A few days ago, my friend and I went to visit a mutual friend from Reddit three hours away. It was a complete blast; I'm very glad to meet you, [Redacted]. But, that's not what I wanted to talk about. Instead, I wanted to speak of the insanity that was Pigeon Forge that preceded the town we met in.

Holy shit was this little town the definition of capitalism. A tourist trap, Pigeon Forge had an abundance of strangeness. From upside down buildings to sideways buildings, the strip of Parkway where we drove down for almost ten miles had more than enough to drive a sane person to insanity.

There were castles and theme park rides, live alligators and stores accommodating folks that had never seen such a thing before. There was a ninja school and a sports bar called the Funky Buddha. King Kong lived in the skyline while pink jeep tours ruled below. Almost twenty billboards sang of the praise for the Hatfield Vs the McCoys show and all you can eat buffet. Dolly Parton's Stampede Restaurant and Dollywood theme park were prevalent staples, too. There were more $9.99 stores than there are Dollar Generals in this given area where we live. And that's just what I remember, but as I said, there was nearly ten miles of insanity that could be commented on.

I understand this. There's a need to stand out in the most frequented sections of the world. There's a reason certain things stand out to our eyes, and that's because it's different enough from normalcy to be of concern. So, Pigeon Forge exists as a mind control experiment where those with money try to make more money through any legal means necessary. 

I'm of the opinion that the human race doesn't need such things, but it makes things interesting. I certainly wouldn't have a story if it weren't for the neon lights and absurd signage that made up this strip. It's incredible what the human race is capable of. I just wish we applied the same effort for our collective survival. 

We're lopsided. We tend to care for things that are unimportant. Just frivolous attention, really. But, I'm glad the human race, as unconscious as it is, can find a way to make things work, even if it is not the most optimal way to apply our potential. We're still defying entropy by creating great centers of financial relief. Let the rich choose to piss their money away, the good among us will still do good even if we never taste that liquid moolah on our tongues.

It is our destiny to be ignored by the masses, but we create our own culture. Superior in other ways, we seek peace and understanding. We seek love and compassion. We seek service and light. And from that, we build true greatness that no tourist trap can compare.