Taste for Waste

All the positive tweets, updates, blog entries and comments in the world are worthless unless you allow the meaning of them to influence your behaviour.

That’s something I’d like to impart to every individual currently contributing to the social networks of this world. 

Society has allowed these platforms to thoroughly infiltrate life today – providing a literal conveyor belt for internet optimists everywhere to sow their seeds of upliftment wherever someone is looking at a screen. Combine this with the fact that in life there are naturally many more onlookers than there are participants; and you end up with a tidal wave of clicks behind every smiley faced-tweet or “Wonderful Wednesday” update. The result is superficial support for something that merely feels good rather than active participation in something that actually achieves good. 

So should we all become purveyors of sadness and darkness?

No you twit. All I’m saying is that unless society actually becomes a force for good, all this positive energy we’re pouring into social media right now is worth nothing more than a :-) and a shallow feeling of achievement.

So it’s only fitting that I end off this semi-rant with a positive post: “Be the change you want to see”.

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Which is more crucial for happiness: today or tomorrow?

Today throws a hefty punch. One, two, three and you’re up at five, wearing a necktie and cozy in a cubicle. Today won’t be ignored and it always gets its way. If you resist its rules, it kindly shifts into fast-forward mode without any negotiation whatsoever. And in the blink of a blue eye, you’re unhappily eighty-five years old with only a handful of “todays” leftover to deal with.

Tomorrow though is tons more forgiving – no matter what today might have done to you, tomorrow sticks by you. And its willing to accept you as you wish to be or not be. Stay the same, change who you are or make it up as you go – tomorrow couldn’t give a shit really. There’s a definite layer of comfort somewhere in there, that many have been known to exist for. But therein lies the empty promise that tomorrow can so easily represent for so many of us.

Perhaps overcoming the quandary lies in your definition of “happiness”? Before you eagerly nod your head in agreement, consider that this route of reasoning requires an infinitely larger degree of individual brilliance: what is happiness? Where is it? How much is necessary? And so forth.

If all of this is the sixth floor of a building – let me invite you to the seventh. There, we don’t ask questions. We just wait for the answers to reveal themselves. While everyone is pursuing, interrogating, investigating and being proactive; we’re allowing, accommodating and letting things be. Once you acquire the taste for waste, you’ll realise that realising is inevitable.

Clear your throat. Empty your sinuses. And swallow that thick lump of slime. The probability of your endurance through the congestion and ill-feeling of life as we know it today is massively, if not entirely, dependent on factors you have absolutely no control over. Conversations were or were not had. Decisions were or were not made. Actions were or were not executed. And the result is you, here, like this. However good or bad your lot in life is right now, the thing with life is this: we are all going to die from it. (Don’t you roll your fucking eyes like that.) In the mean time, the emphasis of every remedy and cure ever offered is hard work and sweat. And back-breaking-ly so at that. Now with centuries of this affliction behind us, we’ve arrived at a place where pretty much everything is coughed up out of discomfort, awkwardness, fatigue and force. As Taste for Waste, our tot of medicine is simply this: allow yourself to live/think/create/act/reason from a different place, just for a bit – a place of space/easiness/quiet/slowness/rest. Hell yes; allow your brain and mind the rare privilege of switching off… or shutting up… or calming down… or chilling out… or taking it easy. This is not about going on vacation or switching careers. It’s about not working yourself to death every day. It’s about not wasting away. Listen to music. Swim in your pool. Walk your dog. Fuck your hand. Whatever you do, just don’t let every single thing that you create, or cause, in this life come from a place of stress. Waste at least some time; it will do all of us a world of good. 

@taste4waste

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“Social media buzz” is how the headline started off.

And it’s where this post begins. But I’m not about to launch into the business or notoriety of social media – rather, let’s begin by clinking glasses over the globe’s obsession with social media. Now, remember that this is a blog about wasting time: the consequences and ecstasy thereof. And with that said, I’d like to offer this:

Imagine what this “buzz” could achieve if more of us were creators. Or contributors, if you prefer.

Just like you, I tweet about my desperation for coffee in the morning and freely share my drive time epiphanies. And on one level, I concede that that is the beauty of this beast. But it’s foolish to ignore the power of this system.

Create something. Change someone.

The equation is simple but solid. Social media is about participation. And all I’m saying is: participate fully. Explore yourself. There’s worth in it for both you and I. You get to, believe it or not, have more fun and express yourself in ways more colourful than the usual single-thumb commentary. And on the other hand, for the throngs of society, there’s anticipation and inspiration.

Who knows, you could end up learning a thing or two about yourself. But at the very least, you’ll find yourself living in a way more interesting world. And all of that from wasting some time in a social media space. Seems more than worth it, I’d say.

@taste4waste

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That title is exactly what this blog is all about. Absolutely. You see, there are just so many ways to express one’s inner geek these days – Tumblr being a significant example thereof – that the probability of unwittingly sacrificing your precious time at the altars of “OMG”, “Are you f@#%ing kidding me!” and “Somebody shoot me please” is more likely than it’s ever been. And that’s where Taste for Waste becomes the fuck buddy you always wished you had. 

I waste time so that you don’t have to. 

Here’s what I mean by that novel, semi-clichéd statement: You don’t have time to waste. But I do. Couple that with a savvy point-of-view and suave sentence structure; and you get a social influence as useful as it is delightful. I promise. 

But avoiding time wastage is only one part of this soon-to-be-epic journey I deem Taste for Waste. On the other hand; should you be inspired to knowingly and deliberately waste a modicum of your precious time, I’ll ensure that you do it in the most creative and effective manner possible. I’ll also teach you new ways to waste your time, old ways to waste your time and downright ridiculous ways to waste your time. The result: you never need to waste time about wasting time, ever again.

This really is the one public service announcement that the world needs now.

Think about it. With the advent of smart phones, tablets and the most recent cloud-based trends – we are now officially “always on”. Some of us are “always on” with work, others are “always on” for entertainment and etc. Shit man, that sucks. Time wasting has become this long-forgotten pastime that used to bridge the gap between your job and your passion in a totally organic fashion. Unless you’re of the two percent who actually enjoy what they do for an income, time wasting used to be that amazing, endorphin-rich block reserved for free association. And I believe that that is precisely where one’s best ideas come from… Or sometimes where one’s courage is summoned from… Or even where one measures self in an honest and sincere fashion. At the very least, it’s a small opportunity to do something without the pressure of doing it well. Time wasting is a necessary human evil. 

And therefore: Taste for Waste. 

The right to waste time is a freedom I will fight for, write for and argue for. It’s just one of those things worth clicking for. If you find yourself celebrating this thought on the same side of the fence as me – then follow Taste for Waste all the way to the enlightenment bank on Facebook and Twitter. 

You think social media is a waste of time? You damn right it is. And a great one at that. That’s lesson one, btw.

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@taste4waste

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