Think Deep

 All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
by Caspar David Friedrich (1818)

Many accuse me of being grumpy, and that is probably fair as I find that much of the world is a constant irritation to me. Earlier today I found myself being irritated by someone who, in all fairness, was just trying to earn their living as a genre author, just working to spread their "brand" in the current common vernacular. And no, this is not someone who knows me in any way, just a stranger that Facebook's algorithm decided I should see. Despite the fact that "fantasy romance" is not a genre that I read or routinely discuss. 

I stopped to ponder the source of my irritation, I realized it was the shallowness of this author's spiel. She was listing reasons why folks might like her books and it was simply keywords "conflicted heroine", "demons", "magic sword," and "morally challenged protagonist." I'm sure she is familiar with the basics of plot structure, that she had a  basic education in literature, ect. But she felt the only way she could get readers was to hit a check off list story elements. She didn't even try to convince us the plot mattered, or that there were any literary aspirations in her work.

I understand advertising has limits, that it is an essentially shallow medium. Heck, advertising for The Lord of the Rings was shallow and reductionist. So sure, she was working at a disadvantage in a medium designed to be shallow. 

We let ourselves and the world down, however, when we simply bow to that. 

I don't blame this young lady, she has to "monetize", she has to earn and sell, because whether she likes it or not, she lives in a capitalist society.  Beyond that, I recognize the value of art that is simple, carefree, shallow. All of us need to turn the brain off and just follow some simple, cheerful tales on occasion. That's exceedingly healthy. 

But it should not be all art, or even most art, and it should not be what we all seek, all the time. 

Think deep.

Don't just watch a tv show or movie, or just read a book. Study them, examine them, think about what the intended, and unintended, messages of the story might be. 

And don't just do this for movies or books or stories. Do it for songs, whether country ballads or K-Pop dance songs. Consider what values and meanings lie beneath the surface. 

Do the same with your religion. Don't doze off during readings or sermons. Dissect them. Consider the words, consider what rhetorical tricks are used, what logical inconsistencies are papered over. 

Think deep. 

Compare and contrast sources. Trust everything and nothing. 

As long as you live and have sentience, you have an obligation to use that grey matter in your skull to properly understand as much as you possibly can. 

Think deep.

Consider what you want your life to mean. Life has a meaning, and that meaning is decided by each and every one of us individually. Live according to that meaning.

Think deep.

At least I will then be irritated less often.