Always Remind.

I have a confession… I've been reading. I know, I know… it’s not a big deal. But for so long, I haven’t read… and when I read it was for all the wrong reasons. This time was different. Today, I finished The Jew in the Lotus. [And I know I haven’t been blogging as I once frequently did and the last few posts have been somewhat sour, but I’m going to get past that.] I want to share a bit of this book with you. There are quite a few things that I’d want to write, but we don’t have time for it all. Hopefully, I can get to it some other time… or the issue will come up. But we’ll just leave it to Fate.

The Jew in the Lotus is about a group of Jewish delegates that travel to Dharamsala, India to have a religious dialogs with the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet. Their intention is to compare their religions but find they have more in common than in difference. The dialogs are of true events and written from the perspective of a poet, Roger Kamenetz. He was born Jewish and this is his rediscovery of Judaism through an encounter with the Dalai Lama. I won’t go through the whole plot [leave that for you to read] but there is an idea that I want to share.

What is currently happening to the Tibetans is nothing less than genocide. It’s nothing different than the events that happened during Hitler’s term in power, so naturally the subject is openly discussed. One of the Dalai Lama’s questions for the Jewish is about survival, there’s no one better to ask. From this is something I wanted to focus on.

The Dalai Lama is asked to comment on the current situation. Enlightening, the Dalai Lama refers to the Chinese as the “external force.” At first, this concept is difficult to grasp… the Chinese have done so much against the Tibetans and to understand them as just an “external force” is beyond common instinct. When questioned, the Dalai Lama says something along the lines of “those that live in fear or hate toward the Germans are still in concentration camps.”

Wow.

For so long the past has held me prisoner, and through understanding, the negative force can end.

Buddhism teaches, among other things, tolerance. Buddhism is a peaceful religion; throughout history they have not been responsible for any violence. Fighting for Buddhism would be counter-productive, thus the question of survival.

America is dead.

I saw Transformers on Monday [I caught the 8:00 PM show at AMC River East 21]… I thought it was awesome, good action [as only Michael Bay can deliver], and you can't go wrong with Steven Spielberg as an executive producer. It will probably be a bigger blockbuster, but I still believe Live Free or Die Hard is better film. And the reason for that is because the interpretation of Optimus Prime comes off as a protector, a god-like complex—which happens to overshadow Shia Labeouf ascendancy; whereas John McClane is just an everyman that becomes a hero because it is needed. What happens to John McClane time and time again happens to Shia but he's got big-ass robots behind his back to help him out. Both films discuss the idea that there is a hero in every individual and that’s what makes them good films.

Today, as Americans, we celebrate our independence day. July 4, marks the official day of United States of America, but there’s something wrong with this picture. 1776 is quite different than the country we see around us. For Michael Moore’s Sicko, the tag line is “What seems to be the problem?” Long gone are the days of hapless fun, barbecues and fireworks. These moments still occur, but let’s face it, it’s not like it was in the 90’s. In a post 9-11 world, the red, white and blue is a bit faded. Not so bold and true, as they once were. We celebrate our independence, but I believe this country has forgotten what it means to be American.

Ever the augment, media [movies, music, and associated press] do not define a country. As designers, as intellectuals, filmmakers and artists alike convey messages in our work. It’s one thing to express the sentiments of ourselves; it’s another playing field when we try to express the feelings of another or of others as a whole. As of late, the films produced have had an underlying trend, “there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there?” [V for Vendetta]

Tomorrow, on comic book stores and stands everywhere, fan-boys, patriots and citizens alike bury Captain America. The idealistic patriot has died. The Sentinel of Liberty was assassinated on the steps of Federal Courthouse, he was put on trail after he defied the governments Registration Act requiring all citizens with supernatural abilities to register their personal information—thereby putting themselves and those they know in the line of fire. Every since his first issue, he has been a symbol of this country.

Brandishing the American Flag across his chest, he was the shining shield of these United States. Tomorrow the last issue of a five-part series entitled “Fallen Son: Death of Captain America” wraps-up. The chapter titles are based on the five stages of grief:

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

This series is unbelievable; it takes the audience through the loss of a hero, through the eyes of his friends [Wolverine, Iron Man, the Avengers, Spider-Man, etc]. The last issue is said to answer the question, “How does a nation stand without its hero?” I suspect it will be like the last two movies I’ve reviewed: there is a hero within us all and it’s the only thing keeping hope alive.

marvel.com has provided notes for the last issue.
Link:[http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.1262]

ign.com has provided a good interview with Jeph Loeb, writer of this epic series. Link:[http://comics.ign.com/articles/801/801414p1.html]

Live Free or Die Hard

I saw Live Free or Die Hard last night; well… technically it was this morning. You know the midnight show thang. I thought it was good, entertaining to say the least. Most of the action is over-the-top, but then again that’s why we go… to see an everyman kill some people. And it still remains true; the world needs John McClane (Bruce Willis). I’ve been mulling over something for a while and this related so well, I figure now’s a good time to talk about it.

*Disclaimer* Don’t worry there aren’t any spoilers, I wouldn’t do that to you. *Disclaimer*

There’s a scene where Matt Farrell (Justin Long, the Mac Guy) is having a panic attack, its right at the beginning and he says “I’m just not that guy.” He’s talking heroics and how he’s different than John McClane because he’s… well… he’s “just not that guy.” And John has a little speech I’m not going to repeat because I’ll butcher the dialogue (and it is done so very well), but the point is he (John) is just who he is by nature. Nothing special, he didn’t go and take special classes for this stuff… it’s just him and who he is. He goes and says more in the speech I’m not going to repeat out of fear that I may crucify the script. Either way, that scene made a definite impression on me and the theme appears throughout the film.

If I could just Live Free, I wouldn’t have all these complications in my life. I’m finding it difficult to be happy (or maybe, its content) with my choices. As a given, if I didn’t have a million things stressing me out then life would be much easier. Maybe I’m making it all too difficult, doesn’t seem like any one else carries this much of a burden.

And if I let everything go, would I then be no longer me? Maybe if I gave up this weight I wouldn’t be who I am. Is it possible that by nature (or what I was born with, whatever you wanna say), it is my duty to carry the weight of the world? And if I decided to give up this responsibility, would I ultimately be giving up myself?

Furthermore, are there no other options? Is there no gray area, some in-between? Option C?
Is that then the choice… to Live Free or Die Hard?

Pirates of The Caribbean - At World's End

Just stopping in for a quickie… I saw Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End last night. I enjoyed it, it wasn’t as complex as the others but that’s okay… maybe that part of itself will show through after the viewings I have lined up. Most of it was predictable to me, but that’s just me.

There are a few parts in the movie that struck a cord with me. Stemming from my last post, about being a fan of your significant other and how that’s the only way to be, I think there’s a great example of that in the film. Actually, the moment happens twice, but I won’t spoil it for you. There was another commentary about relationships that I also wanted to note. Making a major decision without your significant others knowledge, and does it automatically lead to oneself not being trustworthy from the perspective of your significant other? I haven’t really decided on what I think about this, but it’s brought up in the film. You know how Elizabeth Swann handcuffs Captain Jack to the Black Pearl at the end of Deadman’s Chest to send him to Davy Jones’ locker… well it’s obvious someone was gonna address it, but long story short it gets brought up. At the heart of Pirates, if it isn’t obvious, it’s a story about love… love for the sea, love for another, love for oneself (not necessarily in that order, but that could be something interesting to explore). Either way, just wanted to give a heads up and make sure everyone was looking out for that. Oh, and there’s a little thang after the credits, like the rest of the Pirates films.

I’ll probably post some more text after another a couple of viewings, this was just some initial stuff.

Hanged

Hey all, sorry I've been MIA, but I’m back. “Coincidence? I think not.” This Linkin Park CD comes at a good time for me, as their CDs always have. Their sound is different, but I find it still calming. Initially, I like “Leave Out All The Rest,” “Shadow Of The Day,” and “Hands Held High,” as my top favorites. That’s just my little shout-out, moving forward.

Recently, I just got into a discussion about self-sacrifice. We were talking about Spider-Man 3 and how as an attribute of an individual willing to self-sacrifice, that individual doesn’t ask for any help. They just bear the weight of the world on their shoulders, ask no questions and take no aid. I argued it wasn’t in Spider-Man’s character, as a self sacrifice-r to ask. You don’t see Batman asking for help, nope, he believes it’s his responsibility to do it. [He takes Robin’s aid, but only to train him, to be his successor] Thus the Spider-Man underlying theme “With great power comes great responsibility.” And this is because no one else is going to do it. Then, due to recent events, I was under the belief these individuals are ultimately alone. How can these individuals be truly happy if they self-sacrifice? Is it possible to be happy when you know the world isn’t? And if you’re never happy, can you achieve oneness with someone?

I think it is possible, but difficult. The only marriages I see ever lasting are those individuals that are fans of one another. [Maybe this is obvious to everyone else, but I just didn’t get it.] I think to truly be with someone, you have to be their fan first. You have to be into what they do. Beyond their exterior, doesn’t a person’s essence make them interesting? If that individual has the same drive they did before they were in a tragic scarring accident, would you still turn to leave them because of the physical features? I think the reason why people separate after accidents or arguments is because they aren’t or don’t appear to be the same person. This leads to no longer being attracted or out-of-love; however you want to phrase it. Sorry for the tangent, but what I’m trying to say is the only way self-sacrifice-rs can be with someone is if they are fan, and that someone is a fan of them. They exist in love the same way as anyone else, that’s how they can be with someone and a self-sacrifice-r. Now if you believe this, can a self-sacrifice-r be with someone that isn’t?