Be A Fool Today
A PSA announcement from me for a day known for playing pranks and jokes on people around us - go ahead and be lazy.
Or better yet, read/watch something dumb that most people don’t like. I know a lot of us try to level up our knowledge on various things, but it’s good to follow something trashy every now and then.
Science proves watching trashy movies makes you more intelligent than most, so why can’t we apply to anime and manga?
Consume something full of unnecessary fan service, abundant tropes, poorly contrived plot details, or ridiculous characterization today.
I feel like we’re always pressured to be productive. We get told that we need to jump on trends and opportunities to ease all our anxieties in life. But those same things can make our pain even worse as they may not always apply to our situations or experiences.
I worry about the guilt over doing nothing that people face. I’ve felt guilty many times over not posting on the blog as often I would like. Someone once told me to go back on Twitter because there are fans who need a voice like mine’s to listen to. I worry if people would still like or remember me. I wonder if I’m not cool enough for anyone to follow.
I later admitted to myself that I was basing my entire self-worth on the opinions of other people. A Twitch streamer I follow once talked about what does it take to quell nerd rage. He said it takes a sense of self-worth and inner peace with yourself. These days, I don’t really hate myself as much I used to. I also began to accept the fact that I don’t want my blog to be a super-huge one as it means I have to violate certain principles for the sake of being “productive.”
Being “productive” is a terrible mental trap that has ensnared many of us. I know it’s important to be busy with things (especially if you have mental health issues), but that can end up defining us in binary roles and labels that don’t respect the humanity in all of us. For example, I take some much-needed time to do some exercises and walks during lunch breaks to enjoy life around me. If I was so focused on work to the point that I ignore dormant emotions just so I could get approval from someone else, I would become very emotionally numb.
When there’s an actual book on how not being productive can help us all, you know there’s a big problem out there. I’m learning how not being caught up in the rat race for a while allows me to become a better person. What happened to loving someone regardless of whether they are useful or not?
Boys and girls, I allow you all to be fools. Be childish, innocent, creative, and free. Remember, fools may be inexperienced, but they are full of infinite possibilities.
