Pain of Mind

Yes, this is the title of the seminal Neurosis album, which has still never been bested by another band.

It also describes my current complications. My mind is slovenly and mired due to caffeine withdrawal, and my body is battered and torn from playing basketball like I was 20 years younger, two days ago. It was immensely fun, and I was atrociously terrible. I hucked airballs. I fouled people like frightened billy goat. I also made a few shots, played 3 games of solid defense, and contributed what I could. In reward I sprained my heel, bloodied my knee, bruised a rib, and have the sorest legs and hips that I've had in years. Great fun. Once the swelling goes down, I'm getting back on the court!

Exermacise

So it's easy to sit around and indulge. Sometimes I just indulge myself in daydreams, imagining what it would be like to just eat fast food and pizza every night, never exercise, not go to work, but just hang out with friends, sleep, and play. That'd be great. Of course, it wouldn't be as great as accomplishing the goals that I've set up for myself, love, travel, financial security, et cetera. The indulgence of slack would be great in that it would taste good and be so easy. Of course, when you gorge yourself on round table your blood leaves your head to go to your stomach, your mind slows down, you get a little release of endorphins, and you score a food drunk. Really, when I'm daydreaming about dropping out into slackdom, isn't my body just asking for drugs? Is this different than just wishing I could get drunk all the time, and buy cough syrup by the case?

It's more difficult to intentionally be cognizant about your own behaviors. I really enjoy playing basketball, tennis, and ping pong. Hackey Sack, soccer, frisbee I also enjoy. Yoga, weight lifting, jogging, these are work. I don't actually enjoy doing any of it. What I do enjoy, however, is the results. Those last three activities I do much more often that the previous six. Sure they release their own exercise endorphins, but they also keep me centered, keep my energy levels up, keep me healthy, and keep me strong. They are an important component of my life, and I wouldn't be able to cut it with out them.

Hot Fuzzy Genius

We went and saw Hot Fuzz last night. It seemed to be getting good reviews, and I loved the Nick Frost/ Simon Pegg wit that flowed through 'Shaun of the Dead.' I was expecting it to be fun and light, maybe not as good as 'Shaun.'

We loved it. It was the perfect crowd, with 14 year-olds innocently randomly going "Boom Chicka Waa Waa" in front of us, and arrogant but stunned older teens behind us. We were apprehended by the movie, and we all laughed at different types of comedy. The lowbrow for the teens, the scat for the kids, the irony for us - well, I like it all.

Then we came home to find out that the Golden State Warriors had won, upsetting the number one seed Dallas Mavs. I'm a local from Oakland, and now live in San Francisco. The Warriors are our team. I've always loved to play sports, but i haven't really watched a season of anything since I was a teen. This is different though. The Warriors always stink, so now that they are pulling out some magic, the joy and ebullience is infectious. There is community built on our local team.

Of course, it's not going to mobilize us out of Iraq and into Darfur, but that might not be bad. I'm not saying that we don't need to leave Iraq and get into Darfur, but that the sports might not be subtracting from the cause.

Let me explain. Marx famously said, "Religion is the opiate of the masses." He was talking about how people and movements are numbed by Religion. It wasn't a value judgement - he wasn't saying it was good or bad, he was just saying it was numbed. Of course, if it is used for nefarious purposes such as propaganda by a state or greed by a minister, then evil is certainly inserted into the equation. Well, organized entertainment, such as television, most film, some music, and almost all sports similarly can anesthetize a populace, or at least a statistically relevant portion of a populace.

In the zealous moral enlightenment of my youth, when I was formulating world views upon world views, I didn't realize that this didn't need to be a bad thing. I thought back then that people needed to work in their free time to save the world. They needed to be inspired to do so. Well, certainly many people are numb in our culture, but it turns out that some people are depressed instead. We need to strike a balance between the horror of our work, and what we are doing to the future earthlings, and our inner selves. If we are happy we can be more productive. So, for some, the Warrior's win will help us make the changes for which we strive.