the lost man chronicles
89. our relatively disappearing reality

"So Real," grins the billboard outside the Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel. Considering the slogan denotes Panasonic's new high-definition plasma TV, there is a little bit of sweet irony underlying the message.

For those not fool heartedly desperate enough to be robbed of a few thousand dollars by scam artists on ebay, plasma and high-definition televisions combine two separate technologies (one a broadcasting method, and the other the receiving end) into the state-of-the-art in visual reception and projection.

Compared to what the world is used to, the results do seem much closer to "real," almost as if you could touch the images themselves. The difference is probably comparable to how people felt about the change from black & white to color.

Hence, much excitement among the masses, some haplessly choosing to go further into debt just to experience it.

The irony though is that while watching their favorite reality show on their new plasma high definition TV—they experience nothing.

Just like tabloids, dailies, glossy magazines and even esteemed newspapers, TV is often simply a vicarious measure that carries us from leisure over to apathy.

We read or passively watch other people live their lives because we do not possess the will, the imagination, the courage and the independence to live our own. Should we be preoccupied enough with writing our own stories, we might never have time for what has never been less real.

Reality is relative because it is wrought by the individual. And akin to when one accepts that dreams do not come true—they never do, if you regularly rely on others to be amused, it is likely that you will find your own life a lot less amusing.




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