Just Keep ...

I'm actually surprised with how little we've been posting about the discussion on Postmodernism. After we spent so much time on it in class...  Well, anyhoo, I've been rereading my notes and realized that I actually had some things to say about it. So, here we go:

First, my findings: 

Oh, look at that...Postmodernism seems to stop in 1975.  Yeah, I was a little surprised, too.  According to Dictionary.com, the word originated in 1970 and lasted until 1975.  (I'm not sure how accurate this is, though, since we (especially Leeper) used the word so much last Thursday.  But, I guess even if the public stopped using it, we, as a class, have made up for 30 years of abandonment.)

So, following this, I discovered that our epoch is actually unofficially known as post-postmodernism (or metamodernism).  Now that's a representation of our generation...  And, just how postmodernism was the rebellious teenager of the modern era, so too is our now post-postmodern era a reaction to the postmodern one.  Irony at its finest.  But, actually the postmodern era was (or is) known for its love of irony.  So does that make metamodernism metaironic?

Well, despite whether we are postmodernists or post-postmodernists, Leeper's definition of our generation's current mentality remains true.  The whole "life is a mess, so jump in" bit.  As he said, we've sort of got this mentality that life sucks, but we still chug through it.

In response to Jacob's post, I actually did doodle in class (more on that one later) because the discussion in class reminded me of something.  The only times I really ever doodle in class or when studying is when I have a mental image that will help me remember something.  Well, it worked.  But it also did more than that. It made me realize something.

I originally walked out of class thinking to myself that I didn't have any ideas for the blog, and I would go yet another week without blowing any minds... but just earlier I realized why.  I had heard everything Leeper had said before.  The whole "life's dark and we think it can't get better, but we continue anyways."  I've heard that before.  To the point I found class boring.  (Sorry, Leeper).

But, why?  It's the same set-up as the fairy tale.  Remember, a fairy tale is a story about all the darkness of life consuming everything, and yet losing in the end.  The fact that our heroes carry on through the storm and reach that better place, that happy ending.  Postmodernism (or post-postmodernism) is a Fairy Tale.

But, why?

Before that, where have we heard the "carry on" thing before?

Yup.

Oh, look at that.

What about my doodle?  A certain scene from my favorite cartoon as a kid: Avatar: The Last Airbender.

"Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel.  You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, you will come to a better place." -General Iroh

As a kid, the idea of "keep moving" was drilled into my head like a drill into the walls of Ba Sing Se.  (A little joke for my Avatar friends.)

So, what does this mean?  Does this mean that the postmodern era (or post-postmodern era) affected the Fairy Tales we know now?  Or that the postmodern era was affected by Fairy Tales?  Did the Fairy Tales Disney animated have a lasting impact on that generation (and the ones to follow)?  Did the hope of finding a better place at the end of the tunnel inspire an era?

And what about us?  The generation so affected by our predecessors. What can we do?  What will we teach?  What will we inspire?  If Fairy Tales affected our parents and teachers and mentors in the past, just who will we inspire in our children?  Maybe the tales we tell will mean something.  Maybe they will mean something.  Maybe our actions as story-tellers will have such a lasting impact as the ones before us.

So, to everyone who ever said that we won't get anywhere with our passion for stories.  To everyone who said we won't make a living.  To everyone who told us to give up.  That it's not worth it.  You may be making more (or maybe not).  You may be the ones with more stability.  You may be the ones who find comfort sitting behind a desk.  But we'll be the ones inspiring a generation.

Life sucks.  There's darkness we can't be rid of.  There's a doom we all feel.  It's like a Fairy Tale.  You may chose to stand still.  But we're the ones who follow the Fairy Tale into the darkness.  We're the ones who actually get somewhere.  We're the ones who get to that better place.