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People need a break, and video games, films, alcohol and drugs can provide those (just like hiking, gardening, and photography). There's nothing like a bit of d
by vosper 13y ago
People need a break, and video games, films, alcohol and drugs can provide those (just like hiking, gardening, and photography). There's nothing like a bit of downtime to let your mind turn things over in the background.
And with regard to film, alcohol, and drugs specifically - these can all be tools to gain a different perspective on reality, they're not necessarily mindless escapism.
- nickff 13y agoI partially agree with you, especially in the case of documentary films; and would further add that books (of literature, fiction, and non-fiction), plays, and operas are very powerful tools for understanding the world. From what I can see, these tools are generally not being used to help people "gain a different perspective on reality", as large portions of the populace do not read a book, or try to understand what any character in fiction is experiencing. As to the drugs and alcohol, I need not point out that stumbling masses of people in the streets after midnight is more indicative of their use as a soma rather than an instrument of introspection.
- solistice 13y agoDrugs can be used as a tool for introspection (psychoactive drugs for example. They can also be used as a means to counter the stress coming from other areas in life, if they are used with care (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, maybe even cocaine, which is pushing it). And then there's the variety that acts like shocking your pleasure centrum (meth, crack, and various other hard hard drugs). Aside from the third case, I'd argue against drugs being a waste of time. Unless you abuse them, they can actually increase your quality of life.