It was 24-hour Technibond on HSN, so that's always entertaining. For those of you who don't know, Technibond is genuine sterling silver bonded to 14k gold so that you can have the look of gold for a fraction of the price. Brilliant, eh?
I also watched the documentary King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters. At first I felt like I was watching a mockumentary of the saddest geeks of all time. But towards the middle of the film I became really emotionally involved in the journey and drama of Steve Wiebe--all around decent family guy trying to beat the Donkey Kong high-score with the "establishment" working against him.
It had all the makings of a great drama. A winsome protagonist, an evil antagonist, and a dream. I'm not going to lie, I actually teared up towards the end.
But it's still pathetic--trying to be the highest scorer in Donkey Kong. Who cares if you hold the world record? You don't get money, you think you get validation, but I'm sure it's a real let down.
In highschool, my swim coach actually won a gold medal in the Olympics for the US water polo team. Mr...forgot his name...Barnes? He always said that winning the medal was the most exciting moment in his life. And the next day was so unfathomably empty. The thrill lasts for just a moment. And then the abyss.
Psychologists have studied that effect: adaptation (I think they call it). People adapt to the great fortune they have and that becomes their new baseline level. Unless you keep rising, you can't feel great for that long.
But I think when you win the world title (or achieve something you thought was the ultimate achievement), you don't just "adapt" to it like a flat-line. I think you would actually feel extremely depressed because, what else is there? What else is there to live for? Like Alexander the Great on his 30th birthday.
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