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I apologize if this is not the correct sub-forum here, but hey it definitely can tell maybe a little deeper picture about the modern world's lack of **purpose**
You would think with the internet's globalization that the world would be as spiritful, celebratory and passionate as ever, yet it seems like the world is becoming the very opposite, more boring, more lethargic, nothing really brings people togethet anymore, even holidays are dying in terms of their celebratory(but yet people sure don't seem to ever shut up about them, that's more so commercialization's fault though)
It could be just nostalgia bilndness and be that I am getting older, even though i am only in my early 20s
But still there definitely seems to be something off
I can even use some statistics
Sports attendance figures are going down across most sports, and not just in the US either
So using statistics aside, what's going? Have people made their phones their main form of escapism nowadays? But why? Is it just simply the convenience side of things? Have people forgotten how to live in the present?
Or maybe
Are people feeling overestimulation from all the modern day entertainment options we have and thus led to a bit of a "entertainment" burnout with our society? After all, too much pleasure and fun has been scientifically been proven to lead to a dopamine defeciency too
But I am literally curious, what could be the main driving factor? Seems like people are becoming more casual about things that are meant to be our biggest escapes from life
Even anime, with it being so trendy and hot right now has declined its revenue in its very respective home country, Japan
Maybe this is why we need to go back to making people earn their charms and enrichments in life?
To enjoy something you generally have to believe it.
What do people believe in these days? If you aren't religious, why would you have fervor or deep joy around Christmas or Easter? If you aren't patriotic, big Fourth of July fireworks celebrations aren't going to light your wick. Say you grew up 1,000 miles away and moved to your current location because housing was the right price and the school district was good. Are class reunions, heritage festivals, or civic events in your new home going to speak to any deeper part of yourself or your family's history?
Too many people are rootless, detached, and don't "believe" in anything.
I don't think the OP is right at all. There is plenty of passion in various circles.
The changes in interests in some things like sports and movies are just trends in entertainment. Younger people are on their phones with a passion.
And you could argue that the people out protesting in the streets, no matter whether you agree with them or not, are showing passion about their beliefs.
Last edited by fleetiebelle; 02-07-2023 at 12:42 PM..
Passion comes from exploration and discovery. New music, new lovers, new business opportunities. A desire to find out what is around the next corner, knowing that more than likely it could be something which moves the soul.
But what is there in today's world? It takes a few clicks on the keyboard to learn about just about anything imaginable. Want to hear a new band? Explore a lover? Find out what it takes to put oneself into a new business opportunity?
Just click away and you can literally/virtually experience whatever your heart's desire imagines... What fun is that? That is where "passion" went out the window.
Things become very boring when even the "new" becomes "old" in just a few minutes of screen time.
Have people made their phones their main form of escapism nowadays?
Escapism is a coping strategy because life these days can be a stressful adventure.
In today's world, the preferred form of escapism is the compulsive need to be constantly involved in electronic life, looking for apparently important information, playing or rummaging through social networks.
However, not all coping strategies are effective, mature or psychologically healthy.
I'm not sure if this will be helpful but I'll try. As far as actual purpose in life, that would be tied to knowing God and His will for your life. Then there's a few things that came to mind. Thoughts like "Go out and MAKE IT a good day" or "If you're happy and you know it tell your face!" (lol) to which I'm sure there is some truth. It could only help to have a good attitude, a good word and a smile : D
In my part of the Nation people seem to be particularly aloof and undemonstrative. Sometimes I wish I had been born in a country where when people were heart-broken they openly wept and when they were happy over things in their lives or the lives of others they danced. Strong community/strong family/strong faith and the passion that should simply be a part of being alive. Freebies from God ~ music, dancing, singing, being with friends, enjoying the beauty in nature all around us. Take a good look at the stars, find a nearby ocean : ) And as far as overuse of computers, if people are having too many virtual experiences they'll be having virtual happiness too.
You missed a huge one. Outdoor rec is up by incredible percentages since 2010. Doesn't matter if that's hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, rock climbing, kayaking... they are ALL up. I forget the statistics, but it outdoor rec specific tourism in Colorado was like triple in 2019 than what it was in 2010, and it's gone WAY up since covid after that.
People really discovered the outdoors in the last 2 decades. Or rediscovered I should say - 1950s-2000s America just kinda lost that and it's been taken back. Everything outdoor related has gotten more crowded. National Park visitations are at record breaking (too high) levels.
Concerning entertainment, videogames dwarf all sports concerning revinue. Part of that is you have to be part of the culture to really understand sports, but someone in Azerbaijan can play World of Warships just like any American can. And that's for the better - videogames are interactive, sports are passive - despite both being chair activities.
1950s-1980s America had a shared pop culture. That's no longer true - because there's too many options. People are more passionate than ever about music, everyone's just in subniches instead of listening to the Beegees on the radio. Concerts are downscaling, people want to be actually able to see the performer than be 1500 feet out in a grandstand. They'll take local talent and the brewpub than the national star. It doesn't help that pop music is increasingly a pile of trash, but that's cause all the good stuff doesn't identify as pop.
Also what about the brewpubs? Passion has really ramped there lol.
I recently watched BJ Novak's film, Vengeance, and the character played by Ashton Kutcher had an interesting take on this. In reference to the perception that the folks living in the rural Texan town were a bunch of depressed bumpkins, Kutcher's character expressed that they were not depressed or dumb, but rather creative and intelligent beings who just haven't found an outlet. I'm not doing the quote justice, but it certainly was one that resonated with me.
I have a lot of things that I'm passionate about, but I don't always have the resources to pursue them. Life finds a way to get in the way. I'm pursuing a grad degree that I am becoming very dispassionate about, but it feels like something I "must do" in order to better my lot in life. I have tons of bills related to my home and lifestyle, and they keep going up by absurd amounts while my income stays relatively flat. By the way, I used to live very comfortably on what I make now as a single person just a few years back. Inflation has all but routed that comfortability. There are things I'd love to do more of, but I don't have the time or money for all of it at once. I'd love to travel more. I'd love to take a gap year and just live somewhere else. I'd love to read more. I'd love to eat out at nice restaurants more. I'd love to bike and hike more. I'd love to buy season tickets to the local NHL team. I'd love to spend winters in a warm, tropical paradise.
There are lots of passions that I'd like to pursue, but c'est la vie for those of us not born into wealth.
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