One of my favorite songs, by one of my favorite bands is titled "Ignorance." Since it's release, it's taken on a whole new level of meaning, now that the lyrics have become a self-fulfilling prophecy to the band that wrote them. This band is Paramore, and they have since parted ways with their drummer and guitarist, one of many facts that a casual listener wouldn't even know about. But exactly when did I start calling myself more than a casual listener? I don't know, but it definitely happened. This sort of thing happens all the time in fact, and I really wish it didn't.
Whether it be a band, a sports team, a television show or what have you, slowly I become more and more invested into it, until, at length, I've taken my casual interest and turned it into something else. Less than obsession, but more than just interested. I blame the update-a-second society we live in, I blame Facebook, smart phones and every other social media outlet for making me info obsessed. And, I blame myself. However, everywhere you turn there is a rss feed to subscribe to, a page to bookmark, a link to click, a video to watch and a "like" button to click.
Sometimes I feel like the more read, subscribe, watch and "like" all these things, the worse off I become. Instead of just listening to a band because I enjoy their music, suddenly I find myself reading their Tweets about how much they love their new tattoo and how they could eat cereal for every meal. Do I really care about these things? No. It's then that I realize, I've lost my ability to just enjoy, because now I know too much, and there's no going back.
If I could just appreciate casually, if I could just stay a safe distance and form my own opinions free of social media influence, if I could just remember that ignorance is bliss.
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