Late at night between 1 and 3 a.m. I sometimes wander the worst parts of town, slipping past unnoticed by the various fringe-dwellers, dealers, whores, killers, madmen and junkies. I am nobody, a mere shadow, as the world slips by revolving in its filth unnoticed by me.
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The life of an observer is a life I know very well. Sometimes not allowed to take part, sometimes not able to but more often not willing to. It's a life I've come to like very much.
There is an aphorism by Dávila that I posted in German somewhere on this BLOG that goes something like (paraphrased): 'Humanism is the position of he who perceives and relishes, less of he who creates and never of he who works and acts.'
Nietzsche in his early years when playing with the idea of a justification of the world by God (theodicy) via its aesthetic beauty has also noted that the most god-like trait would be to observe the world with a detached interest. Or, why else do you think do todays common people seem to love watching television so much??
Hence the great success of reality shows?
I myself do enjoy a good movie or a television program (not that there are that many of them though). But when bad television becomes an individuals first and main source of information it's really sad. One must in the end become a very passive individual not capable of creating one's own images etc. I see myself as an observer, one who's active and not just a recevier.
Well, that last sentence was a bit tongue-in-cheek. I agree with you: it's a very big difference if one is an observer of the world or of TV alone, as you said: the direct interactivity of reciprocal communication tends to get lost in latter case...yet, to someone with enough creative imagination any form of input could be inspiring...
"Well, that last sentence was a bit tongue-in-cheek."
But it was a good one, worthy of thought and reply :)
I will on occasion do the same, but my venue of choice is a thoroughly leftist academic establishment. Better architecture, and no killers (presumably).
Those damn leftist elitists! Not in touch anymore with the people on the street, it seems!!
Are you familiar with the English philosopher John N. Gray? I would strongly encourage the study of his book entitled Straw Dogs : http://us.macmillan.com/strawdogs
No, will look into him, yet I'm quite familiar with the Daodejing, chapter 5: "Heaven and earth are not humane; they regard all beings as straw dogs.
Sages are not humane; they see all people as straw dogs..."
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