Why the bigger picture?

I agree that I do not do a lot of contemporary reading, hell; I do not read at all: contemporary or whatever.

But recently I have been reading, and by my standards I have read a lot since I started on my advertising project (whcih is unrecognisable now from what it started off as an year ago).

And I see something that disconcerts me: every writer, be it the independent, curly hair, coffee sipping three times divorced thirty something hot shot journalist called something like Smitha Ranganathan, or your avergae jagjeet writing about his antics in Palera, UP: every writer wants to spot trends that no one else has spotted.

I do not know if it is our society's inclination towards science and maths (remember school?) and logic; so many blogs and editorials that I have read go like "here comes the usual post attack terrorist bashing", "here comes the post legalisation goat worshipping" and similar junk.

I think I know what it is, rising above the world, making observations is something we all enjoy at a very deep level. When it comes to survival, all want to be alpha males and queen mothers (no the latter part isn't true, is it?!) ; but when it comes to commenting on whats happening: everyone wants to be the wise old fart.

When was the last time you read something like, "it is difficult to relate this event to the past. it seems like totally random. but i think it is good." Never ever I am sure. People like to sound intellectual.

The more observant reader would've spotted that in writing this post I have indulged in the very act of trendspotting I have despised. I can say it is self parody; but thing is I am human.

What to do? 

Simplified English

I wanted to write another post for long. I had collected many topics for the task. 

These topics included bad examples of advertising. 

Today I read an article. It was on Wikipedia. It was on 'Boredom'. And it was in Simple English.

This was the first time I had noticed that Wikipedia had simple English articles. At first they felt choppy. They also felt over simple.

Then I went to the list of the very good articles. I read about Jessica Alba. She is a pretty woman who acts in English films. Sadly, these films are not in simple English. They are in American English. Many British people think American English is not English at all. 

Jessica Alba had taken someone called Playboy to court because he printed her naked pictures without asking her first. 

And that is where my ideas about simplicity come in.

Weirdly, there was nothing wrong with what the article was saying. But, take my advice, go to simple.wikipedia.org, and read any of the leading articles. You will see that this childish, and often hilarious flavour of the language makes the actions of a supposed adult, seem juvenile. 

What I read there drove a mighty point home, one that I have always supported. When you peel away the layers thrust upon us by education and civil behaviour, you will find that people seldom diverge from basic rules of human conduct: maximising benefits, ensuring reproduction and confrontation.

Socialists, Fascists, Neo Liberalists, Consevatives and Tobacconists would have you believe that it isn't so. But the more I think about it, the more I see the point in not thinking too much.

And the more I see the point in straightforward, simple thinking and action. If you need to step out from a warm bed onto a cold floor, you would do better to block all though and just do it, rather than think and make it tougher.

If you do, and trust me, it works, write down all thats troubling you on a paper in simple, straight terms, you will be surprised at how wonderfully you can solve the situation; just because it was put there as it is, no adjectives, excalamations or added sugar.

It is not sad, but funny how anyone who makes a return to plain vanilla, staright line, push button simplicity is hailed as a  genius. 

In another world, they will be mere agents of change; which is probably what most genius is about.