#330: How Did A Land Of Plans Become A Land Of Fans?
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There's much to be worried about these days, and whether a nation of do-it-yourselfers (both prairie pioneers and off-the-boat entrepreneurs) is becoming overly distracted by the entertainment of others, shouldn't rank all that high. But, I'll run through a few activities that are making us more 'follower' and less 'leader', and describe ways I've overcome.
Music
We all have the best music (and worst, with much in-between) at our finger-tips. But why aren't we listening to quintessentially American, self-taught geniuses--the contemporary equivalent of a Jimmi Hendrix, let's say, instead of the formulaic 'sounds-like-all-the-rest' quivering, quavering voice that sounds self-indicting to my ear.
I sat myself down at the piano in 2014 and, using a beginner's playbook, started practicing. I had had lessons as a kid. A few times I experimented with notes and chords that sounded good. I wrote them down. Next year (it's always next year, isn't it) I will finally check out that Garage Band app and get started.
Movies
We also have the best of film available. And most of us will gladly watch several a month, living through the triumphs and tragedies of other peoples' lives. The spectacle, the emotional thrill, the rush of events. But what about our own lives? Are there things we're missing as a result.
For me, a 2-3 hour commitment is way more than I have time for, unless I'm making a social move, and can discuss what's going on during (hitting the pause button) or afterwards ("I bet you liked the scenery.") Otherwise, I'm 99.9999% selective, and haven't seen a movie in many years.
Celebrities
There's something about a familiar face that lights up our minds. And that 'turn on' can find us buying a People magazine, or watching a television appearance. Fandom is fairly innocent, after all. But, with celebrities, there goes the urge to work on our own lives, to polish to celebrity-level status a few of our own traits--we're all good at something, given enough time.
My guilty pleasure in this regard is watching the occasional interview on DVRed late night comedy programs (Seth, Colbert, Fallon). The questioning is almost always entertaining, and the celebrities usually are too. This involves a lot of former SNL cast members. And, I'm eating lunch or dinner, so I'm really not wasting time.
Sports
I'm sometimes amazed at how much my contemporaries follow sports. I overhear conversations involving, not just the latest results, but which teams have what it takes. The amount of time required to become knowledgeable in a particular sport is probably something one doesn't notice. But to what end?
Early in life I was a rabid local sports fan, though I confined myself to baseball, for the most part. And I have followed the home team's ups and downs fairly regularly, even watching a game once every year or so (a good use of time when ill).
Then, many years ago, I was part of a privately run league whose Commissioner used a computer game version of Stratomatic Baseball, run super-fast, to create an entire season's worth of games, using the real world players that we managers groomed, traded, benched, etc. Then, the following year, the previous year's results were used, rather than real life stats. What fun, as each week during the season we'd receive a packet of game printouts and team statistics in the mail. While it lasted it was an absolute joy.
Lately, I've been introduced to the world of fantasy baseball (bid for players on 'your' team, then competitively match batting and pitching statistics with other teams in your league of twelve). You have a budget that allows you to, as the team's manager, let go of duds and sign promising talent, etc. The managerial challenge is what makes this more than a silly diversion--at least that's what I tell myself. And discussing one's actions with another manager is a delight! It's on Yahoo and it's free.
Television
Again, we have access to all the shows we might care to watch, old and new. And for many, the temptation to let TV take over our lives must be overwhelming. But, how many shows do we remember a few years out?
I vaguely recall a show I must have seen in reruns, The Wild, Wild West, which was set on the American frontier during the mid-1800s, but involved fascinating gadgetry, lots of chases on top of moving trains, costume disguises, and the like. Entertaining, for sure, but do I remember anything more than a vague greatness? No.
So, I pretty much stick to the DVRed late night comedy shows, plus a few current events / talking heads shows that keep my amateur's A+ rating current in that field. Then I read about the unbelievable torrent of shows that I never get to, and the chatter behind each, skipping over articles like "Top Ten Shows To Watch On Netflix" (I get a lot of general interest newsletters). Obviously, I don't subscribe to a downloading service. Maybe some day.
As with much else in life one can find all sorts on Twitter--or any other social media platform for that matter. There are the friends one wants to encourage, the celebrity lives that can be 'all anyone's talking about', even the odd-ball retweeters who will send you "funny", "clever" or "outrageous" content.
My approach is to avoid the arguing (seriously, what arguing?) and instead follow journalists and keen observers. The journalists are all in one "List" that I compiled recently (and now access nearly every day). This keeps me current (that amateur's A+ rating I mentioned earlier). Many journalists are retweeters (so a few goes a long way), and some are exclusively 'inside scoop' and 'my take' writers. Then I have a fun list of people I've found interesting, that I look at when I have time, and that I occasionally add to, once I check out a likely retweetee's postings and decide they have something to say. Plus, I limit Twitter to breakfast time, so that I'm not tempted to scroll indiscriminately. And my lists don't have ads (I'm always surprised that Twitter still allows ad-free lists), so I'm not grossed out by an ad for something I find sickening (fabric detergents that smell like artificial flowers for example).
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