Yesterday, I was able to see (or maybe to participate in, is a more accurate way to describe it -- I don't feel as though it was an entirely passive experience) the film 'Waking Life'.
The film 'Waking Life'. It is directed by Richard Linklater. I am not sure if the fallibility of human words will be enough to describe the powerful nature of this experience. I shall try.
It deals with many different concepts, points of view, and schools of philosophical thought. Sometimes, the ideas are quite complex -- but they are always presented in an interesting way. It is quite artful and captivating.
From my perspective, the film deals with the many ways in which human beings must be awakened, every so often. Far too frequently, will find that we have been asleep, all this time.
'Waking Life' deals with the nature of reality, consciousness, dreaming, existentialism and enlightenment. It is quite incredible.
I will attach some links, that deal with the ideas in the movie; when I can get the Link function to work.
I'll also buy the DVD.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Monday, 1 September 2008
Friday, 22 August 2008
Kurt Vonnegut
15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will | The A.V. Club
I still find it difficult to believe that he is no longer with us. Of course, being a fan, I know that he is perfectly alive in plenty of other moments. So it goes. Slaughterhouse Five had a revolutionary impact on me; and the way I thought about life and time as an entity. I would say that the discovery of Vonnegut's many and varied literary contributions was a life changing experience.
He thought, and wrote, like no one else, in my experience. I don't know -- he had a way of ridiculing the truth, while still maintaining its validity. Kurt's writing gave me the feeling of being on the edge of some kind of epiphany.
It is the kind of peculiar, edgy and dangerous prose, which inspires me to write. Very few people seemed to have the ability to see what is really going on in the given situation -- I think Vonnegut was one of those people. Seemingly every Vonnegut book I read, contains some kind of mind-bending truth or observation. (I should point out that this was not meant to be hero worship or a sycophancy; only observation and respect.)
He has made a great contribution to this world. I see things differently, now. I discovered Vonnegut's fairly late; I wish that I had caught on earlier.
I still find it difficult to believe that he is no longer with us. Of course, being a fan, I know that he is perfectly alive in plenty of other moments. So it goes. Slaughterhouse Five had a revolutionary impact on me; and the way I thought about life and time as an entity. I would say that the discovery of Vonnegut's many and varied literary contributions was a life changing experience.
He thought, and wrote, like no one else, in my experience. I don't know -- he had a way of ridiculing the truth, while still maintaining its validity. Kurt's writing gave me the feeling of being on the edge of some kind of epiphany.
It is the kind of peculiar, edgy and dangerous prose, which inspires me to write. Very few people seemed to have the ability to see what is really going on in the given situation -- I think Vonnegut was one of those people. Seemingly every Vonnegut book I read, contains some kind of mind-bending truth or observation. (I should point out that this was not meant to be hero worship or a sycophancy; only observation and respect.)
He has made a great contribution to this world. I see things differently, now. I discovered Vonnegut's fairly late; I wish that I had caught on earlier.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Olympics in Beijing
I wish China, and her people, all the best of luck in the Olympic Games. While the excitement of the sports will remain the same, no matter where it is held, the location does seen to be bringing out very strong feelings with some people. In everything I read, there seems to be one controversy or another.
China seems to want to prove something to the rest of the world; and that is coming across in a rather pointed way. Everything needs to be strong, perfect, spotless and unblemished. I thought the Olympics was supposed to be about competition and acceptance, not intimidation and social unrest. Rather than saying what a good job China has done, people were talking about Tibet, Internet censorship, or the opening ceremony miming incident. It is unfortunate; because, even though I am a casual observer at best -- I find myself thinking about the political and social issues, as opposed to The Games. I cannot remember the actual Olympic Games being turned into a propaganda opportunity. I have only read about this kind of thing in history books. It's quite strange -- everywhere I turn, China wants to flex its proverbial muscle.
Aren't there sports in the picture, at some point? Sure, there are, if one wishes to focus on that, but they seemed to be running a poor second, to everything else that's going on. It's quite bizarre.
Even with everything else, I'm sure China will make a good job of this year's Olympic Games. Hopefully, everybody will remember that the sports and culture are the main reasons everybody travelled to Beijing.
China seems to want to prove something to the rest of the world; and that is coming across in a rather pointed way. Everything needs to be strong, perfect, spotless and unblemished. I thought the Olympics was supposed to be about competition and acceptance, not intimidation and social unrest. Rather than saying what a good job China has done, people were talking about Tibet, Internet censorship, or the opening ceremony miming incident. It is unfortunate; because, even though I am a casual observer at best -- I find myself thinking about the political and social issues, as opposed to The Games. I cannot remember the actual Olympic Games being turned into a propaganda opportunity. I have only read about this kind of thing in history books. It's quite strange -- everywhere I turn, China wants to flex its proverbial muscle.
Aren't there sports in the picture, at some point? Sure, there are, if one wishes to focus on that, but they seemed to be running a poor second, to everything else that's going on. It's quite bizarre.
Even with everything else, I'm sure China will make a good job of this year's Olympic Games. Hopefully, everybody will remember that the sports and culture are the main reasons everybody travelled to Beijing.
Friday, 25 July 2008
Sometimes, I have no idea what to do.
It can be rough, when my own brain gives me a sense of all-pervasive confusion. I just sit in my room, and my mind goes completely blank. With all my CDs, and DVDs, and a computer, and a television to watch; I feel completely incapable of forming even the simplest of ideas.
The fog in my brain can be awful. (It's a symptom of my illness, dysautonomia. It makes me feel a bit useless -- as though I could not produce my own last name, if I were pressured to do so. It turns all the ideas in my head into misty nothingness; too insubstantial to grab a hold of. Sometimes, when anything is possible, that very promise could almost be perceived as a threat. Far too much is possible, for me to handle.
I need to clear my brain of these unproductive notions. Divest it of the sheer weight of ideas and possibilities. As if it is unwanted clutter on a computer hard drive. The feeling is one of the physical weight, sometimes. That I only have so much space in my head for ideas. I certainly can't write my book, if I feel in a state of intellectual disorder -- chaos, even. The best thing to do, is to make a conscientious attempt to retain only the good ideas. This even works, from time to time. This post is an act of catharsis.
I can move on to good ideas, now.
The fog in my brain can be awful. (It's a symptom of my illness, dysautonomia. It makes me feel a bit useless -- as though I could not produce my own last name, if I were pressured to do so. It turns all the ideas in my head into misty nothingness; too insubstantial to grab a hold of. Sometimes, when anything is possible, that very promise could almost be perceived as a threat. Far too much is possible, for me to handle.
I need to clear my brain of these unproductive notions. Divest it of the sheer weight of ideas and possibilities. As if it is unwanted clutter on a computer hard drive. The feeling is one of the physical weight, sometimes. That I only have so much space in my head for ideas. I certainly can't write my book, if I feel in a state of intellectual disorder -- chaos, even. The best thing to do, is to make a conscientious attempt to retain only the good ideas. This even works, from time to time. This post is an act of catharsis.
I can move on to good ideas, now.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Plato, and his cave
Yesterday, I decided to look at Plato on iTunes. Admittedly, I didn't expect to find much. Instead, I found many of Plato's works; in their entirety.
I settled on The Allegory of the Cave, from The Republic. The piece, itself, is quite brief but powerful. It only takes up about nine pages of The Republic; however, those nine pages or so, deal with the very nature of reality and how we perceive it. What do we find to be real, and how do we express the findings? Are we too comfortable, within our own, little shell. Perhaps we are too content, to accept the shadows we see on the metaphorical cave wall -- rather than seeking the objects, themselves.
If we were to see life, as it really is, would that revelation be painful? This is where a lot of the philosophy from the trilogy of Matrix Movies comes from. I have not done the theory justice here. I cannot convey the enormity and the brilliance of Plato's thinking. I simply implore you to read Plato for yourselves. It changed my life, and will continue to stimulate my thoughts.
My video about it:
I settled on The Allegory of the Cave, from The Republic. The piece, itself, is quite brief but powerful. It only takes up about nine pages of The Republic; however, those nine pages or so, deal with the very nature of reality and how we perceive it. What do we find to be real, and how do we express the findings? Are we too comfortable, within our own, little shell. Perhaps we are too content, to accept the shadows we see on the metaphorical cave wall -- rather than seeking the objects, themselves.
If we were to see life, as it really is, would that revelation be painful? This is where a lot of the philosophy from the trilogy of Matrix Movies comes from. I have not done the theory justice here. I cannot convey the enormity and the brilliance of Plato's thinking. I simply implore you to read Plato for yourselves. It changed my life, and will continue to stimulate my thoughts.
My video about it:
Thursday, 10 July 2008
The Anthology: 1947-1972... Muddy
allmusic ((( The Anthology: 1947-1972 > Overview )))
This is a fantastic album. Anyone who has an interest in the blues, and loves the music, should own this! This will hopefully be the first in a long line of album reviews. I am pretty sure this was the first Muddy Waters album that I ever owned. It is very difficult to overstate the importance of Muddy's music, within the landscape of popular culture. The figure of the man is immense. His body of work is so good, it's intimidating.
It is difficult to find weak spots in this anthology, or to say bad words about it. There have been many compilations made of Muddy's music -- this may be the best.
If I have not convinced you yet, there are the many equally talented musicians, to were featured on this album, to back Waters; like Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Little Walter... etc.
This is a fantastic album. Anyone who has an interest in the blues, and loves the music, should own this! This will hopefully be the first in a long line of album reviews. I am pretty sure this was the first Muddy Waters album that I ever owned. It is very difficult to overstate the importance of Muddy's music, within the landscape of popular culture. The figure of the man is immense. His body of work is so good, it's intimidating.
It is difficult to find weak spots in this anthology, or to say bad words about it. There have been many compilations made of Muddy's music -- this may be the best.
If I have not convinced you yet, there are the many equally talented musicians, to were featured on this album, to back Waters; like Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Little Walter... etc.
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