XKCD – Web Comic
Published by marco on
If you’re a regular peruser of Reddit[1], you’ve probably already seen at least one XKCD cartoon. They really do tend to be pretty unique and, often enough, have something interesting and funny to say. Dreams, for example, is a discussion between a firm embed of society and a doubter:
“The infinite possibilities each day holds should stagger the mind. The sheer number of experiences I could have is uncountable, breathtaking. And I’m sitting here refreshing my inbox. We live trapped in loops. reliving a few days over and over, and we envision only a handful of paths laid out ahead of us. We see the same things each day, we respond the same way, we think the same thoughts, each day a slight variation on the last, every moment smoothly following the gentle curves of societal norms. We act like if we just get hrough today, tomrorrow our dreams will come back to us.
“And no, I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know how to jolt myself into seeing what each moment could become. But I do know one thing: the solution doesn’t involve watering down my every little idea and creative impulse for the sake of some day easing my fit into a mold. It doesn’t invole tempering my life to better fit someone’s expectations. It doesn’t involve constanty holding back for fear of shaking things up.
“This is very important, so I want to say it as clearly as I can: Fuck. That. Shit.”
They don’t all strive to describe some philosophic nuance of the cubicle life: Before Sunrise starts out that way and veers sharply at the end:
“Every morning for a week, I’ve gone out driving before sunrise. I wanted to get lost in the dark, park my car, listen to music, and sip from a warm drink as dawn broke around me, gradually revealing a landscape I’d never before seen. A chain of unique beginnings forcing wonder into the seeds of each day.
“But I guess I need more willpower, because each sunrise just found me at your Mom’s apartment again.”
Your mileage may, of course, vary. Don’t forget to hover over each comic for a hidden, extra comment.