Oh man. It’s been over a week since I’ve posted anything. I took another job so I’ve been crazy busy lately. I decided I’m going to work like a maniac for a year and be super stingy with my money so I can save up and move to LA to focus on writing and comedy. I’ve realized that in order to be successful in this world, you need to be all in. So, I think this is the best strategy for me. Instead of trying to work 25-30 hours a week and write and do comedy and all other life stuff, I’m going to set myself up to go all in on comedy and writing in the future, since that’s what I’d like to do.
I have a specific goal in mind and have laid out exactly how much money I need to save per day on an excel spreadsheet and I keep track of what I make and spend every day. It helps to have a plan. I’ve been on the keto diet for a month now. I exercise regularly. I haven’t had any drugs or alcohol during that time. I feel great. Feeling great is the first step towards being great, right? Unless you’re like Sylvia Plath and you derive you’re greatness from misery. Which, don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for… I’d just rather feel great.
Anyways, I’m still going to write as much as possible, but I won’t be posting as much as I would like to over the next year because I’m going to be focusing on my script-writing skills. I’ve got a great idea for an original TV show that I’m working on, and will be writing some spec scripts as well. As much as I would like to share these things, I think it’s best I keep them to myself until I pitch them to the professional world.
Okay that was kind of boring. I don’t like writing about myself. I do, however, like writing about the random things I think about in the shower. This morning, under that sweet sweet stream of H20, I was thinking about how modern society is in a war for moral superiority.
More precisely, I think this war is being fought between what is often considered “the religious right” and the “progressive left.” Now, I think this war is being fought at the fringes, but it’s affecting everyone. It appears that only somewhere between 10-20% of people are on the further ends of these spectrums, but they’re very noisy, and very authoritarian.
On one side, we have the “religious” group of moral supremacists. It appears to me that the original point of religion was to provide an outline for how to live morally in the world. This is a good thing. People need an outline, because for most of us, it’s too difficult to figure out how to live morally all on our own.
Most of us are followers, so we need something to follow. Religion provides that for many people. It’s a bedrock for modern society, and what has kept us from tearing each other entirely a part. At the same time, it’s the same tool many people have used to tear each other a part? So what gives?
Well, most people who are religious are decent people just trying to do their best. There are, however, a significant minority of people who have used religion as a guard, acting however they please under their own perceived moral invincibility. It seems like these people are so convinced of their own righteousness, they’re unable to discern between moral and immoral behavior in any reasonable manner. As long as their actions follow the specific commandments or guidelines of their religion, anything else is fair game.
The same can be said about a strong minority of modern “progressives.” As long as these people follow the prototypical pattern of progressive talking points and perceived behavior, anything else is fair game. Blinded by their own moral superiority, they have lost all understanding of the self. They believe the problem with the world is the religious right, and the religious right believes the problem with the world is the progressive left.
Neither appears able to turn a critical eye onto themselves. They’re too busy telling the world how the other is the problem, trying to convince everyone how their moral superstructure is the correct way to be. The rest of us, the silent majority of people who know they’re flawed but are just trying to do their best, are caught in the crossfire.
We’re all involved in a war. A war for morality. In order for it to deescalate and not turn into a literal war, the silent majority cannot be silent.
Hope it works out for you Jason. Being all in is how people succeed.
No bullshit, you have a deliciously wide range of subject matter and a delivery style that swirls together your delight in absurdity with some nicely detached objectivity.
No reason why the breaks won’t come. You’ve got a plan, and a likeable talent.
Good luck matey.
Thanks so much, Kevin. I can’t tell you how much your words of genuine encouragement mean to me amidst the plethora of “you suck”s that I receive. I’ll keep you updated!