intake and outcome

is there some kind of line between
+listening to great music & playing music
+looking at great art & drawing
+eating great food & cooking
+watching a soccer game & playing soccer
+reading a great book  & writing

is it something about absorbing, perceiving and processing as opposed to doing, creating and problem solving?

one poses no consequences toward the lack of action while the other requires some kind of involvement to keep the ball rolling

is it simply the diference between passive and active participation?

The modern world has developed to be extremely "efficient" and one of the ways that allows its city-like-efficiency is the specialization of tasks and roles in society.  Each person does their job and other people around him/her will take care of the rest.  Money being the currency for trade between goods & services.  Essentially one does not have to know much outside of their jobs to survive in the modern world?

this came to me while watching a commercial for a children's toy  - a battery run toy truck that will  supposedly entertain your child for hours.  It is so smart it will play tag with your child while you're off doing something else.

Having grown up without toys like such, I had to wonder: so this kid really doesn't have to go find things to do to entertain himself.  Someone is already paid to entertain him all day.  There is a whole industry of shit like this out there - TV channels for kids, gaming systems, highly developed toys that would keep kids entertain for hours.   Is this bad? well, i'm not sure, it definitely has the vibe at first, but really, one has to be careful with the value-based judgmental term such as "bad" or "good".  What is good and what is bad for kids?  I think it has something to do with the above-mentioned concept of active and passive participation.

I have been stuck on the computer/internet for hours every day for the past week, spending time on social networks, image blogs, news, games, movies, shows, music, and any sites that will provide me easy entertainment. Is it just too easy to do or do I have no self-control whatsoever?

In the city like environment of the modern world, where communication across large group of people is transparent, things that are being done get done really well.  This is because they are thought out, executed, used, criticized and improved by soooooo many people, they get worked and reworked and developed and mastered.
Big pond = big fucking fish

What i'm trying to say is that people get really good at making products and delivering services that promise to entertain and "benefit" you without you having to exert much efforts into participation.
Have you noticed how good people are at making TV commercials these days? or shows, music, movies, electronic products, fashion trends? (I dont know about you but I am guilty of having recently acquired "skinnier" pants and a mac)

They're so good at it most people don't even realize how good they are.  You are just entertained and there's nothing bad about it. You're just happy and content to keep watching/listening/playing/reading/looking.  The best thing about it could almost be the fact that you don't have to do jack shit to gain "something" out of it.  I often tell myself that I'm educating myself about the subject.  And that's exactly what I'm getting, what we're all getting - EDUCATED - with the modern culture, values and methods - by the modern media & products of the modern designers.

So say at this point we have two characters:
- the Maker (designer) - active - person that make stuff (toys, movie, show, music, game, images..)
&
- the Participant (designee) - passive - person that the stuff is made for (children, students, men, women, the elderly..)

We play both roles at different points in our daily life, but how much on one and not the other?  What happen if we go to the extremes and spend 100% on one and none on the other? Is that even possible?  How does this ratio further influence how you are as a maker or participant?

My instinct tells me that neither extremes are good, because extremes are never good.  In fact, they're quite unpopular among the majority of the population.  I'm not trying to be punny but that could almost be the definition of extreme.
-also: (are extremes ever good? a favorite topic of mine - only to be discussed on a sunny day, or at least before 9PM)

So yes, argument on extreme maker might go something like this - wouldn't it make sense that if you just make chairs all the time but never actually sit down in them then how do you know if your chairs are any good?
- that was easy.... but i can't say the same for the extreme participant.


How is it bad if I only use or passively participate in these products or services and not make or create any?


Please feel free to project your opinion...
(I'm working on my own answer and I will share with you as soon as i can sort it out in my head, but i have the feeling it has something to do with Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse)

I am slave to this
ffffound.com

also to this

As a result of looking at many of these:

...I make these:

me = slave of the modern world (?)

Correction: The beautiful original pictures are taken by the talented ms. Jenny M., I only did some minor  manipulation on photoshop. Thank you Jenny.