quinta-feira, 23 de dezembro de 2010

Blood and Thirst

A person badly wounded and bleeding to death is not a scene I'd ever choose to witness. I know it happens everywhere, of course. However, I'd rather be spared all details. I'm convinced that life has far better scenes to catch the eye of any observer anytime, anywhere, too. That certainly includes internet and the so-called virtual world. Producing this kind of scene virtually, for fun, is an experience I’m not inclined to ever want to try. And I feel really sorry for those who are. I just can't help thinking they could easily do something much better, and funnier, too, if they chose.
When I was young, my father used to read popular newspapers. They were utterly disgusting for me. On account of the overemphasis they gave to crime-related news, people used to say literal blood would come out if you wrung one of them. I never tried to check that for myself, but I hated those successful newspapers which thrived and fared ever better by turning the public attention to violent crime. I also hated all the appreciation that kind of news used to meet.
Things don’t seem to have changed much, since. That kind of press still thrives on the very same stuff. Today’s media has only made that thriving get ever stronger. Radio, television, internet, you name it, still supply too much of it. Add to that the fact that millions of people the world over have nowadays lots of options for having their thrill by actively doing abominable things like fighting, slaughtering, stealing, all of that virtually. This way, they keep shedding and losing virtual blood, thus feeding this side of their natures.
Again, my feelings about that aren’t good at all. I'm already in my mid-fifties now. There is no trace of my early revolt and hatred left any longer. But I still can’t stand those virtual games especially developed to please such a growing bloodthirsty demand.
All this is in flat disagreement with an excellent twenty-century old text which reads:
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things".
Philippians 4:8.