The Purpose in Vegas

This is opinion. And ideas. And the problem with opinion is it never really gets backed up with hard fact. Only trust that the author can properly portray his experience on paper. Here are some of my observations, test them as you will.

"... there are new gods growing in America, clinging to growing knots of belief; gods of credit card and freeway, of Internet and telephone, of radio and hospital and television, gods of plastic and of beeper and of neon. Proud gods, fat and foolish creatures, puffed up with their own newness and importance." [1]

If there is one thing to say about Vegas is that it is seductive. And I'm not talking about seductive in its sexual, monetary or glory and glamorous forms. It's the dissociation with truth that is so seductive. To be able to be somewhere and 'allowed' to forget that there is a real world out there. Vegas, is a place of suspended belief, and the illusion of it all hits you hard when you first walk through that airport.

As the machines rumble away all using that same key of C major, you are drawn in. Everything is built to draw you into the enormity of it all. A huge golden lion, a fairy tale castle, a massive pyramid. You were meant to be here.

"I'm on vacation from my problems" - seat 17F [2]

The truly dangerous idea that Vegas holds is the one of freedom. This is a place where you have been liberated. When you walked out the doors of that airport, the rules have reset, your former self is still on that airplane, waiting to see if you come back. I think Christ would have despised the place, but of course he would also have understood it, seen through it, seen the potential.

If anything, it is the canary in the coal mine. It paints the picture of the human condition in our land of plenty. Vegas is our one-hour world vision special. It represents how we are sick. Here is how we are sick.

Space
There is so much. The feeling of great expanse goes quickly from awe to a dramatic sense of loneliness. North American culture contains this unfortunate idea that you should want to be alone all the time. The self-made man or woman, standing on top of their empire, accomplished, and alone. We weren't meant to be so isolated from one another.

We are numbed to each other with such distance. We begin to lack proper empathy, and use the anonymity of our society to channel unnecessary anger and hate to those we don't understand. The best example of this is our culture's favorite pastime - driving. Do a quick comparative analysis in your head - how would your reaction differ if you were rear ended by a friend rather than a stranger? Most would harbor a resentment for the stranger. A sour anger. The friend would likely be forgiven. And the difference? Space.

Somewhat flower power of me to be crying "come together", but community is a powerful gift that we have been given.

Meaning
Has been redefined. Vegas feels like a band-aid. A stop gap measure that people apply to inject meaning. And you know what, it would feel good. And how easy would a gratifying life be? How easy to avoid the fulfilling. I could work hard, earn alot of money, and give myself whatever I wanted on any given day.

I know it's not worth it, but I now understand how so many can live in an empty gratified world. I don't know what put them there. Bad ideas? Parents? Abuse? Lies? Greed? However they've been tricked, most of them have agreed to be brought in, and now they're stuck in that cycle. Earn, spend, repeat. And at the end of their lives? They've contributed to the recession of our moral economy. A negative karma on our purpose as humans.

We have lost sense of purpose in this sickness of ours. And it is this that perhaps pains me most. Every one person has so much potential, and we work hard to steal it from one another.

The gods of...
freeway, movies, tv, stuff, corporations, vehicles, video games, capitalism, clothing, music, celebrity, self, dogmatic politics, image, corporate religion, disposable income/goods/time/people - a disposable society, career.

Most of these are not wrong in themselves. But we are being consumed. We have put these before Him.


Redemption
I consider Vegas' main redeeming value to be its art. Its creative capital. It is a city designed by great minds who are pursing their passion. Who were given large amounts of money and material to work with, and encouraged to think outside the box.

And the shows. They are somewhat out of place in this concrete jungle. They focus on intentional community. They look at nature. They challenge your ideas of what is possible on and off stage.

I think the "corporate church" has fled the arts for things temporary, and it's sad. If any group has the potential to dedicate real resources to high art it would be the corporate church's of North America. But we have been reduced to cheap cantata's with terse scripts and surface meanings.

Before watching Cirque de Soleil's 'O' I thought a quiet prayer to God. A dedication of my experience of this show as worship to Him. And it was beautiful.

"Think for yourself. Question authority"[3]

Reduce space, build communities - tight communities with people living intentionally. Build cities without massive spread. Purposeful community. Help others. Normalize community, don't infantilize it. This would take generations, time we may not have.

Pursue purpose. Evangelize purpose. Life and life abundantly, not stuff and stuff abundantly. Help people discover their passions. Empower them to turn those passions into purpose. Use these ideas to help people. Think beyond building stuff, to building up people.

Learn and teach moderation. Encourage understanding of others - other ideas, cultures, lifestyles. Learn to empathize with as many people as is possible - it's the first step to truly loving them.

I don't believe it can be done across North America. We are a patient too far gone. But we can make our final years good ones - great ones even. We can create real community that has meaning and purpose. And someday our utopian empire will fall, but our small communities can last. In fact, they may well be what gives us meaning when all of our other gods have died.

1 - American Gods - p137 - 138 (paperback)- Neil Gaiman
2 - Accidentally profound passenger
3 - Timothy Leary