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Clothes

I love clothes. As I got older, fatter, and my kidneys got huge, I wore mostly scrubs, since I not only felt ridiculous in my clothes, but an increasing number did not fit. At the same time, I don't really 'think' about clothing, and am perfectly happy naked- perhaps part nudist at heart.

I was hearing some sort of clothing show in the background my daughter was watching. It sounded as if the hosts were trying to change or guide the style of the participant. I don't understand the appeal of watching someone else shop for clothing. I am happy to shop for my own, but it's not all that interesting an activity. For all the excitement in watching a 'makeover',  there might as well be 'the Paint-drying Channel'.

I similarly miss the point of artificial 'reality' shows like Survivor. Is there not a camera crew? A producer? Do the participants not wear make-up? How realistic is that? Are there takes, or do-overs? These shows seem no more real to me than any other scripted event.

I continue to feel there are many real challenges in my life. Challenges of significance to myself and others. It is distressingly easy to imagine that many people do not feel meaning or challenge in their own lives, and so live (dream) vicariously through these TV shows. While I understand, I do not feel this is a constructive approach to the issue of meaning in life.

Meaning is not found in buying things or owning things, and certainly not in watching others do things. Meaning I believe is found in doing activities or making things of value to ourselves and others. This is regardless of payment. Some things of great personal meaning are not paid, and some highly paid activities are of absolutely no meaning. I write music almost no one has heard, but it means something to me. I have done a great deal of singing for free that touched others and myself. Then there is a store like Party City, whose owner is quite wealthy selling nothing more significant than confetti and halloween costumes.

If we do not have meaningful activities in our lives, we have to find them. We can not retreat into vicarious TV, or over-eating, or being drunk or high in an effort to forget or obscure our emptiness. Like those who say they are too busy to exercise, those who say they can not find a meaningful activity because of children or work, etc I do not think are right. They are too busy not to have meaning.

If meaning is found in shopping for clothes (although what meaning that has is not apparent to me) then I hope that person will do it, not watch it.

Live from the Paint-Drying Channel,

Ted

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 10, 2010 at 12:02 PM

    And meaningful activities would include writing this blog, too. Regardless of whether or not comments get posted for any given article, this blog is a meaningful activity.

    David Graham

    ReplyDelete
  2. kmdApril 11, 2010 at 9:44 PM

    everyone has their own way to relax. it may be writing music, sewing, blogging, watching someone else's life on TV because it takes them away from their own for a while. That does not mean that their life is 'meaningless' or bad...it's just an escape. Granted, food and drugs are an escape as well and can be abused if visited too often, however, an occasional glass of wine or piece of chocolate is not harmful. I think a paint drying program on HGTV could be of interest...since that's what I watch when having my down time ;)

    ReplyDelete

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