There is a theory that contentment is the enemy of creativity. How many famous Swedish or Danish musicians can you name off the top of your head [question not valid for Swedes and Danes] ? The theory goes that they have societies so healthy, and so free from despair and fear that creativity, traditionally spurred on by hunger, desperation, and determination, shrivels up.
Whether this is true or not, the fact that the “working classes” of the western world all now tend to have adequate heating, reasonable comfort, and an endless supply of mind numbing crap pumped into to their homes via massive HD TVs could possibly help explain the levels of, what is widely regarded as, apathy.
Unlike the technology, the idea of keeping the masses comfortable enough to avoid thinking too much about the greater issues is very, very old; even the Romans understood its value. Otters noses anyone ?
So as I sit here with a plentiful supply of wine and food, a fan blowing cold air onto me, a warm and loving parrot on my shoulder, excellent music being played from an old iBook, and the sum total of all human knowledge available via this little computer on my lap…it’s no wonder I haven’t done anything marginally creative for weeks…or is it months ? So many things I want to do/write/make…and on my time off I just wallow in comfort. Now, wallowing is quite a nice thing, but it’s not the same.
er…that’s it. There’s no point to this, I just thought it’d be worth saying. Sorry. Although I still believe the old adage that “any civilized society is three meals away from revolution.”
Despite considerable efforts, I’ve been unable to find an accurate attribution for that quote. Hopefully I’ll never end up in a position to discover how accurate a statement it is. Wine, music, and parrots are far more preferable.
