by Tom Honest

Created on: July 18, 2010

The Spring and Summer of one’s life is an odd time to be reflective. With so many opportunities abounding, a young person should be throwing themselves into chance, cohorting and convulsing with every twitch of the times, at the whim of society and every romantic or catchy idea or saying, soaking and intoxicating young minds with the possibilities of youthful bliss and the ever present cutting edge, shamelessly sawing through legitimate practices in the name of the capitalistic media-driven culture of hip and sexy.

The illusion is a thin one when really put to a microscope, but it is intoxicating and convincing nonetheless. The young people are supposed to ride the wave of hipness shamelessly and promiscuously. When they do not, they are considered strange or inferior. The strangest part about the whole thing is that it seems when you pull your head out of the vortex and really take a look at it, it is difficult to imagine rejoining it, even when the rewards for doing so are tremendous.

When one pulls themselves out of the stream of messages blasting unhindered through their mind with no filter and no suspicion, everything looks strange and unnecessary to them. Conversations appear to be mindless banter batted back in forth in a “cute” manner. Substance is unimportant, style is everything. But what is the motor for this strange aloofness? Could it be that it is as simple as a loss in trust, very difficult to regain?

 For, while one might think that is easier to just let acceptance slip back quietly, it does not seem that this is possible in this case. In order for me to forgive society of its silliness and theater, I have to do it consciously and blatantly. I have to think, “Ok, I will let myself become interested in these things because that is in my interest and in the interest of those around me. I will go on with my life and I will ignore and tolerate the falseness and stupidity of the situation that surrounds me.

Even to speak in the way that I feel surely gives of the impression of intellectual arrogance. If so then it is an unfortunate side-effect to the strong feelings that I have on the subject. I have to be honest with my mind, with the deepest bit of myself that demands that I strive for real, genuine knowledge and passion, without the media driven images of romantic fantasies, uncomfortably forced onto a dissenter’s mind.

But what is at the heart of the falsity, the posturing, the idiotic slinging of catchphrases

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