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You're describing a bunch of different things, some of which are probably not good experiences or tendencies - but far from all of them are bad things.
Indulging yourself more in pop culture is no bad thing, and hardly at odds with posting on Barbelith - half the board is about comics, music, films, etc. Nothing wrong in itself with becoming fanatical about sport, either - see the Games & Gameplay thread. Of course being fanatical about anything can arguably go too far, but not everybody agrees where you draw that line... Following the exploits of Becks and Posh? Not in itself any worse than following the exploits of a wizard or dwarf that you invented and who you control in a video, board or LARP game. Whatever gets you through the evenings/weekends. As for drinking... well, these days I'm inclined to believe that drinking a little less, and not seeing the amount you consume or how drink you get as "heroric", is a good thing. If you feel it's "numbing", then that might be a bad thing. But again, if it's what you need to do to relax, it might not be so bad.
No longer feeling like pursuing anything on a remotely intellectual or pseudo-intellectual level, and being bored by domestic and international politics, are not ideal situations. However they are arguably both states of being in which many people who otherwise aspire to thinking intellectually and politically often find themselves. The fact that not doing so is a noticeable state reflects that normally you do follow politics, try to approach things intellectually, right? So it's quite possible you're just suffering an energy slump or burn-out, which could well be the effect of the fact that - well, politics is a depressing business! Even thinking intellectually can be a hard and dispiriting and confusing thing. I myself can find myself emotionally drained, even upset, when I read and try to understand certain theoretical ideas. So while I'm not saying one shouldn't be aware of when you've retreated from this kind of thing, or that one shouldn't eventually work to get back in there, maybe you do need or did need a little time off? The same goes with not jamming regularly with your band. You've suffered a physical injury, and that's inevitably going to affect your overall state of being. But it need not be permanent, and you needn't feel anxiety about it in the meantime.
Finally, the people in the public eye whom we admire (bands, comics writers, etc) do have a nasty tendency to let us down. I don't really know what to say about this, other than "learn to expect and accept it", which is easier said than done. There's no artist so good at what they do or so otherwise in tune with your own aesthetics, politics etc that they can't disappoint you in some way. You just have to roll with the punches. |
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