Watching films or being a couch potato.
Its wonderful to have a stage name. I never doubted I should have one when I started to write about two years back. That's because I could be totally honest. Or even talk about crazy things without being prejudiced and, keep away the guilt which otherwise dirt my name. So, I can talk freely about time I have wasted in the past and even now, without your judgement. So, we can both learn about life, through this virtual unilateral discussion.
I have been lazy in my life. I hardly watch a film nowdays. I always knew it is kind of a waste of time. On the other hand twice in my life, I have been a couch potato watching film after film. And I am going to tell you why it is a waste of time and not at the same time. Let's get on with our story of this young enthusiastic man.
What a waste of time?
This young and enthusiastic man who was after his first college exams, was bored. And he found out that he had a thing for movies. It is not like nowdays. We could not watch movies on netflix, streaming on demand. No satalite television either. So, each day, everyday only one movie or two. And I can remember I have gone on watching movies for three months in a strech. All the movies that played on TV without over lap. And Hindi, was my faourite, and half of them with Sharuk Khan and Saif Ali Khan, featuring.
Later in college years, the same enthusiastic man now in middle of twenties, after long stretch of absence of movies had time to watch again. And this time it was worse. Internet was a common door to door name, and there were thousands of movies stored in terabites ready to be watched. I have watched them all. From early 1990s to end of 2010, all the Hollywood. From all the saw series to even barely interesting classic french drama films with subtitles. And the duration and time wasted on this was staggeringly high compared to active productive work I have done. I used to sleep at 5 am after running movie marathons all night to wake up at 7 to go to lectures. I am not proud of doing that, infact it was an addiction after all.
I was even ashamed. What a waste of time? All that time was wasted. I could have worked hard byhearting lists and lists after lists, reading every textbook, and going to every party. I could have enjoyed life travelling, sight seeing. Making a f---king decoration a collage on my wall with waste papers from the lecture notes. I could have written a song, learned to paint, or built a pyramid scheme to scam some people. But I did do nothing. Just binge eating and putting on weight. And university life even made me little fatter like a Tuna fish. Have you seen this fat tuna fish, filled with flesh captured from deep see? I am sure you will come across a fish cutting video on you tube one day, and remember this article when you do.
Was it a waste of time?
And that era was gone. Life happened, another long streak of struggles, exams, depressions and success and faliure. Just like Ferdinand Magellan, travelled from Atlantic ocean to Pacific ocean, 20s were gone and I was navigating th 30s in no time. Now, here is the point. In the depths of nowhere, while stranded like a sailship without wind, I was letting my ship to drift in the ocean currents. And I started a blog, this same blog you are reading now, just to kill my time and entertain the boaring thoughts of mine so that they do not turn against myself in an attempt of mutiny. And It worked. Slowly I was able to see the thoughts dance on the deck, to my own poems, and one by one those thousands of movies I have watched came to my mind. This time combined with all the information, gathered around various subjects, in and out of the university. And the international experise, I was able to put one plus one, and show that it is not always equal to two. But likely it can be six or even nothingness.
Infact, if you follow some of my blog articles, you may find many examples I have given from movies. Just like in the movie, dreamers, they sing pieces of songs from old movies. I write articles on superman, megamind, troy, dead poet's society and even yes man. The list is endless And its all about philosophy and mindfulness. Can you see? It is not a waste of time? It wasn't a waste of time after all watching a hilarious film by Jim Carrey, as long as we are able to figure out what is going on. It can come handy at later time with a philosopy article.
Now, this is not to encourage anyone to start watching endless film run on Netflix. I hardly watch a film, again anymore. I might, if I had time. But, currently I have enough base to continue writing until I die, If I wanted. So, that was not a waste of time after all.
Anything may not be a waste of time.
But it is a good lesson. For whoever thinking that what you do today is not productive. It is not at all true. Even if you are just watching at the celing doing nothing, or some grass sway in the wind, it can be a productive work as long as you are mindful about what is happening. It can give you wisdom about life that nobody will be able to teach you in 15 hours of lecturing about it. So, the more real question we should be thinking right now is, are you just active listener to this continous universal lecture, or just passive mindless floating jellyfish?
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