10-22-2003, 04:45 AM
I respectfully disagree, and not for the sake of conflict or argument.
Chaos is indeed the defining element in which human beings are either made or broken. In war, "seeing the elephant" is often what changes folk, for better or worse. It takes crisis for things to fall apart. It takes, forgive the comment, shock and awe at times to get people's attention. What's that line about a body at rest...
People have to be battered to some degree at times before change even becomes a possibility. Psychologically or physically, something has to encourage them to move.
In tribal cultures, people would stay awake for days at a time on vision quests, receive grievious bodily injuries, loose a great deal of blood and hit a weakened state, take mind altering substances, or otherwise go though a jarring painful experience that usually made them become painfully aware of what it means to be human. It was usually after the fact, as they sorted out the bits that they came to achieve what ever level of awareness they aspired to. Hmm that's poorly worded, not sure how else to put it. Oh well.
Human beings resist change. We are creatures of habit and comfort. And we seldom do anything unless prompted by something that makes us uncomfortable. Reality is best served in cold hard not so easy to swallow doses. It's good for us to take our lumps. There is of course, a line of reason. Beyond that, well, I don't recommend that anybody be thrown over that line. I have PTSD. I have been beyond that line and then some. What's that line about everything in moderation?
Having the rug yanked out from under our feet is usually the best thing for us, as our brains work best and learn best when we do it on the fly. When thrown into water, most human beings learn to swim awful fast. That first moment that while we are children, we achieve a two legged stance. After a hard fall or two, and conking our skulls, we learn quickly to balance and it becomes hardwired. We learn that hot things burn and our bodies react with out the brain even thinking. And emotionally, when we get yanked around, in those moments we learn how to cope, adapt, or fall apart. The US military has this down to a science. New jarheads are purposely broken down and rebuilt. They live in an emotionally and physically unstable environment and in a very short period, they learn a great deal.
And so it was with Alice and Neo. Everything they had previously knew, well, it all had to be broken down and disposed of. Perception changed, and, their minds expanded a great deal in a very short period of time.
Chaos is indeed the defining element in which human beings are either made or broken. In war, "seeing the elephant" is often what changes folk, for better or worse. It takes crisis for things to fall apart. It takes, forgive the comment, shock and awe at times to get people's attention. What's that line about a body at rest...
People have to be battered to some degree at times before change even becomes a possibility. Psychologically or physically, something has to encourage them to move.
In tribal cultures, people would stay awake for days at a time on vision quests, receive grievious bodily injuries, loose a great deal of blood and hit a weakened state, take mind altering substances, or otherwise go though a jarring painful experience that usually made them become painfully aware of what it means to be human. It was usually after the fact, as they sorted out the bits that they came to achieve what ever level of awareness they aspired to. Hmm that's poorly worded, not sure how else to put it. Oh well.
Human beings resist change. We are creatures of habit and comfort. And we seldom do anything unless prompted by something that makes us uncomfortable. Reality is best served in cold hard not so easy to swallow doses. It's good for us to take our lumps. There is of course, a line of reason. Beyond that, well, I don't recommend that anybody be thrown over that line. I have PTSD. I have been beyond that line and then some. What's that line about everything in moderation?
Having the rug yanked out from under our feet is usually the best thing for us, as our brains work best and learn best when we do it on the fly. When thrown into water, most human beings learn to swim awful fast. That first moment that while we are children, we achieve a two legged stance. After a hard fall or two, and conking our skulls, we learn quickly to balance and it becomes hardwired. We learn that hot things burn and our bodies react with out the brain even thinking. And emotionally, when we get yanked around, in those moments we learn how to cope, adapt, or fall apart. The US military has this down to a science. New jarheads are purposely broken down and rebuilt. They live in an emotionally and physically unstable environment and in a very short period, they learn a great deal.
And so it was with Alice and Neo. Everything they had previously knew, well, it all had to be broken down and disposed of. Perception changed, and, their minds expanded a great deal in a very short period of time.
All alone, or in twos,
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad buggers wall.
"Isn't this where...."
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad buggers wall.
"Isn't this where...."