The film has a scene in a self help group, like AA but for returned Veterans. The counsellor is saying 'You some of the stuff you leave over there, a lot of it you bring home with you. You need to decide whether you want to carry it around in a big suitcase or a tiny purse'. Now, I know that's easier said than done, but I think it's a great analogy of how much work we put into maintaining our baggage (and we all have it). Do we want it to tire us out, carting it into every relationship and interaction we have? Or can we make it small and manageable? Our fears, our neuroses, our habits and behaviours, can we work on those that aren't working for us, and make our baggage more manageable and less exhausting?
Secondly, and I am well aware of the irony of what I'm about to say, is that the 21st century is a digital book, where all our details are wide open for all to read. Our bank details & medical records, our shopping habits, all the information we voluntarily offer up to twitter, facebook and instagram, and of course, all the personal information we offer up on our blogs. It's all there, telling the world all about us. This lack of privacy makes it very easy for Big Brother, or any nefarious pirate, to access and file us as they see fit. Like the kid arrested at the Pink concert for the tweet about a bomb (that was actually a lyric), the innocent aspect of this information may be eventually used against us. I'm quite careful with what I offer on FB or usually with what I tweet, but I have noticed a carelessness when I comment on other peoples blogs. I tell stories and make statements that down the line may come back to bite me. We need to think about what we share and what images we choose to offer the internet (as we know somewhere, all that data is being used for something). Every time you see those ads pop up for something you just looked up on the internet, remember that someone, somewhere is watching your habits and pause a moment to consider what extra information you just offered them. Maybe it will all come to nothing, but maybe it won't. Yesterday I received two emails from different companies alerting me to the fact they have changed their privacy policy, meaning they are now selling my details, when they initially weren't. In this case, it just means I'll get more spam, but that may not always be the case. The state of play can change instantly. Just something to think about.
No points for guessing the man I like best in this photo...the one and only, Stan Lee! Ninety two years old and still going strong!
"Everybody wants to feel that you're writing to a certain demographic because that's good business, but I've never done that ... I tried to write stories that would interest me. I'd say, what would I like to read?... I don't think you can do your best work if you're writing for somebody else, because you never know what that somebody else really thinks or wants."
STAN LEE, Brandweek, May 2000
Being watched on the internet is something I think about occasionally but usually only worry because of all the annoying spam mail I get. I guess if I say something controversial I'll worry a little but I'm still under the (delusional) impression that nobody is taking any notice anyway.
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