New World Idiocy: Watching Films, Playing Music, and not Bothered If the Earth Is Going to Collide with Another Planet

by

Obododimma Oha

Old-fashioned folks like me may not understand the kind of life that only watches films and listens to music, if possible engages in long chats on the Web, and is not bothered if Earth as a planet is about to collide with another planet. Armed with a device, maybe a cellphone, the new world "idiot" is about to cross a busy road, but is in the device, watching a film, listening to music or chatting. It is possible that belonging to another world and time makes it hard for me to understand this behaviour and, it is for me, clear idiocy.

Well let us just note these simple facts about watching films. First, the watcher is at leisure, resting, and not doing any physical work. The watcher is idle and can only use that  as a relaxation.
The watcher is engrossed and is in the fantasy world constructed by what is being watched that pretends to be real. Being in this fantasy world means being subject to its sentiments. The watcher may bring own sentiments from lived reality but is mentally out and in the context of the film. The watcher then becomes emotional.

Further, the watcher takes sides, is a sympathiser of a cause, and may pursue a goal we may not support.

Linked to this is that watching implies judgment, is an evaluation. There is, of course, the difference between critically-minded watchers and naive watchers who are carried away by actions and who make wrong judgments.

By the way, what is watched is for the mind, but it is being consumed, ingested, and can affect somebody's life. Every thing ingested is like food, is a consumption. The mind will certainly assimilate what the eyes have seen.

Watching films can be good. For one, the watcher learns from the hypothetical experiences of others shown. One gets in as a sympathizer and chief judge and decides who is blameworthy and who is blameless. Films, as narratives, help our judgment as humans.

Watching a film is also a good way of relaxing after hard day's work and its stress. Psychologically speaking,  it purges and purifies our minds, reboothing us and making ready again. It heals and makes well.

Further, it helps one to forget easily, becoming transported from here to a world of fantasy. It could be useful to forget.

Forgetfulness therapy, call it that. Yes, it is good to be engrossed and to be carried away for a while, then, returned later.
Watching a film can do these and many other things. It is, therefore, a rewarding recreation.

Listening to healthy music, too, (not a noisy or a lousy type) has its therapeutic uses. It helps a good music listener to get transported also and to get healed, unlike the noisy type that harms.

There are existing African traditions of work songs, in which people working sang songs or used other musical accompaniments, in an attempt to enjoy the work. The work is turned to music, symbolically, and the worker is invited to enjoy the work. Working and enjoying music or considering work as music meant removing the pains of labour from the body and the mind. Africans enslaved and who found themselves on plantations in America and elsewhere used work songs to deal with their harsh realities. So, music is not a new thing in the ears of the working African.

It could also help creativity and some could inspire same or other art forms. In that case, we find a musical rendition being reproductive. Music helps to sharpen the mind, makes it fertile for great ideas to be planted.

Listening to music is like eating good food. As something we consume, it helps our growth, for better or for worse.

Thus, just like films, music is also like food and can transport the listener to a world of fantasy. It also involves pursuing a goal and making a judgment.

Like watching a film, listening to music has enormous advantages, but watching films and listening to music from morning till night would not place food on the table or bring in an income. Common sense is required in choosing what to watch or listen to and for how long. It is unwise to waste one's life watching films and listening to music and not caring about what is happening around. It is just stupid.

It appears the new order is to watch films all day or play very loud music from various devices. This is a strange new order. One does not understand it or fit into it.

It encourages careless living and not bothering to produce something. How can there be a future without production? So, one is here simply to enjoy what others produced? Not so, my dear. One is here to join in producing, to help one's world.
Not all, lest one faultily generalizes, but quite many of these young ones do not want to do any other thing than to listen to music and to watch films and then hope for big and easy money to come; if it does not, maybe they would then get up and rob a bank. Terrible. What a life!

There were ancient traditions of work songs in which one enjoeyed the work as a music of life and music as beautiful work. These traditions did not ask one to just sit at home and listen to music. Human beings wee invited through music to like their work and to aim at achieving something tangible.

Does that mean you should not watch films, play and listen to music or chat on the Web? Not at all. Just try to educate those of us who view doing these as full employment about their benefits.