The question still remains: Are we truly free?
What does it mean to be truly free?
The more we adapt to changes and integrate ourselves into societal norms...we lose a portion of that freedom that we hold so close.
If one refuses to change with the world is it their fault?
We all make decisions on a daily basis that affect, not only our lives, but those around us.
Things used to be so simple...so innocent...so pure.
We are all so inundated by wires, circuit boards, and thousands of useless gadgets.
What happened to the simple life that we once had?
The current state of the world has caused me to question my own existence.
If I am truly living my life...I want to live it on my own terms.
Take away the unnecessary material things that surround me and give me the false feeling of satisfaction.
Satisfaction...satisfaction of what?
Am I bettering myself or am I sinking in quicksand?
The more gadgets I acquire, the less time I have to better myself.
From my cell phone to my laptop computer...I have allowed myself to become enslaved.
By depending on unnecessary material objects...I have surrendered my freedoms.
My freedom to see the world, to become one with nature, to live as my ancestors did, and my freedom to be truly free.
The things I eat and the things I wear...I have done nothing to tend to my own needs.
I do not grow the food I consume, nor did I make my clothes that I wear.
Material possessions are only worth as much as we feel they are.
Why do we outsource our necessities?
We even outsource the love that we provide to our children.
We have become lazy...we have become engulfed...we have become enslaved.
We listen to our cell phones' ringtone more than we listen to our children.
Our children understand a different world...a simple world.
A simple world...one that I envy...a world that I wish I could experience once again.
A world where the love and compassion from another human being mean much more than toys that light up or make goofy noises.
A world that requires no wires, no electricity, and no money.
Take everything that I own...take it all.
I want to swim in the ocean...I want to keep warm by a fire...I want to sleep under the stars.
I only want to hear the crashing of the waves, the rushing water in a river, the wind blowing through the trees, and sound of my own voice in my head.
I want to get to know myself.
I want to eat only what I need and take only what is required for survival.
I want to hear the howling of the wolf, the hoot of the owl, the crackling of the fire, and the sound of nothing.
I want to be vulnerable to the elements...I want to learn how to fend for myself.
I want to understand that of which I have never understood before.
I want to feel the Earth breathe.
I want to close my eyes, raise my hands, and feel completely free.
I want to grow my own vegetables and hunt my own game.
I don't want to be a producer or a consumer.
I want to be me...in the purest form.
I don't want to smell perfumes.
I don't want to see the nastiness of the world that now exists.
I want to hear the noise that a bald eagle makes when it flies over my head.
I want to love and be loved.
I want to truly know a woman.
I want all of this because that is all that I require.
I want my life to be simple: I just want to exist.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
And the Oscar Goes To...
I've had the luxury to have seen both "Milk" and "The Wrestler" before they came out nationally. In my opinion, including many other film critics, the two top male acting performances have been Sean Penn in "Milk" and Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler". I have made up my own mind as to who I think did a better job acting and I would like to share with you my thoughts regarding this matter.
In "Milk", Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk; a homosexual male caught in the midst of a massive political movement striving for equal rights for homosexuals such as himself. During the course of the film we see Penn go from an insurance agent in a New York subway, to camera store-owning bearded hippy living on Castro Street in San Francisco, to a clean shaven, suit and tie wearing, oily haired politician. The acting by Mr. Penn is fantastic, if not, tantamount. However, there is one thing that is missing from this role: the movie could exist without Sean Penn playing Harvey Milk. The movie has a massively talented supporting cast, a fantastic directing job, and an uplifting story which, sad to say, far too many people allow to influence them when judging an actor's overall performance. However, this is not the kind of role that should land an actor an Oscar.
An Oscar should go to the actor that has overcome great emotional obstacles or has failed in this regard, holds the movie together simply by being in the movie, makes other actors/actresses around them better because of their screen presence, and displays their acting ability in the most humanistic form.
Mickey Rourke's role as Randy "the Ram" Robinson in "The Wrestler" is that actor. When the film starts the viewer starts off feeling a little negative towards Rourke's character and/or his occupation in the movie. We have seen time and time again, in film, what difficulties a politician faces and what challenges they must overcome. However, a washed up wrestler/lonely, neglectful father is one that has not been given the spotlight. Rourke's acting performance takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride and leaves the viewer changed from having watched it. Every emotion that Rourke experiences or displays, he pulls you into it as well. He never really become the likeable actor that you cheer for while watching it; he becomes the actor that you understand a little better and respect more for having watched the performance.
In this sense, it almost seems like "Milk" is making the viewer love, appreciate, and cheer for Penn's character. I call it pandering. Now, there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, that is the reason that a lot of people go to the movies. However, that is why roles, like the one that Penn plays in "Milk", are so played out. We've seen it before and it has become formulaic. Mickey Rouke's role as Randy "the Ram" Robinson is a character very few have the courage to attempt and one whom fewer ever pull-off successfully.
The movie "The Wrestler" is a gritty film and is not as enjoyable to watch as "Milk"; however, "The Wrestler" was brought to life by the sensational directing of Darren Aronofsky and the brilliant acting of Mickey Rourke. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates seeing phenomenal acting at its finest. This is why I feel that Mickey Rourke will be named the best actor of 2008.
In "Milk", Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk; a homosexual male caught in the midst of a massive political movement striving for equal rights for homosexuals such as himself. During the course of the film we see Penn go from an insurance agent in a New York subway, to camera store-owning bearded hippy living on Castro Street in San Francisco, to a clean shaven, suit and tie wearing, oily haired politician. The acting by Mr. Penn is fantastic, if not, tantamount. However, there is one thing that is missing from this role: the movie could exist without Sean Penn playing Harvey Milk. The movie has a massively talented supporting cast, a fantastic directing job, and an uplifting story which, sad to say, far too many people allow to influence them when judging an actor's overall performance. However, this is not the kind of role that should land an actor an Oscar.
An Oscar should go to the actor that has overcome great emotional obstacles or has failed in this regard, holds the movie together simply by being in the movie, makes other actors/actresses around them better because of their screen presence, and displays their acting ability in the most humanistic form.
Mickey Rourke's role as Randy "the Ram" Robinson in "The Wrestler" is that actor. When the film starts the viewer starts off feeling a little negative towards Rourke's character and/or his occupation in the movie. We have seen time and time again, in film, what difficulties a politician faces and what challenges they must overcome. However, a washed up wrestler/lonely, neglectful father is one that has not been given the spotlight. Rourke's acting performance takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride and leaves the viewer changed from having watched it. Every emotion that Rourke experiences or displays, he pulls you into it as well. He never really become the likeable actor that you cheer for while watching it; he becomes the actor that you understand a little better and respect more for having watched the performance.
In this sense, it almost seems like "Milk" is making the viewer love, appreciate, and cheer for Penn's character. I call it pandering. Now, there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, that is the reason that a lot of people go to the movies. However, that is why roles, like the one that Penn plays in "Milk", are so played out. We've seen it before and it has become formulaic. Mickey Rouke's role as Randy "the Ram" Robinson is a character very few have the courage to attempt and one whom fewer ever pull-off successfully.
The movie "The Wrestler" is a gritty film and is not as enjoyable to watch as "Milk"; however, "The Wrestler" was brought to life by the sensational directing of Darren Aronofsky and the brilliant acting of Mickey Rourke. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates seeing phenomenal acting at its finest. This is why I feel that Mickey Rourke will be named the best actor of 2008.
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