More than meets the eye...

I've been going through my blog recently, and I've noticed (among other things) it's rather Dark—like Dark Knight-ish Dark. I'm an avid reader of other blogs and it's just not very marketable to write only during the rough times. Although one can argue, it is those moments that try us, that inspire us to write. But as of late, I've not shared any good news. Beyond my blog perception, I'm a pretty optimistic individual and I think it's time for this blog to get back to its original intention… self-expression, negative as well as positive. Thank you for continuing to read, those of you that have stayed; to the others, welcome back!

So the reference I made before, The Dark Knight… Yeah, I was on the set of it, as an extra. Pretty cool, huh, I'm not going to disclose any spoilers… sorry but not on this public forum. If you want to know the details of the shot, shoot me an e-mail or just ask. But remember it is spoiler-ish. But what I can say is, I enjoyed being on set. Just watching how everything works, how a movie gets made, only give me more appreciation to the film. Take after take, it's not easy, but I think that when we see the final product it will be all worth it. Hopefully, I positioned myself in some viewable spots and get a little face time on the camera. But that wasn't my intention going out. I wanted to be a part of something that I enjoy, no harm in that—and I definitely got to be a part of it.

And of course, here are some bragging rights…

I got to see Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes), Anthony Michael Hall, Heath Ledger (The Joker), Christopher Nolan (The Director), and Gary Oldman (Lt. James Gordon) amongst 900+ extras... did someone say mass panic? It was awesome.

The Dark Knight - Teaser Trailer

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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.