The Power of the Internet

This post is a bit related to Joseph Kony, but not exactly.I recently saw the Kony video for the first time and something the guy said really struck a chord. He said “Who are you to end a war? I’m here to tell you, who are you not to”. We live in the age of communication. Of being able to connect with people in the blink of an eye. What helps us to do this?

Facebook.

Twitter.

Skype.

These and many more communication avenues conveniently located on the Internet. Families can stay connected, friends can be found, and soul mates can be brought together, all with the magic of the internet.

But there is something else, something very important, that the internet can do. It can keep us connected to the world. It can tell us when things are going right, and most importantly, when things are going terribly wrong.

We can gain this information and use it to change the world. But the thing is, more often then not, we don’t use to to change the world. When there is a portion of humanity suffering, we say “That’s too bad,” “That’s terrible,” “I hope someone does something about that.”

Read that again. “I hope someone does something about that.”

Who is that someone? That someone is you. It doesn’t take a trained “world fixer” to change and better the world, all it takes is someone who really does care. But what is helping? Helping is raising awareness, helping is sending supplies, helping is being there for someone who just needs help to survive.Who are you not to end a war? Who are you not to end suffering?

There are fellow human beings out there every single day, fighting for survival, fighting something they shouldn’t have to fight. I’m not saying you have to fly to Uganda and save Kony’s invisible children, what I am saying is, when you see someone suffering, it is your duty to do what you can to help.

Does it mean stopping a war? It doesn’t have to. What it does mean is, most likely you know someone who suffers daily. Lend a hand, lend some love, and help. I have a challenge for you: that person in your life, that person whose life could be a lot better, give that person a hug, tell that person you want to help. Once you do that, the actual helping will be easy. You’ll know what to do.

~Savannah

The Love of Horror

"Fear, you see, is an emotion people like to feel when they know they're safe"
---Alfred Hitchcock


I think what this quote says is so true. Fear isn't something welcomed when one's safety is compromised. However, when one is safe, fear is an exhilarating emotion that gives a brilliant adrenalin rush. This is why we see the existence of roller coasters - the thought of death feels imminent, yet you are safely tucked away under belts and steel bars.

And of course, this is why horror films and novels are such a success. Murder, pain, terror, these are subjects strange to talk about, yet are tantalizing to view on the big screen. I don't know why people are like this. Why do we find these subjects so interesting?

Maybe because we have this urge to know what hasn't been told to us. What's under the sheet? Behind the curtain? In the crate? In fact, I think it was Hitchcock who said something like there is nothing more frightening than an unopened door.

This, my dear readers, is where horror films have changed. In Hitchcock's day, horror was exhibited with mystery. We weren't told in The Birds, for example, why they attacked people or what happened to the small town of Bodega Bay. The thought that the birds may still be on their rampage is much more frightening than the truth that was so cleverly left out.

Today, horror is shown by the display of pure terror or gruesome images. In the film Panic Room, we know exactly what's happening within the rest of the house. We know where the robbers are and what they plan to do, and this creates horror by the terrible thought of being trapped in your own home, with no way of calling for help.

Horror films, for me, and I think everyone, are a guilty pleasure. Like a thick, dark slice of chocolate cake, we know it's not good for us, but it's oh so good.


~~~Savannah