ok, so i am having one of those exhausting month long knuckling dragdown fight with a couple of friends.
i guess that i read and live with a lot of theory, but it seems to work in the real word, be the real world--as they see the world i see the word, and when i found them, they seemed to be knuckling down to nessceary work (i am talking about french men like foccualt, lyotard, lacan and also americans as diverse as butler and venturi)
they also feed my cynicism, my view as the world corrupt, and the only way to change that is a daily personal inventory, the only thing that you can really change is how you interact with the world--and even that is a difficult pain.
my new housemate come sept. is not, he has an almost naif hope in the way democracy works, is shocked when Peter McKay fucks over the tories, beleives that when you vote, that affects change, that the only way to find yourself in power is to get elected in, that sexuailty should not be talked about, that being private and discreete is a good thing, that the race/class/gender/sexual minorties wars can only be dealt with by basically ignoring history and working towards being equal, though he hasnt really said this.
the problem is that we do not speak the same langauge, we do not fight in pleasent ways, i suspect that he is homophobic but in a very general--never really meet a real faggot around him, and i am angry and polemically around him.
the other thing is that i have tried every form of political action in my young life, been a member of four parties, worked as a scrutineer in elections, gone on marches and demostrations, written about politics, done sit ins and spoken at public q and as, stuffed envelopes, written letters for amensty intl and to my mlas/mps--none of it felt like it was working, same old shit, and i am so cynical that i hate my friends hope.
this is long, and it means most people wont answer it, but its tearing me apart.
― anthony easton (anthony), Sunday, 17 August 2003 04:41 (twenty-two years ago)
the way to change your view of the world is to change you and the way you see the world. the world is either great, ok, or hideous--all depending on your perception of it. if you spend a lot of time thinking about how screwed up the world is, and how naive your housemate is, you're going to feel bad and the world will look worse and worse.
in my experience the answer is in action rather than theory: treat your new housemate the way that you'd like a housemate to treat you. if he's your friend, treat him the way you'd like a friend to treat you. (you don't have to be friends with everybody.) show him, rather than tell him, how kind, loving, open-minded, liberal people act. do lots of things that take you out of self-centered thinking. if your mom is alive, give her a call. these are all actions that will definitely change the way that you feel, and the world will look better.
― dan (dan), Sunday, 17 August 2003 05:54 (twenty-two years ago)
It sounds paradoxical to me. If i understand well you’re irritated by people satisfied with the current situation, too easily pleased. Wich means you’ve got higher hopes, no ? But you say you’ve lost your faith in political commitment...
Well, maybe it’s not so paradoxical... i used to have this kind of feeling when i was more interested in theory. I think i’m more realistic now (don’t know if it’s a good thing)
― Bruno- (Bruno-), Sunday, 17 August 2003 06:05 (twenty-two years ago)