trying to boost the experience with substances, have in my mind something similar. Of course also the differences are huge. Naturally time is also an aspect in the art of storytelling, time transforms the memories, but it is not an issue to be discussed in this essay. This whole phenomenon is closely linked to the ideas Roland Barthes had about looking at photographs in his book Camera Lucida. He pointed out how we more easily accept "good" photographs to our albums. Not good in way that they would represent reality, but good in a way that they make us, or the moment, look good, the ones that show the sides from us that we like to be shown. This in my mind applies also to social behaviour. And also vice versa; this ranking of photographs evolves to a standard of "representation", the worst cases of this can be seen on billboards around the world and on television. This whole culture of painting beautiful pictures, selling images, concepts, is getting closer and closer to something one might call romantic-surrealism. What? Yes romantic; the way that the world is represented neglects the ugly and unpleasant features, or shows them in a pleasant, romanticised way. Surreal on the other hand because the visions of daydreams are being brought to "reality", to flesh. A daydream all day long, all life long. This is obviously a civilised, capitalistic and a western disease, but it is also spreading like a bad virus. And why would it not? The tremendous effort of making everything look and sound pretty, makes the outcome seem pretty and tempting.This is where the whole concept starts to approach the definitions of a religion. A religion where the heaven is a place on earth, but still impossible to reach in a life time. There is always something that has to be bought, an image to be embodied to reach the state of this perfect being. But there is also something beautiful about the effort of making life on earth feel like heaven. Why should there be...
