By Documenting So Much Of Your Life, You’re Missing Your Life

Townhall.com ^ | September 4, 2014 | Derek Hunter

[jiggyboy]

Good point. A city bus can be the most boring place in the world until somebody raises their voice. Then the zombies come to life all at once, cameras up, hoping for their youtube moment.

[Agamemnon]

Confession and wake up call ....

Over the Labor Day weekend in 1992 -- back when the SciFi channel was somewhat new and fairly watchable -- they had a "Prisoner Marathon." You know, all 17 episodes of the iconic 1960's show starring and directed by Patrick McGoohan -- showing sequentially over and over all week end long.

Well, I set up the VCR to record each episode as I watched them with the purpose of filtering out the commercials that showed up seemingly after every 5 minutes of actual story-line.

Yes, I babysat that VCR and came out with a stack VHS's all purged of any the commercials. Couch potato all weekend. Broke away long enough to flip a few burgers for everyone else. Pissed away he entire weekend.

A couple of years later, you could buy the entire series now in DVD for ~$18 at Price Club, that became Costco.

Ya think I ever watched those VHS's? Nope.

Do I remember a wasted holiday 22 years later? Yes, I do.

Did I learn from that experience a little bit about the value of one's time - and the potential for wasting it chasing media and entertainment under the guise of preserving such things for future generations? Yes, I did.

That said, last month I got to see Gordon Lightfoot perform again in Norwalk, CT on the old High School stage. It occurred to me that the last time I had seen him perform, it was 26 yeas ago.

I was 3 rows from the front, dead center sitting with my wife. When he played "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," I recorded a ~45 second slice of it to send to my son up at UCONN because, it is his favorite song.

My boy wasn't even born yet, the last time I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert, but for a 76-year old standing up there and giving it his best for 2 hours, one realizes why Lightfoot is such a musical treasure.

Lived the moment. Shared the moment.

All things in moderation ....

FReegards!

[Company Man]

Life is just what happens to you while your busy making other plans. — John Lennon

One of my favorite quotes, so insightful.

[palmer]

About a month or two ago a black bear walked by the patio where I was working, following some predetermined path I guess. Came within 20 feet or so. I had no camera, no cell phone, no nothing, but I did have a metal chair that I was ready to use for defense. But the bear didn’t even glance in my direction.

[Company Man]

In the above, your = you’re. Duh.

What he said. :^>

[roofgoat]

“Frampton Comes Alive” and “Fly Like an Eagle”

about 76 or 77? I had just moved to IL and I didn’t have to buy the 45 of Fly Like an Eagle (or Night Moves) because WLS played those two songs every half hour. I hated those songs after awhile.

I love them now. Great memories.

[PrincessB]

Last concert I went to I saw very few phones. Most phones came out when the headliner came down into the audience and sang directly to one fan. Plenty of opportunities for a close up shot when he did that. I think a lot of us had seen a concert on YouTube that had abysmal audience reaction due to everyone in the audience filming. Some of the best performer/audience energy I’ve experienced since the early 90’s.

[left that other site]

I LOVED that program!

And I confess, I have done similar things.

[MortMan]

Americans seem intent on recording so many aspects of their life in the hopes of catching a magic moment on film that will make it all so memorable.

We used to experience life, recording the magic moments in our heads and occasionally memorializing them with film or photo.

The old way was so much better!

[greene66]

Agree, but I don’t think I want to go without electricity. After taking a direct hit from a hurricane, I was without electricity, gas, and water for nearly two months... and it was pretty miserable.

But I sure find myself wistfully pondering back to those times before the internet, satellite/cable-tv, cell-phones, and the like. The different “tone” life used to have, in terms of the culture, the day-to-day living, the way people used to interact with one another. I used to drive my grandfather to the barber shop, hardware stores, feed stores, and such, and observe all the social interplay. The whole texture of things. I’ve really begun to fully comprehend how extinct that peculiar element has become, and how much I miss it.

Nowadays, I look to when I recently went to get an oil change, and see seven people in the waiting area, all wearing dark clothing, riddled in tattoos, and staring blankly into the smartphones in their hands, totally immersed. All seven of them. Like raggedy zombies. Just seemed so bleak and depressing. It’s such a bizarre cultural change.

[reed13k]

A long time ago in my younger days I had a thing for getting souveniers everywhere I went....everywhere - just little knickknacks. I eventually realized that I was missing out on the site itself when I was busy shopping. So now I will buy a bookend - or bookend useable object on large trips/first visits, maybe a book - but otherwise just enjoy the time and the location.

I likely take too many photos, but that’s partly because it is a minor hobby (framing the shot, lighting, etc) and not because I’m trying to “capture the moment”.

[wally_bert]

We don’t have a functional VCR but my spouse insits on holding on to a ton of SLP off air tapes that are 20 years old. The plan was to convert them to DVD via a standalone player recorder. I wound up getting stuck with it. I tried to teach the spouse but it was to no avail. I was glad when the VCR died. The DVD-R died later.

They haven’t been touched in years. There are no plans to get another VCR.

[RipSawyer]

I would love to see him in concert. The first time I ever heard The Wreck on the radio I was memsmerized. I love everything about that song. I have been on The Saratoga when it was rolling eleven degrees to either side which is amazing on a ship of that size. Waves breaking in the hanger deck and spray coming over the flight deck. The tip of the bow almost going under the crest of the waves. A lot of the guys were turning green and puking but I was having a ball. It was a peak experience.

[hummingbird]

Right now, I'm taking a Selfie of myself reading posts and making posts on Free Republic.

(Just Kidding! Or, am I?)

[hummingbird]

"Life is just what happens to you while your busy making other plans. — John Lennon"

--------------------------------->

Life is just what continues to happen while you are busy taking Selfies.