14 February 2013

A Beautiful Moment

Hello! How are you handsome and beautiful people? I hope it's going well for you, but if not let me know! I like to help people or at least be there for them even if I'm just playing the listener. Not sure why I just said all of that, but I felt like a needed too.



     Well, now let's move on to what I would like to discuss with you for today (or whatever day you are reading this). I love movies, especially the ones that make you think. I love Christian Bale. Combine the two and you get some pretty awesome products, namely Equilibrium (directed by Kurt Wimmer). Now, there are so many great points and prompts within the film one could make (and I'm sure we will be revisiting them sometime), but there's one specific scene I'd like to focus on. You can find it below:



     Now for some context: In the early- to mid- 21st century, World War III happened. As one would expect, there was massive amounts of loss and damage. One person, or a group, came to the conclusion that there was one cause for all of the conflicts throughout the history of humankind. Emotion. The party that came to power sought to eliminate and effectively purge emotion out of homo sapiens. Two accomplish that goal they created two things. The first was a drug that acts upon the brain to suppress emotions. It is taken several times throughout the day. The second is the Grammaton cleric. The clerics are an elite police force that hunt and destroy all rebels and any objects deemed capable of causing "sense offense." Bale's character is not just a member of the clerics, he is one of their best operatives. A little ways in to the movie, Preston, the protagonist  has a nightmare of when his wife was arrested for a sense offense. The above clip is what happens when he wakes up. Of course, there's some important stuff that happens before and after, but you just need to watch the movie for yourself.
    What makes this moment so poignant? Just as Preston tore through the paper covering his window, he was also tearing through the veil that society had put around. For the first time in his entire existence, he Felt. All his life Preston's emotion were not just buried but (nearly) obliterated. Consider the following:
"Emotions are what make us human. Make us real. The word 'emotion' stands for energy in motion. Be truthful about your emotions, and use your mind and emotions in your favor, not against yourself."
   --Robert Kiyosaki
    Like all things pertaining to the field of psychology, there are some who would debate if emotions make us human. However, they are certainly integral to the human experience. So, in effect, Preston became human for the first time. Before that fateful sun rise, he was little more than a beast, his culture little more than an ant farm. Those twin gods Fate and Destiny had him break through and dive into Emotion.

    I'm sure we could go off on tangents and make a few points and arguments but not today. I merely wanted to share the above because I found it simply Beautiful and, well, emotional.



09 February 2013

Personal Poetry Corner!: "Night's Embrace"

     So much for making this nearly daily. I haven't posted in over a month. My apologies friends!

     I am finally making a post that's been an idea bouncing around in my cranium for awhile. As I have mentioned before, I dabble in that secretive and misunderstood and arcane art called writing (Please don't kill me by burning me at a stake. That's so 15th century.) I am going to post a poem and we're going to discuss it.

I call it "Night's Embrace:"

It's in Night's Embrace
These thoughts, come out to play
In the depths of a tired mind
When Reality seems starkest-
And all the world sleeps.
It's when I stare, into the Shadows
And it is there, that I ponder.


     So? What do you think? If you have any commentary, please give it (Post a comment for once!). I always welcome smart advice and direction. 

     Now, about the poem. I guess a good place to start to would be what this poem arose from. I was up really late one night, most likely a school night (the memo it's saved on on my phone says Nov. 6 2012, but I'm not sure I wrote it directly on my phone), because I was completely unable to sleep. Sound familiar to any? Anyways, the thing about staying up late on school nights is that things get.... different. I guess when everyone is calm or asleep it is almost as if the world comes in to a different focus; a sharper contrast, so to speak. Perhaps it is just me. I just get to the point where all other worldly and mundane affairs come to a stop around midnight so all that mental energy and focus has to go somewhere. I guess it goes inward.

    That's it for now folks! I hope I have been able to add a little bit of thoughtfulness to your day! Once again, please feel free to leave comments about the post and the poem.