In general, people do not want to see the seams that hold the various experiences of life together. I do not mean in an abstract or broad sense, though surely the same observation holds. A fan does not want to know that his favorite artist or musician likely cuts his songs together from an ocean of riffs, beats and lyrics. They do not want to see the toil and struggle behind each work, because we want our genius’ to be prophets, seekers and expounders of pure truth that is unmarred by any sign of humanness. We forget, all the while, that the humanness is essential.
And further, we do not want to see the souls of the ones we idealize. No one wants to see the pain of the writer or the musician. People do not like to think that Abraham Lincoln was severely bi-polar, or that Kurt Cobain was a sieving narcissist. We do not want them to be human, because if they are just like us, there is no reason to idealize them, no reason to respect what they do. If we could do what they do, then it is difficult to see them as praiseworthy.
And further, we do not want to see the souls of the ones we idealize. No one wants to see the pain of the writer or the musician. People do not like to think that Abraham Lincoln was severely bi-polar, or that Kurt Cobain was a sieving narcissist. We do not want them to be human, because if they are just like us, there is no reason to idealize them, no reason to respect what they do. If we could do what they do, then it is difficult to see them as praiseworthy.
I was talking to my friend the other day about the movies we had loved growing up; movies like Time Bandits or The Never Ending Story. These movies, for whatever reason, held a special place in our memories, but we had recently gone back and tried to watch some of these movies, and had found them to be completely unsatisfying, to the point where it ruined the memory of what the movie had meant to us as children. With our developed senses, we could see puppet strings or recognize the poor special effects, the sort of things a child simply does not see.
The problem is that now, as people who are on the cusp of adulthood, we are much more able to see the seams, and these seams pull us directly out of the experience. The seams remind us that the chaos we experience is not quite as chaotic as we once thought, and the chaotic experience is exciting and entertaining. When things are not chaotic, we begin to see the natural limits, and limits are wholly depressing.
That's the danger of seeing how something is made for the first time. The final appearance always looks so perfect and flawless, we forget the effort and toil it took to make it that way. It is a good thing though, it allows us to see certain things in a different light. We get to see the truth behind the brilliance of an artist or the truth behind the making of hot dogs.
ReplyDeleteIts why makeup and cosmetic enhancers screw with how people (especially young people) view the world.