Nightmare of Daily Living. (Blogophilia 5.6)

I live in the suburbs along with the rest of the corporate sheep.  We put up with our bosses and hold our anger at the ineptitude and stupidity. Then we are released at the end of the week to hustle, bustle and consume the fractional distillates of our corporate culture.We hit the bars, wishing we were on Mars and away from the madding crowd. But we have been trained by the masters to worship things over people.  And this is what we get:

Mall Madness

My favorite description of Hell is from Dave Berg. He was a freelance writer best known for his strip "The Lighter Side" in MAD magazine. In one of his books, he describes a room with a banquet table that stretches as far as the eye can see.  It is sumptuously laid out with the best food and drink available in all the world. The guest are all gaily dressed and starving.You see, their arms are locked in a right angle, making impossible to feed themselves.The only way they can eat is to feed their neighbors and they are too mean to do it. So they sit and stare and wither away.   

Isn't this really how the nightmare begins? With the inability to consider our neighbor and in doing so bring harm to ourselves?

As I get older, I realize why my late Brother ran away to Alaska. He did it to get away from all this crap. To go up to the far frontier where nobody cares. Of course, I still do resent his cutting off of all contact. But that is typical of my family.  Five people, born in five different cities, leading five isolated, and very interesting lives.  That is what we know and how we live.

I never completely bought into the Corporate culture of power games and image, either.  I saw it destroy my Father.  Watch him get ready to go on the road to sell what ever trinket, beverage or financial instrument he was handling.  Half the time, he was really escaping my Mother, bipolar and alcoholic, resistant to all attempts at intervention. But it was a cowardly act, because it left the siblings to attempt to make sense of the midget on the sofa, and her anti Semitic babbling about how the world was evil and the world would come to an end. Yeah.  I  got cynical, depressed and self destructive.

And then I realized, when all is said and done we all end up in the same place.  Dead.  We might arrive there quickly or slowly. Violently or peacefully, but we get there. I've met actors, movie stars, corporate executives and jail inmates. All have made this journey interesting. 

What comes next/

Comments

  1. Argh, the madness of the mall! I just hate when somebody steals my spacecraft parking space.

    A very sad and revealing write about your childhood. In the end you are correct, we do end up in the same place. It's our journey that matters. 8 points, Earthling.

    But on a lighter note.... FIRST!

    --Marvin

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    1. Thank you, Sir. I may still do the one on evil bosses, though.

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  2. Hey.... how did Anonymous sneak in there right before me? *angry face*

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  3. Wow! Love your description of our everyday lives. It can certainly be a nightmare.

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    Replies
    1. And this screen we use to communicate can make it so much worse. Cruelty behind anonymity is such the rage.

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  4. an interesting image of hell - and one I'd not heard before

    TM

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  5. i don't ever quote scripture - but what happened to Treat onto others as you would have them treat you. People have lost all sense of community. It's me me me.My definition of hell comes from Sartre - hell is other people Superb Write.

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  6. some would say you have had a hard life Christopher and others might say you have had a colourful life my friend.. but that depends on the persons own experiences matched against yours Christopher..
    The one sure thing is that we all look at one another and wonder what sort of life you have had!...
    some would feel jealous because you have seen so much...
    some would breath a sigh of relief it did't happen to them..
    some would feel you have had it hard pal...
    but don't everyone comperes their journey through life all the time because it is our one and only life and we all would love to make the best of it?...
    NO I fear not... most only compere their life to other to criticize and go all opinionated... so as to justify to themselves that their life is not a waste of time!
    instead of getting off their arse and doing something about it!!
    But one things for sure Christopher, we start to die from the minute we are born.. and that is the only sure thing in life my friend...
    brilliant blog Christopher .. make you think and I love that in your blogs pal... love it..

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