We are as a society addicted to substitutes

[soleil2666]

It starts with the media wanting to comfort you. Since you certainly won't bother watching TV or reading Cosmo just after making love with someone that makes your heart skip beats, they already know you only will when things are going wrong, so -

They glorify finding a substitute (because hey, you already messed up/didn't answer his text, wanted to play it cool, got scared from love knocking on your door when we all know it doesn't exist etc) - get a dog, buy an iPhone, do sports, lose weight, change your clothes (whatever it is that the advertiser is selling). And since nobody trusts, nobody tries (except by being an asshole, you know, the safe route) - EVERYONE is addicted to those substitutes. Who must not be human - because the mag won't make any money on that.

And for no good reason at all, just because 'well everybody is doing it'

[Dchrls78104]

Substitute "Substitutes" with " Fakes" and you will see what western society is really addicted to.

[soleil2666]

That's the centrepiece of my sadness - you see all those otherwise great women struggle with becoming the highly coveted 'independent' person, you know how ultimately empty that is (because the very definition of 'independent' is at-each-other's-throats - yet you can't go telling them 'hey, maybe we could just team up and you don't need to be perfect').
The moment you doubt this concept of perfection - fully known to be unhealthy - you get seen as sabotaging them in their becoming great.
I think we'll just have to wait for people to be tired of getting better before we can even see each other for who we are (and we all want to be loved for who we are, not for this perfection we might be able to achieve on a best day - people work on getting the Olympic Gold only to discover tat someone loving their medal is just as bad as someone not loving THEM in the first place (the medal just makes it worse, you spend all this time getting to be the best performance - and your best performance still isn't you - you is also yourself sick in bed and in need of a warm soup and a hug))

[Anonymous]

Nice barrel. Maldives, right?

[soleil2666]

Yeah, it was a google search only. Had to add a photo and 'substitutes' returns teacher substitutes (which in my mind associates with that movie about a guy who came back from a war and was a sub in a problematic school, scary stuff)

[Opinion Owner]

OK, cool. I saw you were from Australia so I thought you might surf.

Anyway, nice take.

[soleil2666]

Never got into surfing - once I figured I was bored I got a jetski and jumped the waves. Was told by a surfer friend it was too much hard work.

[Opinion Owner]

It takes some effort but it's worth it. Surfing is amazing. Jetskis are fun too though.

[soleil2666]

Might be a thing to learn with offspring if I end up living close to surf again. Down under is all work these days.