Modern day living has given rise to a new sort of entertainment which is unique, to my mind, in the history of mankind. The resources of television and the silver screen, commercial novels and shopping malls make it possible.
To understand this, I must first make clear the difference between pleasure and joy. Pleasure can be obtained by a person without active involvement. Cool water on a hot day, food, a pleasant smell, and the like. It consists of a division into subject and object. The person is the subject, and the object is the stimulus being applied to him. Joy on the other hand, requires an active relation to be formed to something, effectively blurring the line between subject and object. Getting pleasure is easy if you have money. Being joyful is not.
Look at modern entertainment. People are ‘fed’ as a means to pass the time. When they view the TV, they’re being fed. They consume the shows or serials. The same goes for most movies. After the movie is over, most people feel as if they’ve been on a ride, but nothing has changed after it. The stimulus is over. Most novels fall into this category. They’re meant to be ‘finished’ one by one and cast aside, like sucking the juice out of a mango. Going to carnivals is more of the same thing. A roller coaster ride takes people along, excites them, stimulates their senses, and lets them off, none the better for the ride. Even sex is ‘consumed’, with men boasting about how many women they’ve had. One goes to a shopping mall, or a departmental store, and is fed sensations, glamour, articles in the showroom, and one purchases. In fact, it’s not surprising the people in depression, along with overeating, also go shopping to lift their spirits. Both are the result of feeling incomplete, and the subsequent need to be fed. Even music, which can be a source of joy, is consumed with people playing music just to fill the background without really listening to it. Drugs of course, is the ultimate consuming of pleasure.
Vastly different is the experience of joy, where there is an active involvement with the articles in the world. A painter and his canvas, the child building his imaginary world with everyday articles, the village boys exploring nests, climbing trees and swimming, the writer pouring himself into a book, the reading of classics which requires chewing of thoughts over and over again, and the playing of a musical instrument. Nothing is consumed. On the contrary, there is an enriching experience, which produces joy.
Most of today’s entertainment, is people actually just trying to fill in their time. We are constantly trying to find new ways to make things more efficient and fast, and finally, when we have time on our hands, we are content to just kill it. I’m aware of people who watch serial after serial on TV from 3:00 pm to 10:30 pm continuously.
My theory, as propounded in another article, in short, is that people are seeking ways to escape from themselves. They cannot be alone, and cannot tolerate moments of total quite for very long. The commercial industry of course, just loves this. Indeed, it is the very basis on which their businesses are built. If people stopped ‘consuming’ cars and technology, where would they be? They have a vested interest in keeping us zombies, addicted to what they feed us. If we ever woke up one day and said, ‘I’m going to read an improving book this evening’, can you imagine their outrage? The malls would be empty, the cinemas would be clear of people, and the captains of the industry would shudder on their thrones.
I have faith that one day this awakening will happen. In the long run, Humans have always realized their folly. I think we need to pass through this phase first, just to find out that it goes nowhere.