But before I get to that, this is the idea that sparked this thread:
- Depressing Avatars.
Why?
I see them everywhere. And I'm not just talking about here.
And yes. Life sucks. But make the realization that life is only as good as you make it.
It's amazing how much of a change of mind can make. To simply look at the world through different eyes.
(Although 'Depressing' is subjective. Just look at my avatar.)
You know what happened to me the other day?
I actually started talking to may dad for the first time in 26 bloody years. All that time wasted.
And all it took was an attempt to communicate.
So that both of us know that we want to be happy.
Just that change of mind, to make that attempt.
And now we are open. And it isn't so fucking awkward to look him in the eyes.
Or to look at anyone else in the eyes for that matter.
Something not many of us do these days anymore, and truly admit to the things we see.
I have nothing to be embarrassed about because everything is out in the open now.
We still have issues to overcome, but fuck! He's like my new best friend,
We just realize that we are both willing to work through any troubles we had in the past.
And it simply took some effort to understand his perspective.
All I asked him was: "Dad, I want to see things the way you do. What things were like when you were my age. I want to know the story of your life."
And by the end of it all, we were finally on the same page. All caught up. After all these years.
All of the sudden everything changed. I was able to put myself in his shoes for once and accept Reality for what it was.
And it feels good to simply know that regardless of anything, we fucking understand each other.
All it took what that change of mind.
And guess what?
YOU GIVE THAT TO YOUR FUCKING SELF!!!
Do we not realize the messages we send to each other through words, or lack of words, eye contact, or even through GODDAMN AVATARS!
EDIT: I realize my recent swearing may seem like a paradox, but at the same time, I'm not spiteful, I'm HAPPY, and swears serve as a form of emotional expression, which would be lost otherwise. By placing restrictions on swears [when swears are necessary to convey emotion] we rob ourself of emotion. That could be another reason why I was never happy before. I never had an outlet. Sure swears can be misinterpreted, and we are told swears are only negative, so sometimes we only use them in that way. But swears are used when regular words simply won't do. So if you don't swear, you rob yourself of expressing happiness too. Just be careful because of the misinterpretation thing. Not everyone is emotionally ready; especially since most people have bad experiences whenever swears are involved. So if this makes you uncomfortable, you probably have a lot to learn about yourself.
It's all about Communication. Expressing your feelings to each other, whatever the fuck they are! Getting them out, however the fuck you need to get them out. It could be something small like whatever is on your mind. Or it could be something deeper, like a dissatisfaction with life. But those things need to be reconciled before you can be happy. We all know it. Yet we are told not to express our feelings, through censorship, or for embarrassment, or for looking weak, and people might make fun of us. COMPLETE BULLSHIT!
We need to make an attempt to change.
And troubles will come up, that might make things more depressing at first,
but once you work through all that bullshit,
you can be happy too.
We need to change.
We need to start liking life.
We need to start liking AMVs again.
And it all starts by being aware of our Communication, because that's the key to everything. Don't think that passing by someone all gloomy doesn't have an effect on them. It does. And it catches on. Simply expressing when we are frustrated and talking about it --whatever it may be-- something small... a passing thought... a misunderstanding... whatever. It can change your life. Hopefully as much as it has in mine. So we can finally stop hiding, and look each other in the eyes so we can feel what one another are feeling, and admit that maybe we are just hurting each other by being bottled up, and not expressing ourselves the way we know we should. All that fluffy emotional shit we are told to ignore really is the answer. It's Real Communication at it's core. And that could mean through discussion, or even something more technical like Education, Programming languages, or the Internet. When you think about it, the Internet is like the embodiment of Communication, and you can't say that it isn't changing the world. It is, --and always has been-- about Communication.
All you have to do is make an Effort to Understand; Effort to Be Understood; to see through the Eyes of Others; to see through Different eyes.
Oddly enough, this is a skill I learned through AMVs (seeing through the audience perspective), just never applied to my life.
You'd be surprised at what you would see.
Things that you might not want to admit to;
or things that make the world look a little more aligned again. The way it should be.
Life isn't fair, but it can be as fair as we make it.
Even if we don't understand it.
So, if there is something on your mind, I encourage you to talk to someone you trust. For me that was my dad, because he really was my age once, so it's not like he wouldn't understand my feelings and stuff. I mean, if there's anyone you should share deep shit with, it would be your parents. If you are truly open about what you feel, and make an effort to be understood, you will be understood. We have all felt frustration.
And if you don't have anyone,
which happens, I understand, fire off a PM to me.
But Communication, and just speaking your mind as things pop up, is the answer I have found
to be happy,
and I'd like to think that this message can extend to others as well.
To sum up, here are the words I'd like to share, which I put in my signature:
Real Communication is the Answer. Just talking.
"Effort to Understand; Effort to be Understood; to see through Different Eyes."
-----------------------
Questions:
- "How has the hobby made a difference in your life?" Anything big/small, feel free share your story, as I have just shared mine.
"AMV's use [Effort to Understand; Effort to be Understood; to see through Different Eyes] on so many levels. How?"
"If AMV's are a form of Communication. What do they Communicate?"
Now, I actually have an answer to the last question, and you are not going to like it... but I want to see people make a real attempt at answering it before I tell you.