Time You Enjoy Wasting Is Not Wasted Time

Generally I think of myself as a very responsible person, yet there is an affliction that not only I but every human being in the world suffers, procrastination. Its quite ironic that I am sitting here tapping away on my laptop writing this blog entry hours before it is due. Procrastination is the culprit for many bad things in our lives as students, teachers, and basically anyone who has something to do. It causes lack of sleep, bad grades and in some cases lack of food since because of the procrastination people need to skip meals in order to keep working on something they put of for a long time.

 Nevertheless procrastination has some good characteristics, it helps us get things done not during the time we were supposed to be doing it, but right before. which made me think of this quote; “You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic.” ― Bill Watterson

I feel this quote describes perfectly how we feel when we are in a hurry to complete an assignment that is due in a couple of hours or minutes.

The question still remains, why do we keep doing it? Could it be that we are morbidly masochistic and enjoy the thought of needing to do something important yet doing something else instead? Doesn't it make us overstressed and sleep deprived? What could be the answer? Forget it I'll find out tomorrow.

The Impacts of Murder and Violence

Today our societies display a frightening amount of violence, children grow up with the knowledge of murders, massacres and shootings. Its safe to say that this has shaped the people who live within our societies. Which begs the question, does the recurrent knowledge of violence de humanize us even further? Much like us, Hamlet lives in a world wrought with violence. Nevertheless there is a difference, during Hamlets time dying in battle and killing for revenge was thought to be heroic.

As I listened to the inmates in the podcast, one in particular caught my eye, Danny Waller an inmate who played the ghost. Waller talks about how his experience acting as the ghost helped him connect with his actions, the people whom he had murdered. Waller says:"I took a man's life. And I felt he was talking to me through that. That he wanted me to know what I put him through."

Having heard this it made me think about all of the murderers and serial killers out there who still plague our societies. Could it be that our constant immersion in what is crude and violent have truly deprived us of our humanity and our morals?   

Action, Inaction, What?

J. Alfred Prufrock demonstrates, throughout his so called "love song", an uncanny resemblance to that of prince Hamlet, yet he is, in fact, much worse. Despite disclaiming any likelihood to said character.

Both of the characters begin with a similar mind set. Each of the main characters have but one task to accomplish. Throughout the text, Prufrock wants to ask the woman he loves out, and Hamlet must decide whether or not to kill King Claudius. He must kill his uncle in order to avenge his father’s death. HE must choose either that or to live the rest of his life knowing he failed his father. In the end only Hamlet is able to make a decision as he was dying. On the other hand Prufrock was never successful in his endeavor, putting thoughts into actions. Ultimately both of them could be branded as cowards.

The texts portray both of the characters disappointing and self pitied thoughts directed towards their own indecision. Nevertheless as the story goes on we are able to observe a change in Hamlet ever so slight, yet still present. He finally makes the decision to take action, unlike Prufrock who remains unchanged. Hamlet decides to "Suit the action to the word, the word to the action" (Act III Scene II Line 17) and start doing something about the perilous situation that he's in. Still he hesitates but finally sets out to do what he made up his mind to do, regardless of whatever consequences there could've been. On another note Prufrock still contemplates death and his failed endeavor, to accomplish his hearts desire in what remains of his "song". Hamlet dies in the midst of action, while Prufrock sits around thinking about things that ay never be due to his cowardice.

Prufrock denies his likeliness to Hamlet yet his over thinking about action left him action less and as a result making him more like Hamlet without him realizing. Prufrock let inaction do away with him, leading him astray into a universe of nothing but thoughts about what ifs. Hamlet died a man of action,  the same could not be said for Prufrock.