Party!
Nowadays when the word 'party' comes up I see the word 'excess.' Of course it didn't used to be that way. But lately I figure that old bastard Time has forced a new perspective on things and that (unfortunately!) includes that truly human thrill of partying.Celebrities are notorious for partying - they can afford excess, I guess. What else to do with the excess dinero they have - blow it on all of the choices : food, drink, drugs, music, sex... you name it and multiply it by ten or more. Excess behavior
It really doesn't make much difference what the excess is - drinking, eating, smoking, talking, dancing... when they reach the point of excessive that has always been called a party. Hell, even the tea party is one of excess... even though it may not be tea but chattering.
The amazing thing about this for me is that I never actually saw partying as being excessive even though I always paid for it the next day. My memories of the party were (mostly) recollections of good times. Now I wonder how good times were when my body/mind was o.d.'ing on some thing or another, depending upon what made the party a party. When we have fun it's good to just accept the good and not question the results (if those results result in feeling like a bag of shit the next day).
Have you ever wondered why we refer to our political systems as 'parties' ? The Republican Party... what a trip that is, huh? The Democrat Party is not any better, lately anyway... It's ridiculous that we refer to any political pursuit as a 'party'.... where is the fun? There's only a great deal of excess no matter which party is in office and the excess is not for the country's joy. The Communist Party... wow! kick ass fun ain't it? Party my ass. Excessive b.s. is about all politics has going for it. Let's not pretend any of it is a party.
When we get older (well, some of us anyway), excess is costly and really doesn't do much for the body/soul, much less the mind. It's wearisome on the old. It doesn't pay like it did when we were young. The body rejects the excess behavior, damn it! Now, as the body/mind changes, the idea of a party sounds ridiculous. I imagine most of my friends my age must feel the same. It is rare when anyone of them say "Hey, let's party!!" That would be incredulous for most, if not all, of them. Going to bed before 10: p.m. is a good thing. Why spoil it by staying up late? There's a lot to be said about getting up early - the silence is golden even if the skies are still dark.
No longer partying doesn't (or shouldn't) bring an end to living by any means. Excess is not all there is to living. Extremism is not the be all and end all. In our old age we can figure out how to accept death! Now that's one hell of a thing. I'll bet you don't like to think about that one... hah! Just look at death this way : the end of the physical life and the beginning of spiritual life... a life that has no room for the excess we have been used to living. Even if that is just so much bullshit, whose to say there's not some truth to it?
We can still enjoy living without excessive behavior.
cecil
13 January 2008
