The paradox of our times

[Damned_Angel]

The paradox of our times

 

by Octavian Paler

 

 

The paradox of our time is that we have bigger buildings, but smaller souls, larger highways, but narrow minds. We spend more, but we have less, we buy more, still we enjoy less...

 

We have many accessories, but less time, we have more jobs, but less imagination, we have many so called buddies, but less real friends, many experts, but also more problems, better medicine, but less health.

 

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too much, but we smile less, we drive too fast, we are pissed off more often, we go to sleep too late, we wake up too tired, we watch tv too much and we borrow dreams from others.

 

We have multiplied our posessions, but we lowered our values. We talk too much, we rarely love but instead we hate too often. We learned how to survive, but we forgot to learn what life reallymeans.

 

We added years to our lives and not life to our years. We reached till the moon and back, but we have big problems when we have to cross the street and meet someone. We conquered the outer space, but we lost the batle with the space inside.

 

 

We made bigger things, but not necesarelly better. We cleaned up the air, but we have polluted the earth. We conqured the atom, but not our prejudices. We learned how to rush and forgot how to wait.

 

These are the times of slow digestion and fast-food restaurants, the times of big people and mischievous characters, the time of fast profits and superficial relationships. These are the times in wich we have two wages, but more divorces, better houses, but much more destroyed homes.

 

These are the times when we travel fast, we have "one-use" diapers, cheap ethics, one night stands, fat bodies and drugs that offer you anything from joy to death. There are times with too many but empty glass cases. Times in which you can read these words or not, times you can agree with these ideas or not.

 

Remember to spend time with the loved ones, because they wont be next to you for an eternity. Remember hold the one you love into your arms because this is the only treasure you can have for free and the a treasure that you can keep in your heart. Make time to love, to smile, to talk, to dream.

 

 

Thank you my friends, for existing in my life.

 

 

I really liked it so i've translated it....i hope you like it too...

 

Hugs;-)

 

D_A

[Guest stalag]

deep and correct.

 

Good work Damned_Angel

[crypt1c]

Excellent. This is a very deep statement. Nice translation

[Mr.Mind]

Love it.

[Entropy]

I think a shorter but yet more cynical passage is the one at the very end of the novel "Niculaita Minciuna". Can you find that book somewhere and translate it?

[Placid]

That was truely awesome.

 

I googled for some of his other stuff (being English and ignorant means I don't know who he is); but most of it returned non English links :-\

[gurgeh]

 

We conqured the atom, but not our prejudices.

 

 

It's true, this is full of prejudices.

[Entropy]

I am free of any prejudices. I hate everyone equally.

[Istiach]

bla bla bla....sorry dont like it at all

[Damned_Angel]

I think a shorter but yet more cynical passage is the one at the very end of the novel "Niculaita Minciuna". Can you find that book somewhere and translate it?

 

I will try;-)

[sparhawk]

Sounds good. But i have a question. Is it supposed to be a poem?

[Brom]

Incredible, Who is this author and what language is his native? I am seriously tempted to learn whatever his native tounge is so that I can see more of this indiviuals works. Incredible.

[Damned_Angel]

Incredible, Who is this author and what language is his native? I am seriously tempted to learn whatever his native tounge is so that I can see more of this indiviuals works. Incredible.

 

 

Native tongue - Romanian

 

 

Sounds good. But i have a question. Is it supposed to be a poem?

 

 

No sparhawk is supposed to be a short essay on our world

[molime]

Incredible, Who is this author and what language is his native? I am seriously tempted to learn whatever his native tounge is so that I can see more of this indiviuals works. Incredible.

 

 

Native tongue - Romanian

 

Or not. Have you tried googling for the (English) title? Different results, contributed to 'unknown author', a George Carlin and the Dalai Lama . Don't care though, great piece.

[Placid]

I am free of any prejudices. I hate everyone equally.

That sounds like somthing someone famous has or would say. Did you steal it from somewhere, or are you that profound?

[Damned_Angel]

I am free of any prejudices. I hate everyone equally.

That sounds like somthing someone famous has or would say. Did you steal it from somewhere, or are you that profound?

 

lol what do you mean isn't Radu "teh Someone"?

 

I am free of any prejudices. I hate everyone equally.

This one goes amazing with "insured by G0d"

Edited January 21, 2006 by Damned_Angel

[Beyonce]

Its great D_A !!

[Brom]

Im not sure who wrote it, but I do enjoy it. Here is an interesting article.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp

[Arnieman]

Im not sure who wrote it, but I do enjoy it. Here is an interesting article.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp

Interesting article, Brom - and if you read your linked article, it tells who wrote it.

[Dent]

A neat article and a good sentiment, even if most of the claims are dead wrong.

 

Too bad that messages like this are so firmly rooted in messengers with clay feet.

 

The paradox of our time is that we have bigger buildings, but smaller souls, larger highways, but narrow minds. We spend more, but we have less, we buy more, still we enjoy less...

while we may have larger buildings and highways, and spend more/buy more the soul is an unmeasureable quantity. Minds are more open now, but with all we are exposed to it seems as though we tolerate less. It is a matter of perspective. As for enjoyment, our expectations have changes from survival to pleasure. Look at surviving for a while and tell me that the rest isn't fun. If you are reading this, you are already a step or ten above survival.

 

We have many accessories, but less time, we have more jobs, but less imagination, we have many so called buddies, but less real friends, many experts, but also more problems, better medicine, but less health.

Time is relative to the task. Farmers have no spare time in the spring and fall, but are bored silly in the winter. Factory workers are bored silly almost continuously. Try unplugging your TV for a month and tell me that you have no time. Then I MAY believe you.

 

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too much, but we smile less, we drive too fast, we are pissed off more often, we go to sleep too late, we wake up too tired, we watch tv too much and we borrow dreams from others.

Too much is also relative. 1 ciggy is too much from a health nazi point of view but, damn, does it feel good at the time. A beer or ten goes down really smoth depending on the time and place. A smoke and a beer will always bring a smile to my face, no matter where or when. As for driving, well, too fast is illegal, but too slow gets you nowhere. the balance is not too hard to find, really. getting pissed off means you have lost either control or perspective. That is hardly a new thing, nor is it unusual. Sleep is always in short supply when you are tired and unimportant when you are busy. TV is the source of all evil, but then so were many things including secular art at the turn of the 1500's. DaVinci and Michaelangelo were both criminals at one point. Not everyone has the capacity or the experience to dream big, so they must borrow from others for hope and goals. I fail to see how that is either different or abnormal from times past. The crusades were one huge borrowed dream, as was the renaissance. Both shaped our societies as we know them today.

 

We have multiplied our posessions, but we lowered our values. We talk too much, we rarely love but instead we hate too often. We learned how to survive, but we forgot to learn what life reallymeans.

Ask around who has really gained in this world. After we leave home, we lose and lose until we manage to kick our own kids out. The exceptions to this are pretty lucky. Values are great, but life is about compromises. Love and hate are personal choices, make them wisely. We have very little idea what survival or life means anymore, but instead concentrate on keeping up with the Jonses' and perfecting our image.

 

We added years to our lives and not life to our years. We reached till the moon and back, but we have big problems when we have to cross the street and meet someone. We conquered the outer space, but we lost the batle with the space inside.

The years we gained are paid for by the extra years we work. Nothing comes without a price and someone, somewhere, will have to pay for the bread and circuises. If you are too scared to stick out your hand to a potential friend, then you will never reach the moon anyways, so stressing that someone else did is a useless endeavour. Likewise, if you are unable to live with yourself, it will be very difficult for you to live comfortably with others.

 

We made bigger things, but not necesarelly better. We cleaned up the air, but we have polluted the earth. We conqured the atom, but not our prejudices. We learned how to rush and forgot how to wait.

Bigger, yes. Smaller, yes. Better, yes. Worse, yes. We have made more, and in that more, contains all of the adjectives you could ever want. The air may be cleaner in some spots, and the earth dirtier, but at least, overall, we are both more aware and more able to do something about it. Think about that next time you vote. The atom is in no way conquered, and only partially understood, and at least prejudice has a place in the world, even if bigots dont. Rushing is not a new invention, and the next time you are at a restaurant or bank, I imagine you will wait like anyone else.

 

These are the times of slow digestion and fast-food restaurants, the times of big people and mischievous characters, the time of fast profits and superficial relationships. These are the times in wich we have two wages, but more divorces, better houses, but much more destroyed homes.

Digestion doesn't change, but fast food will always suck. People are people, and there will always be criminal minds. Profits happen to risk takers and a relationship is only as good as the people in it and the choices they make. Divorces reflect increased options as well as relationships gone bad. A better house is in no way a bad thing. A home is what you make it. At least people can chose to end a relationship now instead of spending decades hating eachother openly under the same roof. think of how that would affect the kids.

 

These are the times when we travel fast, we have "one-use" diapers, cheap ethics, one night stands, fat bodies and drugs that offer you anything from joy to death. There are times with too many but empty glass cases. Times in which you can read these words or not, times you can agree with these ideas or not.

Fast travel has opened the world not only to disease and destruction, but to ideas, co-operation and trade and leisure. Ethics are personal. They are only cheap if you sell them short. One night stands - how can any consenting relationship be bad, no matter how short it is? Your body is your temple, and how you worship is your own business. If you over eat or indulge in drugs, fine. Hope you enjoy yourself for the short time you have. At least in these times, you can read about the effects and are educated enough that you can form an opinion on them and any other words you read.

 

Remember to spend time with the loved ones, because they wont be next to you for an eternity. Remember hold the one you love into your arms because this is the only treasure you can have for free and the a treasure that you can keep in your heart. Make time to love, to smile, to talk, to dream.

x2

and then some.

 

Great sentiments at the end, but the rest of it is almost pure and unmitigated bullshit. (but not propaganda - thanks Ent )

Edited January 24, 2006 by Dent

[Entropy]

Dent, I have no TV (actually I do, but we use it exclusively for DVDs, as we have no cable or satellit dish) and I still barely have time for shit.

 

And can you please tell what kind of propaganda is it? Liberal propaganda I guess, no?

[Dent]

heh.

 

I heard that for a hobby you are tEh gOd for an entire world and community. I imagine that takes a few hours every night.

 

Down south there you would probably call this liberal claptrap. Up here, it would be closer to new democrat bunk. Thing is, I dont think that there is anything remotely political in it. I figured that it was gross generalization, misrepresentation, untruth and opinion mixed with a few truisms. The author mixed totally unrelated items into a linear structure and passed it off as arguement. I realise that is the popular way to prove a point these days but it just doesn't scan.

 

Propaganda = the deliberate attempt by some individual or group to form, control, or alter the attitudes of other groups by the use of instruments of communication, with the intention that in any given situation the reaction of those so influenced will be that desired by the propagandist.

 

Qualter (1962)

 

 

As a PS, the rebuttal was a 6 beer post. I will have to read it after work to see if I fully agree with what I wrote and correct any spelling mistakes.

[Entropy]

According to the definition you cite, pretty much anything can be classified as propaganda. For example, a teacher telling his students not to steal would be propaganda as well?

[Dent]

Could be. Frankly the specific definition and useage of only one word there doesn't change the arguement. According to the clarification, the word fits and fits well enough that no real meaning is lost.

[Entropy]

That definition is too broad and I would not use it, since it makes anything propaganda.

Here is a better definition:

The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause.

 

That "paradox of our times" doesn't try to propagate a doctrine or cause, it just tries to reflect what the author feels aboht the world, without asking anyone to do change their life style.