In an age of instant gratification and internet forums filled with ‘first world problems,’ I find myself increasingly annoyed at things that shouldn’t even remotely bother me.
This became particularly evident to me in the days leading up to, and following, the season premiere of HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” While anticipation is one thing, I found myself getting physically perturbed that it hadn’t started sooner, and once it aired, that the episodes weren’t long enough—that there wasn’t enough time to devote to the myriad plot lines. Moreover, I have to wait another week to get my fix?!? How do heroin users fill their time waiting to boot up? (That’s rhetorical, I know what they do). Why is it whenever I turn on the TV it seems like “The Following” is on? To be fair, I like Kevin Bacon but…
People have repeatedly pointed out to me that “Game of Thrones” is based on acclaimed books: So what? Now you want me to read?!? (I’m kidding, but only kinda). Show me with moving pictures. Animate that Denny’s menu dammit.
I think it all started the first time that I saw “The Matrix” and the characters were able to utilize virtual reality to learn abilities and skills in impossibly quick amounts of time. From that moment, I wanted information funneled into my brain like whiskey into a bottomless flask. Plug me in.
What I have found is that I frequently place demands on others that, if the shoe was on the other foot, I would find unreasonable. To take a turn of phrase from the 80s, I, and the majority of our society, need to take a chill pill. Just because I can look up any fact about Joe Pesci that my brain can’t recall on the internet, doesn’t mean that everything works that way.
