Things That Matter

Whaddaya know, I actually got a comment from someone I don’t know yesterday (the first one, from "Hash"). Not bad, that comment function, even if it hauls in snide, puerile rants from nowhere. Lighten up, kid.

Lileks has written about getting unsolicited e-mails like that, wondering what the senders’ motives could be, since, last we heard, not even the prisoners at Guantanamo are being forced to read web sites they don't like, with their eyelids pried back (Clockwork Orange style). He probably gets loads of messages telling him to knock off writing about unimportant things like, say, his daughter, ’cause he’s taking up valuable space on the Internet, crowding out people with Opinions about Things That Matter.

Bollocks. Primary experience is still primary. It’s possible to drown yourself in secondary experiences. Sometimes it poses a real danger: turn up your car stereo real loud, so loud that you’re not annoyed by that siren, and bam, a fire truck takes you out. Usually, though, the only danger is turning into a shriveled, stumpy soul who’s bored whenever the electronic entertainment switches off.