This site is a testament to not only my life but to the insanity of society. Dive into Psycho Carnival and you'll find tragicomic personal stories, wild yet honest rants, a little depravity, videos and a buttload of other goodies.

This site also contains adult like humor and ideas that could make you think. Consider yourself warned!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Controlling Your Show of Emotions and Imagination

My last post was a video featuring Leonard Nimoy singing a goofy, weird song while being surrounded by hyper-happy dancing girls that were wearing groovy outfits from the 1960's or 70's. The video clip was odd for a lot of reasons but one thing, in particular, that seemed strange was that Nimoy, who all of us were familiar in playing the famous character of stoic Vulcan, Mr. Spock, was smiling, laughing and singing.

And seeing this started my thinking on a certain trek in my mind. But not a "Star trek". Har har har.

Try to follow me on this:

There were a few episodes in Star Trek where Spock's mind would be flipped and he would be showing different emotions, as a result of being drugged or being controlled by another alien or another reason but, for the most part, Spock didn't show his emotions. I also recall the episode where his best buddy, Captain Kirk had drifted out into space and was considered dead during the last 15 minutes of the show. When Spock found out he was alive, he laughed, grabbed Kirk's shoulders and damn near creamed his jeans (or whatever those pants were called) and exclaimed something like, "Jim, you're alive! I want to have your baby!" Well, not exactly, but you get the picture.

Spock had emotions, of course, in the Star Trek shows and movies. He just felt he had to be in complete control of them almost every minute of the day. Spock was a control freak when it came to that.

The first point I'm finally getting at is this: Spock changed over the years, especially in the last 3 or 4 movies with Nimoy's character in them. Not just age-wise, but in the way Spock was allowing himself to show emotion. In no other movie or episode was this more evident than in the last Star Trek movie with the young cast of actors playing the main characters of the original Star Trek series from the 1960's. In this movie, which I thought sucked except for the few scenes Old Spock was in, Old Spock was happy as hell to see his pal, James Kirk, again. Sure, the Kirk character was really young in this movie, but any version of Kirk was a thrill for Old Spock to see again. As far as Old Spock was concerned, as was everyone else, Kirk was dead. Old Spock showed his emotions throughout the movie in one scene or another and it seemed like he had finally let go of his stranglehold on his emotions.

The second point is this: I've known people that are as emotionally constipated as Spock or nearly as much. You likely know people like that, too, to a certain extent. People who are so afraid to lose control or bare their emotional hides, that they attempt to keep as stoic in expression and limit their revealing actions as much as they can.

When I was younger, I went through a spell where I kept my emotions hidden, as well. I felt it important that people see only the serious side of myself. I thought it to be of high importance to give off the appearance of being in perfect control. If I made a mistake or did something embarrassing (or what I thought to be embarrassing), I would be extremely critical of myself. Then a chain of events occurred in my life that taught me that this type of thinking was, in effect, being dishonest with who I was. Better yet, certain events showed me just how trivial it was to be that way. Life is too short and besides, it's a ridiculous mode of thinking to be in. Like putting yourself in a cage and placing shackles on yourself. I haven't thought like that for decades and I believe that is an example of emotional growth and courage. To thine own self be true. Shakespeare, of course.

Yes, indeedy, there was a time when I cared a great deal about what people thought but that seems long ago. Probably because it was. Say about 20 to 30 years ago. lol. The older I get, the more I just don't give a shit or rat's ass what this insane human race thinks. On top of that, I really don't respect what many think due to how most of the hairless monkeys on this planet seem to lovingly embrace war, money and nonchalantly pollute the world as if they had another planet to inhabit and... well... I could go on and on. How can you respect the opinions of a species like that? I know I can't.

Getting back to controlling emotional appearance: Now you see this every day with how some people interact with one another. They're very guarded. Very much in control of what they show and what they hide. They're either afraid of being hurt or wish to give off a certain appearance they feel that will cause people to take them seriously. Or some other reason. I mean it's okay to act tough in order to make others feel secure in a potentially hazardous situation. Like in a battle or a house fire or whatever. I get that. But I'm talking about the normal circumstances in our lives when some will go to either extreme in acting overly emotional and dramatic or not showing hardly any emotion at all. The most logical way to be, as Old Spock might say, is to just act the way you feel at the moment. Take the chance. Grow. Moderation is key, too, just like in anything else.

People, I've also observed throughout the years, seem to have lost their childlike qualities, too. I'm talking about their sense of wonder. Their imagination. What happened to reinforcing the idea in kids that it's alright to have an imagination instead of fitting them with certain items, like handheld electronic games or other things that tend to curb imagination. I know it's fashionable these days to copy one another but, damn it, people... what happened to original thinking?

Is that one of the reasons why Hollywood can't come up with any good movie premises or plots anymore and they're just going back and "rebooting", rehashing or "re-imagining" (I hate that term) older movies like The Wizard of Oz (it's true, they're working on a new version) or Superman or vampire flicks and so many others? I know part of the reason they do that is because of the almost guaranteed profit from name recognition but I think a lot of it is done from a lack of imagination.

I'm merely describing a few ways we place boundaries upon ourselves. We sometimes try to fit so well within the confines of society that restrict who we really are for the sake of what one person, one group or one species believes to be the correct way to express yourself. And who, better than you, should know how to be yourself? Answer: There is no one better. And that is my final point.

On a completely different subject, I've decided to challenge myself to a duel. Well, not really a duel but more like a game or test just to see if I can do it. For the entire month of April, I plan to write up a post each and every day. If a family emergency or some prolonged family obligation should take up most of any given day, the challenge will be paused. But for now, it seems like it's a doable feat. Hell, I just wanna see if I can make it happen. Some of these posts might be tiny. Some, not so much. A few might only show a picture of two flies fucking on a big heap of dung. Who knows? So, if you can keep up with the coming barrage of posts, that's better than swell. If ya can't, then I will be forced to show some emotion and cheerfully press a high voltage stun gun against your genitals and give ya the juice. Zzzzt. Zzzzt. Woo hoo!

Just kidding. Smiles, everyone, smiles!

18 comments:

LilPixi said...

Aye!! I'm not sure if it's being an Irish-Italian liberal democrat or just who I was born, but there's a passion fierce in me since I was a wee one, that never gave a damn what others thought. Eccentricity, passion, imagination, freedom, individuality, justified rebellion, the perceptive, astute, & wise of a misguided "society" - all things a Virgo such as myself is passionate about. Gee, notice the word of the hour?

It was JFK who said "Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth."

This post is truly awesome!! And omg, I'm gonna have to make sure I get to the computer & figure out easy access to commenting from my phone for a month now.

Jessica Thompson said...

I lost you there lol. alphabetalife.blogspot.com

THE SNEE said...

I really relate To this post! I can access my silly bone and imagination, but can be a tad uptight. Reading your posts helps to "loosen" me up which is one of many reasons I love your blog! So.....a post a day...eh? I await with anticipation! BTW, blizzard coming our way tonight!

Unknown said...

Daily posts? Good golly!

One of my friends is married to a spock. Never shows any emotions.

I asked her "what if you're giving him a bj?"

She blushed and said "stone face."

Wow. Now you're thinking about Spock getting head from Ohoura. My mission in life is complete.

billy pilgrim said...

i used to keep track of and worry about all the stupid stuff i had done and so did my wife.

then i saw the light, we had a giant duplication of effort. why should i waste my time worrying about my shortcomings when my wife enjoyed having the task. now i'm free!!

favorite star trek character: harry mudd!

The Wolf said...

I went through a phase like that myself. But I wouldn't feel anything, not anger, not pain, nothing. It was my defence mechanism against all the crap I had seen as a kid. I went for years like that until it almost mentally destroyed me.

Kelly said...

LilPixi- You are very wise. I have no idea, for sure, where you get your mindset on that from, but I would say it comes from a mix of astute observance of our wacky society, personal experiences, exposing yourself to the right kind of media (books, shows...) and maybe some family inherited traits. Or I could be full of shit. :) Either way, I'm really glad you never succumbed to the bullshit of a conformist society. Too many lack passion and when I read the passion in your words, it gives me hope there are more than just a few people out there that get the truth of life and stand up for it. You do this quite well.

That's a really great quote from JFK, speaking of the truth. Thanks for thinking this post is awesome and I hope you're able to find a way to comment on my posts for a month. I look forward to your comments. And I hope you're feeling better with every day that passes, LilPixi.

Kelly said...

Anita Johnson- I guess I should have left some bread crumbs on the trail. lol.

Kelly said...

THE SNEE- I'm glad that my posts help ya to 'loosen up', Rebecca. Yeah, I'm going to do a post a day unless some unforeseen family mischief creates chaos for me. Lately, things have been calm, for the most part, on that front. Now... having said that... :)

Blizzard coming? Oh, come on. We've had enough of the white crap to last us five winters. I'm gonna have to have a talk with Old Man Winter and tell him Spring is here and he has been evicted from the premises. lol.

Kelly said...

Lost.in.Idaho- Lol... Yeah, I know what ya mean by that, dude, on your first comment. It's a challenge for me because of all the obligations I have and I never know when a family member (namely, my father who has dementia and other medical maladies) is going to do something BAD. My brother-in-law is a Spock so I know where you're coming from. All his life, his friends called him that, too. He would definitely have 'stone face' if my sister gave him a hummer. Yuck.

Yes, now I'm thinking of the whole crew of the enterprise pleasuring each other, orally. Mission accomplished.

Kelly said...

billy pilgrim- I know what you mean by that first comment. It's been awhile since I was like that. Some people, unfortunately, don't change from being that way into something more accessible and less confining for their own-selves.

I'm lol about your wife having the task of watching over you. Your wife sounds as lucky as mine when it comes to that. :) I liked Harry Mudd, too- especially the hot chicks he brought with him onboard the ship. I would fantasize about them when I was a kid and sport wood.

Kelly said...

The Wolf- I can really REALLY relate to what you're saying about not feeling anything for awhile. I had that, at one time, too when a girlfriend that I was going to marry broke up with me. I can see why you used that "unfeeling" as a shield against what you went through as a kid. I remember the stories you wrote about- with a lot of clarity- and I can see why all of that nearly mentally destroyed you. Thank God, it didn't and you had the strength to get through it.

LilPixi said...

That was a damn great response!! =)
And I'm glad you appreciate that in me as plenty of others could & have seen it as a downfall. Ugh. I feel sad for those people.

I embrace the crazy because sometimes I feel it's the only voice we got in a world full of robots.

Kelly said...

LilPixi- Meant it, too. And yes, I do. I feel pity for them, as well. There are those that see the light and those that never get that close and even more than just shut their eyes and minds, entirely.

What you said about 'embracing the crazy' makes sense to me and would look great, quoted on a t-shirt- a way to pass the idea around to others. Take care.

Anonymous said...

I can't say I agree on ALL of these points, speaking as someone who happens to play those sorts of games and still manages to retain the idea that an imagination is fun to have, but the lack of it everywhere else? The unwillingness to come up with something new instead of rehashing something tried and true every, single, blasted time? Yeah, that's definitely there. You have to wonder why people don't challenge themselves to come up with anything fresh anymore...

Dixie@dcrelief said...

High voltage stun gun. Is there any other?
Deep doo, man, thanks for sharingggg!

Kelly said...

Stun guns, cattle prods and tasers are just a few of my favorite things... to be used on narrow-minded, greedy and egotistical among the masses. I'd like share my doo doo with people like that! Yes ma'am! Have a deeeeelightful evening, Miss Dixie. Ya hear?

Dixie@dcrelief said...

"When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad... I simply remember your favorite things and then I don't feeeeellll, so baaadddd." Hot damn!

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