Why Everything Is So Hard

One of My Attempts At A Unified Theory Of Life Right Now

I believe in the utility of “exercises in definition”. We benefit by explaining to ourselves what we observe and how we feel. Such exercise sharpens our perception and helps us recognize the tendencies around us. From there we have a clearer idea of where we might best move. This post is the result of my personal exercise in this regard. I encourage you to do your own version on your own time. Perhaps a different sort of question would serve you better though. You decide and to each their own. Once you’ve done it though, I encourage to return to the same exercise periodically. For me, this one is a stretch about once every two years.

Check out more of David Quentn‘s photos of rocks in the sky here.

Sometimes a post about the film ecosystem and our individual creative process doesn’t seem to be a post about the film ecosystem and our individual creative process, now does it? But maybe with time and consideration, our perspective starts to shift a bit… hopefully before the sky starts falling.

Global industrialized capitalism (GIC) distances us from both our work and consumption, diminishing the joy either can deliver, while training us to desire excessive variety, newness, novelty, convenience, and low prices. Although many people know of the exploitation of labor and the destruction of the environment that GIC causes, as long as we can’t actually witness that pain on a regular basis, we don’t think of ourself as complicit — and many need to actually experience that pain to comprehend their role in its creation.

The cycle of replacement of goods with a new “improved” model conspires to help us believe everything is disposable and there is no real permanence (of anything). The rapid fulfillment of delivery of goods encourages us to believe that the virtually instantaneous gratification of our desires is not only possible but when it can’t be done, there is something wrong, possibly corrupt, or that alternative structures are outright impossible — which in turn undermines future resistance. People end up thinking that convenience, without repercussions or responsibility, is a right (or even an obligation).