Cross

 

Most Movies Are Alright

 

Most Movies Are Alright

 

Most movies are just alright: average, middling, okay. However, I usually put them into one of two buckets in my mind: terrible and awesome (t and a). Is this due to the binary polarization of modern political culture? New York Times or New York Post? Or the internet era of “hot” or “not”, YouTube switching from a rating out of five to “like” and “dislike”?

I can usually pick out at least some good in every movie, even if the good is unintentional such as in The Room or The Rock and Roll Nightmare. Unintentional comedy is still a form of good, as I’m looking at the result not the attempt in judging a piece of film. Sydney Sweeney’s performance was pretty good in Immaculate despite the movie’s other flaws, the music in Colors was great despite the weird attempt at action comedy or seriousness (I’m still not sure which it was going for).

I have watched enough movies, read enough books, to get a sense of quality early on. Not too many movies get better as they continue, though as in movies like Déjà Vu when the CIA security camera that can distort time was introduced, they can make a decent movie much worse. Usually somewhere between ten to thirty (at the charitable end) minutes, is all I need to see that a movie is red dogshit.

My sensibility is not the norm for most filmgoers. It’s more difficult for me to suspend disbelief, perhaps because I listen to a lot of podcasts that are closer to real conversation, I am more sensitive to the perfection of modern Hollywood films. I also prefer older movies where there is a more gradual ramping of emotion, more empty space, more time. Akira Kurosawa is the master of believable drama in my view, at least when it comes to drama. It is difficult for me to take things overly seriously because I am a silly goose by nature. Overdramatic reactions not intended for comedy will make me laugh. Having the perfect zinger at the perfect moment will make me hold my head in my hands in shame.

Comedy and drama are different beasts in this regard.

 

Sacrifical Fulfillment

 

Sacrificial Fulfillment

 

For others rather than for yourself.

 

Pleasure is transient. It will come and go. Seeking it with a lot of effort is a source of great suffering. No matter what life you live there will be highs you enjoy, and lows that hurt (some lives have more or less of course). One should seek fulfillment, not pleasure.

 

When we talk about momentary pleasure this is also about how you calibrate your mind. To a degree you tell yourself if something is pleasurable or painful over and over again. You can smile while doing the task that you classify as “work”, you can “frown” while doing the task you classify as “recreation.” It is mental. Accept that you are doing this thing, for this moment. Be there, don’t resist it. Commit to it. Fake it until you make it, and it will be real.

 

What is fulfilling? Helping others and doing difficult (to you) things. You should do the time intensive drawing that involves lots of minute details. You should do the activity that bores you because your friends are passionate about it. You should make sweet love to the partner you’re no longer attracted to. Do these things with your full effort.

 

When you’re done with the thing that pleases you, what are you left with? Nothingness. The bag is empty. The unquenchable boredom returns. For others means something. You are fulfilled.

One On One

 

One On One

 

What is criticism? Telling someone something to help them improve. We all want to be awesome all the time but we’re not. Criticism helps us see what we’re not seeing and improve. Better criticism involves specifics on how one goes about the specific process of improving (the how not just the what) and should come from someone who already has the skill or quality in question themselves. Criticism is not the same as insulting a person. Criticism has a purpose: to help someone improve. Insults just serve to cause psychic injury. Criticize me but treat me with respect.

 

Criticism should be done one on one. Find a private area to do this. This treats the person you are criticizing with respect. Criticism is embarrassing. Criticism should be important because it is painful to hear. Sandwich your criticism by letting the person you criticize know that you care about them. Also, let them know there is a purpose to it, and you’re not just trying to belittle them.

 

            Criticism should not be done in front of others. Jumping in and correcting someone when you’re not even part of a conversation is just insulting. If it’s important that the person learns or improves something take them aside and address it. Don’t shout out, “no that’s not right” as someone is trying to explain something to someone else. They didn’t ask you. You’re not part of the conversation. Go away. Or let someone who is part of the conversation invite you into it. You are hurting this person’s authority. You are a lime-diseased tick on a shaggy dog’s inner ear.

           

            In the same respect, don’t cut people off as they are speaking. This cannot always be done effectively but pay attention and try to time them for a moment to response, rather than talking over them. If you do so accidentally, say “excuse me, I didn’t mean to cut you off” and let them continue to empty their face.

 

            I am appreciative of criticism, especially from those who are authorities on the subject. Just show respect also. Criticism is not an excuse to just pick a person’s ass.

Problem or Distraction

 

Problem or Distraction

 

Is something a problem or is it something that doesn’t matter at all?

Something is bothering you. Does it matter or is it just a distraction? Humans go through their lives with a central problem or challenge that is difficult to solve. Then other “problems” come up that bother you. Those are distractions from what matters.

Let us say your central problem is overcoming chronic pain, it’s been going on for many years, and you cannot find lasting relief. Other annoyances are distracting your mind from trying to wrestle with this great but meaningful challenge. Someone is pounding the hell out of the keys when they type. People cut you off when you speak. Your co-workers sing to themselves loudly off-key. These things are inconsequential. It is your mind trying to distract you from the mountain with a bunch of molehills, keep climbing.

The world is a distracting place. Beep beep beep. A truck is backing up safely. Beep beep beep. Find an alley, put a toque over your ears, whatever you had to do to find an instant of focus. Find time and space to plan and decide what really matters to you. Write this out and re-read it a couple of times throughout your day. Turn your attention back to what matters. The world is noisy. People are annoying, so are you. It is okay, what matters to you? Getting control freaky about the random noise of life will not assist you. Let it come, let it go. Are these problems problems at all or just fluctuations in your consciousness?

Cool Apple Hot

 

Blue Purple Sun

 

Dark Sweater

 

Green Sweater

 

Twice As Young

 

Blue Brick Lady

 

Cowboy

 

Blue

 

Something More

 

Something More

 

If I am going to make an argument, I consider what useful holes could be poked in it. If there is a legitimate criticism, I should address that. I wouldn’t expect people to just agree with me because I made a statement. If I’m going to say something publicly, I anticipate counterarguments. I can change my mind, if you give me better reasons than the alternatives.

 

What is out there? The truth is out there. There is also a lot of nonsense out there as well. Some grounding in psychology is useful to understand the potential failings in human thought. Humans brains look for patterns, and if they find them they try to come up with explanations. Often it is just randomness, nothing more. Confirmation bias. Cognitive dissonance: we find it hard to live with contradictory beliefs, so we will try to resolve this even if we don’t have the necessary information. We cannot read minds: we can learn something by what people do but we cannot know their intentions though we try to infer them. I’m not just saying these apply to you or to others, they apply to myself as well. I think therefore I am, beyond this knowledge I accept your comprehensive Cartesian skepticism.

 

Is there is a God? Are we all one with the Universe? Is there some supernatural entity or energy that connects us? Can we shape reality with just our thoughts (with no other actions)? You’re not going to reason me there, but you can faith yourself there. I expect arguments that rule out (if not completely at least plausibly) other explanations. You do not have those. They are non-existent. You tell me you have faith, and I’m fine with that. Don’t tell me you have evidence.

I am not dug in, I am agnostic about it. I don’t believe science and logic can explain everything there is to existence. In fact, there are parts of reality that are impossible to explain.

 

It is possible.

Shy Colour

 

Clouds

 

Juicy

 

Religion Distorts Thinking

Religion Distorts Thinking

 

 

At the root of knowledge, you must accept certain beliefs. Within empiricism, in the use of our senses, within mathematics, logic, etcetera.

The difference being that scientific hypotheses are falsifiable and testable. A well-tested scientific theory is as close to truth as we can come. There is at least some form of evidence. Hopefully better than the possible alternatives. ¹

Not everything is currently explained by science, and some things may not be provable at all. However, science has disproven concepts that were explained by God, and if the future is anything like the past, science will disprove more concepts explained by God. God as a placeholder for things unexplained by science creates a barrier to future truths revealing themselves. As science explains more those with religious thinking will resist ideas for which there is greater evidence than God.

 

Is there a God?

If there is a way to prove this, I am open to the idea. All of the “evidence” of God can be explained otherwise. Show me the proof of this could only be evidence of God, and I will change my mind. Underline only. I have not seen this evidence, and I have done some looking. ^{2 3} I categorize myself as agnostic rather than atheistic because I always leave the door open to possible evidence. ^{4 5} Though, the atheistic point of intellectuals such as Sam Harris is worthy of serious consideration as well. ⁶

 

What does it mean to be religious?

There are different degrees of religiousness and different religions. Every religious person at least believes there is a Higher Power. ⁷ There is a supernatural element involved. Why is this belief in God more credible than the belief in the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus or the belief in Magic? There is exactly as much proof (zero) in each of these concepts.

 

Many (but not all) religious people believe in the following:

There are a list of moral rights and wrong, and these are beyond question because they are the Word of God. God created all things. This conflicts with the thoroughly scrutinized and verifiably predictive Theory of Evolution. ^{8 9} There is an afterlife. Religious texts are the Word of God, and by extension perfect.

 

Can a person be essentially religious without the supernatural?

Yes. Social Justice ideology is a form of this. As John McWhorter elaborates on in Woke Racism, ideology can become religious. When I say religious in this context, I mean dogmatic. Beyond question. ¹⁰ “Believe women” is another form of this where people are supposed to take women at face value with allegations of sex assault. ¹¹ Innocent until proven guilty is the more intellectually rigorous standard (proof being the term of importance vs hearsay). There are many other forms of non-religious intellectual dogmatism, these are just a few examples. If you feel the urge to use the Karl Marx quote “religion is the opiate of the masses” cut that shit out, you cliché motherfucker! Get a more obscure and interesting reference!

 

We should allow religion as part of a free society. However, we should note that religious belief is a mark against someone's intellectual credibility It is possible someone might be intellectually rigorous, they must be in spite of their belief, rather than because of it.

 

 

Works Cited:

 

1.       https://www.livescience.com/21491-what-is-a-scientific-theory-definition-of-theory.html

2.       http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm

3.       http://www.godlessgeeks.com/WhyAtheism.htm

4.       https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agnostic

5.       https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheist

6.       https://www.samharris.org/blog/there-is-no-god-and-you-know-it

7.       https://study.com/academy/lesson/different-religions-world-overview-facts.html

8.       https://necsi.edu/evidence-for-evolution#:~:text=Five%20types%20of%20evidence%20for,DNA%2C%20and%20similarities%20of%20embryos.

9.       https://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html

10.   McWhorter, J. (2021). Woke racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America. Penguin.

11.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Believe_women

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