In finding out about the George Smiley Serial that has been running on Radio 4 over the year, the level of detail and authenticity appears to be quite realistic. This could be very much because as listeners, all we are doing is listening. Our mind has to visualise the whole scene. For those who can remember that far back into the late 1950s to the 1970s, the atmosphere must be even more vivid. For those that find they were only born after this serial’s time frame, the completely different interpretation must exist.
Finding that the imagination enforces the time period on historical facts known, the only way the younger generation are going to be the closest to the realism is by either experiencing the past in some format or having very accounts of what went on. For many people to imagine the past will be based on what they have been shown and seen, much of which will be through fictional TV programs and books. Thus the realism will be very different for those who have experienced the past, those who know accurate accounts of the past and those who know very little about the past.
The George Smiley series has been very eventful, only being able to listen to the more recent ones, the urge to go back and get the earlier additions in the series is quite strong. However, how different are the radio adaptations to the books?
Many of these sorts of things are very interesting to listen to, and this solves the problem of having way too much to read, as listening can be done whilst doing something else. Now full enjoyment of listening to something must be done without interference really, and the level of detail provided within many of the book adaptations require more concentration sometimes. Hidden details are put in the background which the ear mistakes for just background and actually it is part of the keys story. For example, this is very much the case when the short collection of 'Weird Tales' were broadcast last year. Episode four, The Fly, adapted from the H.P. Lovecraft stories, was very influential in the background information used. The main characters mother forever watching the TV, which is in the background has the news on, the News reporter is telling a key fact to the story, but the News reporter is slightly obscured by what’s is actually going on in the room at the time.
Many a way of enjoying our world is almost forgotten through lack of concentration on the fact we believe we are listening to, but instead all we are doing is hearing, as the old phrase suggests: We may be hearing but we are not listening.
For those who are musicians, the ear is trained to pick up on the slightest of details, now whilst the public who are keen music listeners may notice many factors within music, musicians should in theory be picking up on a wider aspect, not just the music is getting louder or the brass section is coming back in, but the musician should be noticing what parts are putting in the different levels of effort, knowing which sections of the orchestra or band is playing the higher pitched parts or the underlying notes which give the music a little extra edge. Naming the instruments, counting the speed, timing your own part, understanding how the conductor wants the music to be portrayed, what the story is within the music, which member of the orchestra is struggling and needs a little extra hand, and which one is playing the solo but trying to keep there nerve.
Lots of things go on around us that we do not know about. By listening and not just hearing, by seeing and not just looking our experience of the world would be very different. Trying to understand so many factors is very hard, and with the amount of stress that surrounds our everyday lives so frequently, no wonder things are missed. How does the human population manage to get from one day to the next without it all falling apart you might ask... well quite frankly we don’t. As a species we might appear highly organised and have brilliant methodologies and plans, but all too frequently they are written off and new ones are made off the cuff because something on the day changes the way your plan was meant to be. Therefore, the best are those who are able to adapt to the current situation one might argue, however, as a singular person, are they really able to gauge all the information required and act upon it.
In today’s world, time appears to be moving increasingly faster, however, I would like to ask many of you the question, is it not just moving slower and more people are doing the same task to get it done quicker? The PC is said to be a very important part of life these days, nearly everyone will need to use one during the day at some point, and many use them all day. PC’s are said to be getting better, faster and more user friendly, however, ask yourself this, is your PC just feeling like it is slower, and getting slower everyday? It’s as if the world is now moving too fast for your PC to get the tasks done that you are telling it. Maybe the PC is actually causing the world to slow down as we all drive to get things done quicker, the PC is the one thing holding everything up, PC’s can only go so fast. Humans can phone ahead and as a team, the human species can get things done much faster but having multiple people on the same task than when alone.
There are however many a problem with this too, because really when it comes down to it, who would really like to be enjoying themselves somewhere else away from work? The cultural issues and work ethics in today’s society seem so upside down. Boss demand stuff and underlings just get on like robots, has society lost its identity?
Its time we all paid a little more attention to our environment, to our neighbours and to our friends and family because really we are all alone trying to just get these little tasks done and struggling to time manage. We should all be coming together and working for a greater good, but exactly what is the greater good? Everybody’s view of this will be different. All I know is if we don’t do something to at least get everybody thinking in the same direction there will be nothing for the future. What has happened to this world?
So many factors involved:
Environmental issues
Economic issues
Crimes
Food Crisis
Religious issues
Health
Are any of these more important than the others? Answer, no. If we went back to the way we were 500 years ago, maybe we wouldn’t have half of these problems. We need to make them all work together. Everyone is a barbarian at the end of the day. The human race, the destroyer of worlds.
