recreation

This will be short and stupid, I suppose, but whatever, I've been wanting to write about it to see what comes out.

I recently realized that the word 'recreation' is kind of awesome. Here's what I've been thinking about it: we all know what it generally refers to, taking it easy by engaging in some pastime, more or less. The OED defines it as 1. Refreshment by partaking of food; a refection; nourishment; 2. Refreshment or comfort produced by something affecting the senses or body; 3. Comfort or consolation of the mind; that which comforts or consoles; 4. The action of recreating (oneself or another), or fact of being recreated, by some pleasant occupation, pastime or amusement; 5. An instance of this; a means of recreating oneself; a pleasurable exercise or employment.

In other words, its a way of stimulating the senses as a means of reviving, renewing or restoring oneself. I think its meant to be a literal 're-creation'. Now, if you think about it, the way that most people these days prefer to recreate is precisely by consuming re-creations. Its as if the word itself has taken over the nature of the activity in some sort of imperialist fashion. Mostly what we want to do is watch movies/TV or look at pictures or the internet, listen to recorded music or sing karaoke, play sports (which I think is like some kind of mini war or survival technique re-creation), and dress up for halloween or renaissance fairs. I mean shit, the examples abound, when you really get down to it. Human beings these days love to create re-creations! That seems to be the most pleasureable activity there is.

This whole realization has given me a newfound respect for so-called culture-mongers. I must confess that I am something of an avoider -- I don' t read magazines (but I do read books), I don't usually watch movies (but I do watch TV), I love music, but I am trying to create it rather than consume it these days, and I swim alot, which I like to think is the closest thing there is to some kind of pure womb-like human state. Basically I have a troubled relationship with representation, and since this is what a great portion of recreation consists of in my world, I feel like I often have to just say no. But maybe there is something to this whole "re-creation" idea, and if that's the case, I guess I better start looking at YouTube, downloading mp3s and reading Vice, or something. Or I guess I could always stick with the old standbys, food and sex and drugs, which are probably my favorite recreations of all time.