We’re victims of an entertainment culture. There is always something to watch, listen to or read. Even this blog could be considered entertainment—amusement. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of (1) sleep, (2) work, (3) amuse.
While we’re amusing ourselves, we aren’t thinking. Muse actually means “to think”. When you add the prefix a–meaning “the opposite of”–amusement is literally the opposite of thinking. Amusement is meant to distract us from thinking.
There’s actually a special segment of society that are notorious for a-musing. Marketers go after these folks like crazy. They’re usually the young professionals who are dissatisfied with their careers. So they spend their down time playing video games and avoiding meaningful thought about their lives. Are you an a-muser?
We have to make time for meaningful thought. It’s the only way we will create meaningful art.
3 Comments
Wow! I didn’t know that about “amuse”! This is a great thought, tho. Purpose creates Power.
From the OED:
ORIGIN late 15th cent. (in the sense [delude, deceive] ): from Old French amuser ‘entertain, deceive,’ from a- (expressing causal effect) + muser ‘stare stupidly.’ The current senses date from the mid 17th cent.
thanks for the etymology :)