This is so true. The older I get the more I appreciate the time that is given me, and it isn't even just the time... it is the emotional bandwidth that is given me. With 24 hours in a day I want my books and films and entertainment in general to expand my imagination. I want it to show me possibilities that I may not have considered. I want to think with more clarity and discover insights that enrichen my life. I have developed a low tolerance for angst porn. I am an empathic creature and I simply do not want to live through endless navel gazing and experiencing others make poor choices for no other purpose than angsty voyeurism. If there is a worthwhile journey involved, that's fine. but when a story is stuck in dysfunctional looping misery and/or violence, I just do not want to mire my leisure hours amid all of that. I am well aware of the misery in the world. I do not need to bathe in it to increase my awareness of it. I'd rather envision something better. And I believe, like my driver's ed teacher used to say, we have a tendency to head towards the direction our eyes are focused on, so keep your eyes on the road and the direction you wish to go.
I just finished a quite interesting read: We Are The Ants. Premise: A bullied gay teenager with a horrible homelife, and who is struggling to recover from his boyfriend committing suicide, has been told by aliens (who apparently have abducted him frequently over the years) that the world is going to be destroyed, but our hero is told that if he pushes a little red button, the world will not be destroyed. It is his choice. He has 140 days to decide if the world is worth saving. Despite the comic book aspect of the premise, the book is a fascinating journey into whether life is worthwhile even when it seems like crap. And as this is all through his eyes, there is the inherent mystery of whether the aliens are real or only in his head. It has angst and humor, but there is a point.
Oh interesting. It's available via Libby...do you think listening to it or reading it would be better? Audiobooks have become my new reading accelerator.
I listened to it. The reader does a great job. I used to mostly read my books but I've recently discovered audiobooks via my library and what a nice option it can be to spend the evenings listening to an audio book and drawing/painting/crafting instead of watching TV. I'm trying to watch TV when there is something I want to see, and to stop making it a default choice. I'm learning that an evening listening to a book and sketching or whatever turns into a much more satisfactory evening than the static behavior in front of whatever streaming service I presently watch. (Obviously there are exceptions - there are some wonderful shows). And audiobooks are great for walking. That is a new discovery. I walk for longer distances if I'm listening to a good book.
Angst porn, what a great way to put it. While I can appreciate good thriller/action/drama, I also have found myself more and more averse to angst porn. I can handle it more in sci-fi or fantasy, though, while slice of life angst porn is kind of unbearable to me.
Kind of reminds me of how I don't feel compelled to watch all the (I'm sure very effective) documentaries about going vegan/factory farming, etc. I'm already vegan, I don't feel the need to reinforce the misery of the world, as you say.
This is so true. The older I get the more I appreciate the time that is given me, and it isn't even just the time... it is the emotional bandwidth that is given me. With 24 hours in a day I want my books and films and entertainment in general to expand my imagination. I want it to show me possibilities that I may not have considered. I want to think with more clarity and discover insights that enrichen my life. I have developed a low tolerance for angst porn. I am an empathic creature and I simply do not want to live through endless navel gazing and experiencing others make poor choices for no other purpose than angsty voyeurism. If there is a worthwhile journey involved, that's fine. but when a story is stuck in dysfunctional looping misery and/or violence, I just do not want to mire my leisure hours amid all of that. I am well aware of the misery in the world. I do not need to bathe in it to increase my awareness of it. I'd rather envision something better. And I believe, like my driver's ed teacher used to say, we have a tendency to head towards the direction our eyes are focused on, so keep your eyes on the road and the direction you wish to go.
I just finished a quite interesting read: We Are The Ants. Premise: A bullied gay teenager with a horrible homelife, and who is struggling to recover from his boyfriend committing suicide, has been told by aliens (who apparently have abducted him frequently over the years) that the world is going to be destroyed, but our hero is told that if he pushes a little red button, the world will not be destroyed. It is his choice. He has 140 days to decide if the world is worth saving. Despite the comic book aspect of the premise, the book is a fascinating journey into whether life is worthwhile even when it seems like crap. And as this is all through his eyes, there is the inherent mystery of whether the aliens are real or only in his head. It has angst and humor, but there is a point.
Oh interesting. It's available via Libby...do you think listening to it or reading it would be better? Audiobooks have become my new reading accelerator.
I listened to it. The reader does a great job. I used to mostly read my books but I've recently discovered audiobooks via my library and what a nice option it can be to spend the evenings listening to an audio book and drawing/painting/crafting instead of watching TV. I'm trying to watch TV when there is something I want to see, and to stop making it a default choice. I'm learning that an evening listening to a book and sketching or whatever turns into a much more satisfactory evening than the static behavior in front of whatever streaming service I presently watch. (Obviously there are exceptions - there are some wonderful shows). And audiobooks are great for walking. That is a new discovery. I walk for longer distances if I'm listening to a good book.
Placed the audio book on hold! And yes, walking with an audio book is my morning ritual.
Angst porn, what a great way to put it. While I can appreciate good thriller/action/drama, I also have found myself more and more averse to angst porn. I can handle it more in sci-fi or fantasy, though, while slice of life angst porn is kind of unbearable to me.
Kind of reminds me of how I don't feel compelled to watch all the (I'm sure very effective) documentaries about going vegan/factory farming, etc. I'm already vegan, I don't feel the need to reinforce the misery of the world, as you say.