Immersed in Popular Cultures

One of my guilty pleasures which I don't really share with others because it's rather embarrassing, is that I enjoy reading webtoons, manga and watching anime. It's not an extensive hobby like I am not so deeply passionate about it like some people do. But why I say it's embarrassing because well, some are trashy novels where the plot lines are basically the writer's wildest fantasies in comic forms, lol. However, as trashy as some can be, in between there can those be riveting plot lines or chapters that hinge on suspense that make you want to read the next chapter to know what happens next. There are those that I really liked the storylines that are just worth reading because they are so good.

And just like the popular social media Tik Tok, it can be....time consuming. Like I pretty much understand when some people posted online saying they finished the whole manga or anime series, that can span into 80 plus chapters including side chapters or seasons, in one day. I try not to go overboard and just leave the next few chapters for the following day but yah, it is quite hard to stop when the story gets more and more interesting and that the characters in some mangas were beautifully drawn as well.

So last Saturday, I was kinda feeling in a rut because of this guilt looming over me that I just didn't feel like doing anything else, even though I forced myself to go out. But it got cut short as I came back home pretty fast coz it was just so darn crowded outside. I suddenly found myself a little delusional like the line between fantasy and reality became blur quite a bit as I was walking amidst the crowd and seeing all the people. My life suddenly became rather boring as I went about buying takeouts and groceries, lol. 

But I tell myself that these were figments of the author's imaginations, storylines like the love between the CEO and the secretary, boyfriends or lovers who were secretly filthy rich but down to earth...yah that sorta thing. I know that these do happen in real life but not everyone of us gets to live out our fantasy dreams of being swept by a handsome prince...or a Korean superstar, and I say Korean because some are Korean webcomics translated in English. 

Some of the storylines can be a little cliche and after awhile I got pretty bored because the writing got lazy and the chapters felt like I read it before in the previous ones. But some also had heartwarming stories or had characters who had a sad backstory that you can't help but pity them as you slowly understand why they were annoying at first, making bad decisions and getting angry quite easily. I prefer those with a bit of complicated storylines but still manageable enough for me to understand or follow along.

Other than that, my other guilty pleasure is watching anime though I am not quite well versed in this. The thing is, I don't have interests that are like the mainstay or highlight of my life. But they're not touch and go either. It's just that sometimes I feel I am a little too 'old' for these things until I came across some videos on youtube of adults watching anime and basically thinking we're all still kids at heart.

I admire those people with deep passion for their interests for anything and that they really go all out immersing in them. Recently I watched some reaction videos to the popular anime such as Demon Slayer and a favourite of mine, Fire Force, and then I just happened to watch it because it was about the latest episode, not released yet in Netflix Singapore. Then I got recommendations on similar videos and like wow, I just discovered a whole other community of people who enjoy anime, even for Westerners where in my narrow mind, I am assuming this Manga or Anime communities are mostly Asian people.

As much as they are just simply my guilty pleasures or interests, they can slowly consume my thoughts and my time which can leave me 'crippled' by not being able to do any other things unless I force myself to limit my time. And today was another attempt of me trying to spend lesser time on them and using my precious time on things that matter more such as my current present mode, in reality, not caught up in a fantasy.

I would say that I almost succeed like I only read two chapters from each webtoon, haha...a very very low number, ok? *pats on the back*

As for last Saturday, I got consumed by the anime and manga world. In fact, I even felt like a failure even though I told myself to snap out of it and get to do something that are of more beneficial to me as I didn't feel like doing anything else. But it was hard. Like today, it took a lot of willpower to not start on a new chapter and then continue until God knows for how long. 

You know actually, we do have immense willpower in us or mental strength that do not get utilised often though it is understandable when life throws us many curveballs. We just get easily swept away by distractions because we get to forget about our real life problems for awhile. To me it's not wrong to have those hobbies that let us be stress free for that period of time. This can be working out, writing, composing songs, and yes..watching anime, but we don't let them rule our lives until we forget about forging relationships and worse, thinking that our life is just so dull or boring because we don't get to meet these wonderful characters in real life...like the rich and handsome CEO, lol.

It's good to have hobbies because they can make life more interesting and yourself too which can be a talking point with others. So other people don't share the same hobbies as you and it can be rather lonely but you know what, it's ok. I went to watch Demon Slayer movie by myself and three seats down, there was another guy by himself too. I know he was alone coz I was bummed I didn't select that sit when booking online, lol. You also don't need to compare your hobbies with others, and then thinking that theirs seem way cooler or maybe better like reading books or listening to religious songs.

I try to strive a good balance between getting immersed in popular cultures and strengthening my spiritual knowledge for hereafter. Of course the hereafter is forever so I try my best to aim more of the latter. as our life in this world is much shorter, and in fact temporary. 

I think for as long as we have set the right intentions in life for every thing that we do and have faith, we can do better even if at times, life can be quite routine. For example, when we have worked hard for the day in office and then we just want to wind down, we can watch an episode or two of our favourite anime or curl up in bed reading some trashy novel. For some guys, waking up early morning to watch a soccer match and then to later get ready to face the day to earn a living.

But never forget our purpose in life and to do more of things that help us strive to become better people. If we start getting way too distracted and then anything else don't matter or matter less, then stop for awhile, take a quick reality check and re-focus on our intentions again. We can be immersed but don't get too lost and have difficulty finding our bearing again in life.

Let us lead a more interesting life but stay grounded and present always :)