Dispatch from Disneyland – Cal Newport

I liked this perspective on Disneyland (applies to a lot more than just Disney too) -> Dispatch from Disneyland

This is the point of these Disney darkroom rides: to deliver a safe, purified form of the chemical reaction we typically associate with adventure and astonishment. Severed from actual fear or uncertainty, the reaction is diluted, delivering more of a pleasant buzzing sensation than a life-altering encounter; just enough to leave you craving the next hit, willing to wait another hour in a sun-baked queue.

I found the nuance that he noticed interesting and useful – it’s not that modern entertainment is “bad” / “wrong” / or anything like that. It’s that, since convenience always wins our time & money, the safe & distilled options can disconnect us from wild & memorable experiences.

The contrast that came to my mind is the difference between animals at the zoo and animals in the wild. Animals in the wild do not want to be seen. It’s an inconvenient pain to even get in position to see them. But, seeing an animal in the wild is hands-down a better, more memorable, more astonishing and wonder-inducing experience. The same thing applies to any other experience.