Comments on: Escape Above the Below.

By: Glacialink

Glacialink — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Nice essay - just a few comments on by behalf:

By escaping what we do not like, are we not diverting ourselves away from tackling the problem face-on? It’s like the situation whereby a teenager suffering from depression is given two choices: either tackle their depression personally or take an anti-depressant pill for short-term relief. I personally find the latter option a form of escapism and the former problem-solving.

In this sense, I hope Blaine will now go on to do some real problem-solving in this world. Kudos for his mildly entertaining �stunt�; no doubt it has brought in some cash. How he decides to use it I think will determine just what kind of person he really is, because I personally cannot see escapism as a credible end point.

By: Tun

Tun — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Everyone wants to escape at some point. City workers want to come back to a home that does not remind them of their workplace. Doctors want to come home to not be reminded of the hospital. Boredom will inevitably creep in at some point so it wouldn’t make sense in all cases to just tackle it directly by quitting that job. It makes more sense to tackle the problem indirectly, by forgetting about it for a while through preoccupation with something else.

The word “escape” means to liberate or avoid something so if we find ourselves escaping, we will always be finding ourselves becoming liberated or avoiding something too. So yes, by escaping we are diverting ourselves away from the problem. But the problem is boredom, so escaping is in itself the solution to that problem (of relieving boredom).

Blaine made a pretty penny with this stunt, even after the deductions from the bill the Metropolitan Police are sending him for additional security! I don’t think he’ll donate his earnings. He has inspired people, and that to him is rewarding. At the end of the day he’s an entertainer so that’s what he’ll try to do.

By: chui

chui — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

heya Tun, muchos gratzias for visiting my site. A fellow RBJer too? Chewy wasn’t so much a nickname as a pseudoname because nobody could ever pronounce it right. Trying to explain and teach ppl the real pronounciation generated too much tiresome explanation, so in the end, new people i meet would say “Ch-chew-chewy! Is that right?” and i’d just say “…ok!” Lol. Uh…i’m afraid to ask exactly what you meant by “and you’re not hairy either”….*cocks an eyebrow*
Replying done, your blog was very interesting. I can glean from it that your an extremely thoughtful, deep and spiritual ponderor of life and and all aspects of it. exxxcellent. People like you are so hard to come along these days. We’re all tainted by commercialsed superficiality and no one really seems to want remain stagnant for just a moment in the busy pathway of life just to simply ponder life…or even their own lives. I love how you analyse rather than taking it at face value becuase i think there’s so much more to it than merely appearance. Oki, i’m going to shut up now, at the risk of making a bad impression ^_^*
Personally, i don’t believe escape is necessarily a bad thing. Particularly when the world moves at such a fast pace, there’s a need for escape. I enjoy my “escapes” with my dog in the quiet suburbia just so i can finally spend time alone with my ponderings. Which reminds me, it amazes me that so many people, friends included, are incapable of being on their own. You’d almost think that they didn’t enjoy their own company!
Uhh…i think i blabbered a little too much when me real intention was just to say “thanks” for visitng my site ^_~

By: Tun

Tun — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Hey Chui, thanks for stopping by! Ah, the hairy reference is a reference to Chewbacca AKA Chewy, from the Star Wars films. Chewy is a wookie, a large hairy bearlike beast who fires a mean laser crossbow (No, I’m not making any of this up)!

And muchos gracias right back at ya. I think you’ve said enough about me (People are going to think I paid you ^_^). And a good observation about people who don’t want to be alone/single. That’s something I’ve wondered for a long time too.

By: ci'en

ci'en — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I swear you got my hopes up, i was telling my friends that Blaine was going to magically disappear from his box and appear somewhere else. Geez, this guy has suffered (willingly) for 44 days and the public expects more.

Frankly, I feel he’s’s doing this for the publicity and the money. He’s like any other performer, who’s just willing to go that extra crazy mile for his moment of glory. I won’t go so far to say that he meant it to be a spiritual journey when he stepped into the box on Day 1, but I’m sure by Day 44 he probably discovered something about himself (like how crazy he really is. kidding.)

I admire him for taking risks and lasting til the very end, that’s true grit.