Tuesday, November 11, 2008

"One of the surest signs of true maturity...is reaching the state where you no longer care whether or not what you're doing in private is mature."

Click here.

This blog post is profoundly beautiful, and I very much agree with it. I myself have a few confessions to make: I enjoy kid games, I love fantasy, I can't stand horror, I practically adore Star Wars and I collect action figures. Some jocks out there are already probably wincing in pain.

And like GabuEx, I ask myself, why not? Why should "the fact that the person has existed on Earth for an arbitrary number of years" account for what his hobbies should or should not be? As people mature, they try to conform to societal standards, because that is precisely what is expected of them. Yet, are these standards really logical in the first place?

Think about it, why does growing up mean you have to watch something more violent, read something more trashy, play something more "intellectually mature"? In my opinion, it's not as if this world and the news we get from television isn't enough to shake us up to the depressing reality of life. To be blunt, this world sucks, life is harsh and cruel, and people die everyday. We see this everyday, so why should we confront it in our entertainment?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Let me tell you why fantasy and Star Wars appeals to me. When I want to entertain myself, I want to escape from this world, or I'd have a sensory overload. I want to experience something totally distinct from our world, to play a knight or an adventurer seeking glory and excitement. These are things not found or obtainable in my real life, and I believe the best way to live it out is through fantasy.

Of course, don't assume that I cannot appreciate the "darker" things in entertainment. I still enjoy movies such as Pan's Labyrinth, Walk the Line and other serious shows. I'm just saying that there's nothing wrong in indulging in "childish" fantasy. In fact, the only thing childish in life is picking up certain hobbies to prove to others that you are above Pokemon and fairy tales.

Images are copyrighted by Lucasfilm Animation.

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