Quote du Jour: "Everything in moderation; nothing in excess." - ???
I don't know who authored the above quote. I looked in Bartletts, but I couldn't find it. If you know, tell me. If not - I'm claiming it.
It pretty much sums up my philosophy and outlook on life. Excesses - particularly fanaticism of any kind - really bother me. I can't really understand the mind set that takes people that far into any belief or activity.
A few years ago I got myself involved in Highlander fandom. I watched the TV series, and liked it very much. I came into it in the second season, so I went searching through the internet to find out what had happened in the first season.
During my search, I joined a discussion list. Through the list I made friends - as will happen when you participate in a list discussion. When several of those friends persuaded me to go to Syndicon '97 - a Highlander/Forever Knight convention, I went to meet them. But I went with great trepidation.
I had seen film clips taken at Star Trek conventions, and I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the weekend with a bunch of people who had a very loose grip on reality.
Now, don't get me wrong. It's okay, even recommended, to take a short trip to Fantasy Land on occasion, but you need to remember where reality is, so you can come back home when you're through.
To make matters worse, at a Highlander convention, these people are all carrying swords! Lord only knows what happens at Buffy tVS cons. I can guess, though, because Forever Knight was a show about vampires, and so there were a number of people running around Syndicon wearing fangs. It was the ones with the fangs ... and the swords that really worried me.
You can tell, as you observe these people, which ones are just having fun and which ones have gone over the edge. There were a few too many over the edge for my comfort zone.
I'm a people watcher so I did a lot of observing that weekend. I listened to people who really believed that they had some kind of psychic connection with the actors or the characters - then I took a few steps back from them. I just found it difficult to do the proverbial, "walk a mile in my shoes," with those people. I didn't even want to share airspace with them. What if it's catching?
There are all kinds of fanatics out there. Health nuts. Religious fanatics. Sports fans. There are sports fans and then there are sports fans of the in-your-face variety. You know the kind. The ones with their faces painted in team colors. I read about a Denver Broncos fan who painted his house blue and orange! Glad I'm not his neighbor.
Health nuts will gaze at your Boston Creme donut and coffee with disdain. They will tell you ad nauseum how bad all that caffeine, processed flour and refined sugar are for you. The avid diet folks will ramble on about calories or Weight Watcher points. Get away from me. If I want my donut, I'm going to eat my donut. Don't you people ever eat a snack? Do you know what you're missing
My diet does not consist of mainly donuts - so get out of my face. I strive for balance. For every donut I eat, I have some veggies or a banana. If I eat a salad with balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil, I get to eat a cookie. Balance - that's what it's all about - balance.
Life should have balance. One third mental food, one third physical food and one third spiritual food. One half fun. One half work. Some sunshine. Some rain. A little snow. Pleasure and pain - because pain makes the pleasure half again as pleasurable. Despair is necessary so that we can appreciate the joy.
All in all, life's too short to skip dessert. Go ahead, eat the dessert. Just make sure you eat your veggies as well.
Oops ... almost forgot. I wanted to mention that I'm Googlewhack impaired. The best I can do is two entries. It's really bizarre the weird combinations of words people will mention on a web page. I think we need a reverse Googlewhack category. To get a reverse Googlewhack (that's 3 mentions of the word Googlewhack <g>) you have to put in two really weird words and see how many hits you get instead of how few hits come up. How many people have the kind of minds that will combine these two words ... inquiring minds want to know. Can you reverse Googlewhack? I'm issuing a challenge.
Posted by Cyberkat at February 1, 2002 7:52 AM | TrackBack