Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Universe will have its way

"In the morning I'd awake and couldn't remember
What is love and what is hate - the calculations error
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
And why does it matter - is to love just a waste
Why does it matter - oh - oh - ooh - ???

As the dawn began to break - I had to surrender
The universe will have its way - to powerful to master
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
And why does it matter - is to love just a waste
Why does it matter - oh - oh - ooh - ???"
-The Flaming Lips, "In the Morning of the Magicians"

Quite recently, i was enjoying a very relaxing moment of sitting on the couch (something that, i stress, is a rarity for me) with my girl and watching one of my favorite things: nature documentaries. In this case it happened to be one of the episodes of the BBC's Planet Earth. A completely fantastic series that shows stunning scenarios and equally stunning cinematography. I highly recommend it. As i was watching a pack of wolves chase a gigantic herd of caribou across the frozen tundra of the Artic Circle, my mind pontificated on the reasons the BBC had chosen to document this natural process and redistribute it to us, the masses. What i concluded was somewhat troubling. They were demonstrating something that takes place in nature every second of every minute of every day. Something that's so commonplace, yet, it looks to us the audience like something exotic, foreign - worse - fantasy. We're so removed from the act of merely surviving by horribly taxing and violent means. Instead, we can witness this rigamarole from the comforts of our living rooms, outfitted with surround sound and high-definition visuals to make it all the more "real".

And then i got to thinking about what most of us are faced with in these dire economic times. Less. Much, much less. Be it simple luxuries like a night of martinis to the even more direr situation of impending foreclosure or layoffs, we all must learn to do with minimized resources. As i heard the recent news that Mattel fell far short of its forecasted sales of toys from this past Christmas, i couldn't help but feel a little relief. Taking out the human factor that this news most likely means that employees of that company may face layoffs, there was something comforting that people had chosen to not binge on as many toys as they normally would for the holidays. We do need to learn to get by with less. We consume way too much. We're too removed from the notion that life is struggle. That there is, as the Flaming Lips say above, very little difference between love and hate when put in context with the much larger, chaotic Universe.

Because my mind does not lend itself to leisure, it took this thought even further. I pondered my own "needs". One way to look at why we are here on this big rock is that we must do all we can to recreate ourselves in our kin. That everything stems from the act of procreation, and nothing else matters. Through this lense, one can view all of this pomp and puffery i proffer here at The Lustful Quality as unnecessary pilferage. I completely understand that viewpoint. I myself often struggle with my own desires of the material kind, as well as how my sexuality largely serves as a shrine to materialism. There are times i inventory my kinky supplies and at once want to toss them all to the curb out of shame for such meaningless consumption. Thankfully, however, i come to my senses.

I do not engage in the activities documented here out of gluttony or avarice. Yes, these are the exploits of my sexuality, but they are also the expressions of my spirituality. I vociferously do not believe that the only reason we are on this planet is just to recreate ourselves. Rather, we are here to create beauty - as often and as largely as is possible. Even in my largest grandeuristic visions of hubris, i realize i cannot control the Universe. It will do that fine on its own. But, i do take the responsibility of upholding my role in it quite seriously.

7 comments:

baby girl said...

i thought you might appreciate this. your post reminded me of it.

http://storyofstuff.com/

it has inspired me to stop shopping retail. only second hand from now on (except of course for panties and vibrators, etc. lol)

ps. i don't know what the protocol is for posting a website on someone's blog, so i won't be offended it you choose not to publish it. :)

Lulu said...

I've been trying to express similar thoughts recently as well. But not nearly as eloquently as you have. As I have said before (anonymously) you have a very expressive gift and I would read whatever you wrote, even on the back of a cereal box.

Finding your personal meaning in a world that seems to suddenly have none is a task we are all facing. I think the only way to get through it is to hold close to those joys that give us comfort but don't exacerbate the mess we are in already.

We can't give up what makes us human and makes us fallible.

Anonymous said...

I loved Blue Planet... I had an epiphany the other day. I've been sick for more than two months and really tired of doctors, needles, pain (not the good kind). Trying to juggle a 70 hour a week job with all these medical appointments. Was sitting in a room getting a shunt put in for daily IVs of antibiotics.

Then I realized, the other three women are there for chemo.

It put everything in perspective.

Anonymous said...

I've been thinking of this topic a lot lately also.
I am sure a lot of people have.
While we happen to be fairing all right at present, the importance of the economic state of our nation is not lost on us.

I frequently find myself wondering how rampant consumerism became a driving force for so many.
Why were there no obvious consequences before now?

As a student of history, I often remind people that we’ve lost touch with many old fashioned modes of thinking that were more practical than what we commonly see demonstrated in our modern world.
The concepts of ‘excess’ and ‘waste’ among the societal masses were not acceptable notions until after the second world war.

This is not to suggest I don’t like to enjoy a little indulgence once in a while.
I also believe it’s perfectly normal to want things (within reason, of course).
But now we catch ourselves examining financial choice great & small, though we have worked hard to keep our affairs in order.

Maybe we cannot always get what we want. That does not mean we have to give up trying to move forward…Which, for some of us, that is our nature. :-)

Deity said...

baby girl,
i'd seen that awhile back. very chilling. thank you for reposting (and for your respect regarding protocol).

Lulu,
I'm all for pursuing joy, but i think it is precisely the emphasis on comfort that has partially gotten us where we are. We're overspent, overworked and overweight largely because we seek immediate and non-stop comfort, rather than space it out so as to appreciate it more when it comes.

sk,
perspective is a healthy salve when we can find it.

better-off-redd,
again, i point to the notion that people once saw such horrible hardships as typical parts of life. who could ever imagine rationing or standing in breadlines, yet our society has certainly not been acting as one who has been waging two major wars across the globe for over 8 years. we'd revolt if asked to give up a little to help a larger cause. we're too attached to comfort and an immediate sense of gratification.

Lulu said...

I agree with you. Perhaps a better way to express myself is to say that now is the time to determine what it is that truly gives us comfort. If we are honest we will find that the creature comforts we have worked so hard to surround ourselves with often bring very little real comfort to our lives. You are right, the acquisition of those creature comforts is what makes us overworked, overspent and overweight. I'd add overstressed to that litany.

I think we'd also find that true comfort, an act that soothes the soul, costs very little, if anything, in terms of hard currency. Just time, commitment, imagination and an open mind.

Again, thanks for this piece. It made me think.

Anonymous said...

I feel the same way about kinky stuff collection, which, admittedly, gets used less often that yours, seems to be!