Monday 20 September 2010

The Race To The Top.

I am for some strange reason growing more and more reluctant to watch television. In an age where daily more channels are added to the daily schedule. A bigger and bigger selection of programmes to watch; less and less worthy of giving the time to viewing. We have in the UK become obsessed with two things, it seems to me. Reality television, where people expose their lives for the rest of us to view, and then we have the love of so called celebrities. People become celebrities because they have appeared on reality television, then they appear on all kinds of shows telling us how best to enjoy life.

Yesterday as I watched for about ten minutes there was also shown an advertisement for some well known batteries. toys doing all sorts of things but the ones with the right batteries winning and lasting the longest.

I just could not help putting the two together in my thoughts. Let me explain with another of my little stories.

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs.

They had arranged a running and climbing competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

The starting pistol was fired and race began.

Honestly, no-one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

You could hear people shouting.

"Oh! WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top".

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

Sure enough the tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one.

Yet some were still climbing higher and higher.

The crowd continued to yell

"It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up.

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher.

This one wouldn't give up!

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog whom, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

Of course all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?

It turned out.

That the winner was deaf.

He was the only one whose mind had not been filled with negative and empty advice.

He had listened to the inner voice that assured him success was possible.

Now! This is the way of the Tao.

I will explain the use of this picture on my other blog along with todays art. A Work In Progress

6 comments:

  1. Wow! that was a good one. Somehow your reference to TV programs, and the story of the frogs are so similar to the two blogs I had written, some months ago. Though our ideas are not similar, yet there can be seen the connection in the way our thoughts flow.
    Why don't you come over and read them, and see how people all over the world think similarly.
    I really love going through all your blogs.
    Have an enjoyable week.

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  2. I couldn't agree with you more! I no longer listen to the news or read the newspaper. The only television I watch are movies and sports. I've found the media to be a way of brainwashing the masses rather than informing us of the truth, as we have all been told. The real important things happening in the world get talked about enough, that I still stay relatively informed. But what I don't subject myself to is the brainwashing. Whether you see it or hear it, if its too often, you begin to believe it.

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  3. Occasionally in the dark of winter I will actually sit and watch the odd television presentation....usually with a silly Christmas story theme for children. Don't even watch the news any more.....seems to me 'news' is no longer 'news' unless the commentators can sensationalize someone's misfortune. Who needs it.....what about a 'good news' station!
    I have the cheapest cable hookup available...40 odd channels.....and I was noticing recently most of them are advertising channels of one sort or another. One channel dedicated to selling jewellery! Another, all day celebrities NEWS! Celebrity news! Give me a break. And advertisements....they go on and on and on. There is even a 'buy in on TV channel...don't know what it is called, but it is there.
    I am now looking for a set of old fashioned 'rabbit ears' so I might connect these to my television and have the cable company keep their 40 channels. In the meantime I listen to radio and my own music selections and go out and talk to REAL PEOPLE.

    Thanks for another thought provoking blog. Better leave this soap box to other commentators.

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  4. Good Morning Ralph, today will be a great day!
    Yes, television is BAD for sure, the opiate of the masses! and I love the story of the little frogs! That is so true too! Most things that I have done in my life were done just because I thought I could!

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  5. PERFECT! I loved that story Ralph. I think I'll tune out the negative voices. Wonderful.

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