I fully agree!

Excuse my biased opinion as mentioned as in the title of this topic but I'm interested in your thoughts on the following article: http://sivers.org/drama

 

It's an interesting theory!

I don't agree...

People think their live issues are so dramatic and life-changing simply because the events are close to them. When it happens to someone else, it is not as note-worthy... but when it happens to YOU it suddenly becomes meaningful.

It is caused by peoples inability to really understand events in the world. Kind of like if people were unable to tell distance to put things in perspective... a building closer to you might seem more significant than a building farther away that you know is actually larger. ((actually, i think people are unable to really understand that also))

It is why people get such "life changing events" when they travel to another country... even if they have seen pictures and KNOW in their minds exactly what it is like there. They simply lack the ability to understand things to such a level unless they are right next to it...

Life imitates art.   I love Kurt Vonnegut.

I love feeling small & insignificant. Just looking at the stars does that for me, going diving in the ocean, hiking up a big mountain, or when I was younger, going to raves (). We are all trapped in our little heads, it's good to get out & gain some perspective.

I see it as a combination of the Vonnegut theory and what lorik said about events being meaningful to us depending on how close we are to them---which is why the drama that happens to us or our good friends seems very important, but to someone we're not so fond of we roll our eyes and groan "He/she is SUCH a drama queen!"

Though OTOH, it doesn't explain why so many are enthralled with the lives and dramas of celebrities, who we don't know.

I am definitely the type of person who tends to turn their life into a crusade (;

But I don't think this article is all that helpful.  I mean sure, in the grand scheme of things we are just blips in space and time.  But none of us live as an all powerful overseer of the universe.  For the rest of your life you are going to live with yourself, thinking inside your head.  I don't know.  I just think that thinking everything that happens to you is insignificant seems like a quick way to fall out of love with life, and wonder "what's the point?"

On the other hand a very anxious/overwhelmed/dramatic person might benefit from this.  Realizing that these expectations are all man-made, and we have to right to just float through life peacefully...  Hum.  I think I went off topic.  Oh well.

Original Post by coffincritter:

Though OTOH, it doesn't explain why so many are enthralled with the lives and dramas of celebrities, who we don't know.

 People are enthralled with the lives and dramas of celebrities when they mistakenly assign a value to their fame... as if being a celebrity makes one a greater person.

They are curious who these "greater people" are and what about them makes them so great (but even following their lives, they see time and time again that there is nothing about them that is really different...yet still people have a strange feeling in the backs of their heads that they ARE more important so they continue to follow curiously).

It is an issue of people unable to really understand and accept the information they find...

So, people continue to think those like basketball players are idols and great humans...even after time and time it is proven wrong and LOGICALLY the only thing they can do is put a ball in a basket (but again, people aren't able to absorb the logic of the sittuation). It is also why people want to see things happen to these people...because for a short time, they are able to think that they are just normal people (but of course people forget quickly and the feeling in the back of their head starts to take over again).

And then you have cases of people being attracted to celebrities...so it starts to get into the area of distance stalking haha. When you are attracted to someone you find them more interesting and want to know more about them... magazines and trash news understands this and capitalizes on peoples desire to follow those in the public eye.

I do not really want to agree with what is said in the article..simply because it is very disappointing to me;just to believe that we want to imitate the stories so bad..because the truth is that people's lives are so normal..mostly..that it is sickening..

I remember when I was feeling really good without any good reason..while I was in the same circumstances as before when I was feeling outraged and miserable..and I remember feeling like crap that I was feeling good and saying " people do not get to appreciate misery until it is gone"...I have always believed that misery is so much more interesting than happiness...happiness,I believe,is too simple and boring..like today I am happy and tomorrow? today is tomorrow and now what? what is next?

when you are miserable or having big issues in your life..you have a goal to aspire for..the peace of mind...and heart...

I can settle at that when I am like 45 years old..now I am 23 and I want to CONQUER THE FREAKING WORLD!!!

so all in all..it is not really a bad thing that people make up fights or make a big deal out of really simple things..because we need the excitement and the thrill..every once in a while for some people..every day for people who are a bit different...passionate

Well I find that insignificance actually gives me more feedom to enjoy life. When I use that term I don't mean not having a focus or goals. I mean it helps me roll with the punches while achieving my goals.

I guess you can have all the drama you want as long as it doesn't limit you, and that you are still fully aware of all the possiblities life has to offer.