meaning".
It is from such definitions of "meaning" that I sometimes consider reality and what many think of as being significant and meaningful in the "real" world ; exams, grades, money. It seems obvious now, that there is a difference between what is necessary and what is meaningful. Money and grades are necessary, they are not meaningful. But does everyone understand that ? Does everyone appreciate that ? Or are we in a world where meaning and necessity have been mixed up ? Perhaps some would argue that money imparts meaning !
No comments:
Post a Comment