The human condition

The following was written by the late and great comedian George Carlin; it is filled with juxtaposes yet full of truth nonetheless.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more informa tion, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

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That also got me thinking... people are like cattle. Why? The answer is simple. In this supposed modern age of independent thinking and free will, I notice plenty of people whose decisions depend on the decisions of others. To give an animal metaphor, these drones are just lemmings that are unable to choose which cliff to jump off from and so follow others. Don't get me wrong - I understand if it's a big thing like having to move interstate and consulting your family and loved ones first, but the sight of deciding what to eat for lunch just by following suit is sickening. Ditto for choosing which electives to take every damn semester. So what if you don't see your usual clique for 1 class? Make some new friends! The world has more than 6.6 billion other people you know... For God's sake, life is highly individual - treat it as such! Sure there's safety in numbers, but where's the fun in that? You're young, you're still stupid (or can claim to be), so take the goddamn plunge on your own and experience something different for once.

Oh and on a lighter note, ever notice how most people have their hair parting on the left? Must be there to balance out all the right-handedness I guess. There's even more centre partings than right partings out there!

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