Realizing Things Never Stops

Okay, I’m back. Had a few days without time or internet connectivity because I was moving to a new place, but I feel like I’m finally settled in. Went for a run today in one of the hills near my new living accomodations and it was glorious. First time I went running in a while – after “it” hit me I pretty much didn’t feel the need to move my body at all for a few weeks, but outside activity appears to be just as amazing as hanging around doing nothing.

On my run I realized that this blog was probably a silly idea. Some remnant need to boast of my “accomplishment” of becoming “enlightened” or something. Indeed, that might be what this is. I was almost ready to give up writing it on that alone, especially since I don’t really believe this will help anyone do or see anything they have not done or seen before, but still, I decided it was not a bad idea after all to share my experiences. As long as I’m doing it semi-anonymously like this it won’t be traced back to me, and who knows, maybe I’ll teach someone something they didn’t know before.

In any case, I’m really excited for this new life I am starting. Everything I’m doing or saying seems to just fit. My biggest “problem” I have is that I have too much “stuff” I “collected” over the years, and my greatest aspiration is to get rid of most of it and not accumulate a lot of new “stuff”. Finally there will be space. Glorious, empty space! Who needs all these “things” when there’s a world outside, food to eat, and a warm place to sleep in? Hahaha! Looking back at how I used to behave, I find it quite hilarious. “sigh… maybe THIS video game will finally make me happy. I’ll make SURE to get the collector’s edition!” BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 

Ahem, sorry, got caught up in my new, weird sense of humor there. But everything’s just so funny I can’t help it. I’m so happy I’ll never have to be “serious” again. Now to see what else I can throw away I don’t need…

Video Games

I like video games. In fact, I think of them as enlightened entertainment. Why? Because they teach you everything you need. Of course, everything else also teaches you everything you need, but a lot more people listen to video games than they do to dusty old preachers at church.

What can you learn from video games?

They are not real. That is why they will teach you about life. As soon as you understand video games, you will understand yourself. You see, nothing you do in a video game ultimately matters. It is only form. You are given a figure, usually, a character. In most video games, you can make your character better, stronger. You can increase your character, you can level up bars and numbers. Just like yourself in life when you go to the gym.

Why do you do these things? To save the princess! To kill the monster! Video games give you a goal, a very defined goal, in fact. This is something a lot of people struggle with in their own life. And in video games you have it, clear as day.

Together with your goal, you are also gifted with the awareness that you are still playing something that is, ultimately, only a game. No matter how attached you will grow to your character or how much you want to beat the final boss, you will still know that in the end, whether or not you succeed is meaningless. For all the difference it does, you could play Mario by just running left and right forever, never getting past the first green pipe. All the frustration you get when you die in a tough spot is ultimately something you decided on yourself when you picked up the game.

In truth, the goal in the game does not matter. What you do in the game does not matter. So why play video games? To enjoy the moment, of course, always the moment.

And that’s all you ever really wanted, even if it’s hard to see.