Monday, January 31, 2011

The Spirit of the Age

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.            - Arthur Schopenhauer


Understanding other people comes as second nature to us. Our interpersonal evaluative abilities have been trained, augmented, and refined by the simple daily act of living with others in a society. We use this ability everyday. In seconds, or even fractions of a second, we can gauge another person's intentions and motivations to a greater or lesser degree. Call it street smarts, intuition, sixth sense, experience, or simply evolution, we are somehow "programmed" to quickly see strengths and deficiencies in others. But evaluating ourselves... here is where we run into problems. Why do traits and behaviors in others seem so well-defined, so visibly sharp, so exposed, while self-evaluation can oftentimes be likened to a journey through a shapeless nebula?

I'd like to invite you to watch this documentary, if you haven't already. It was suggested by one of this blog's readers (thank you Marc) and I found it fascinating. There may be parts you agree or disagree with more than others, but its doubtless value lies in provoking introspection, not simply of yourself, but of your place in society and in the world. If you mostly see the negatives, give yourself the opportunity to practice optimism and look for the bright side. Look for the positive. Look for what's good. It's long, but I wouldn't post it if I didn't think it was worth our time. Get some popcorn and make it a movie night!

As you may know, I began a journey of introspection not too long ago, galvanized by the severe lack of introspection promoted, or at least tolerated, by society. This movie provides answers to many deep-rooted questions and concerns unearthed by my introspection. Maybe it can answer some of yours too. Enjoy.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous31.1.11

    is this movie related to that other zeitgeist movie discussing weird conspiracy theories and whatnot?

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  2. Yes it was created by the same director. It may be wise not to let preconceptions guide your decisions however. Give it a chance :)

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  3. Wow I'm late lol.

    I'm glad you enjoyed it man (or woman?). I consider Zeitgeist to be an over-arching explanation of how monetary systems cause organizations and individuals to put profit as their primary motive while providing goods/services as secondary. Since the quality of a good or service is determined in large part by monetary investment, there is often a trade-off in quality in favor of profit margins.

    Bearing that in mind, another great flick is The Corporation (2004). Excellent production quality.

    "The documentary is critical of the modern-day corporation, considering its legal status as a class of person and evaluating its behaviour towards society and the world at large as a psychiatrist might evaluate an ordinary person. This is explored through specific examples." - Wikipedia

    I consider it a case study of sorts that gives a a detailed example of the negative effects of capitalism. Food Inc. (2008) "An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry" goes specifically into the food industry while Sicko (2007) does this for the Health industry.

    It becomes difficult to ignore the mountain of evidence. While each movie may appear to be anti-capitalism, unpatriotic, and [insert cliche talking point that dismisses an opposing argument here], they each give incredible insight into the psychology of the "5 stages of depression" when people 'fall victim' to unfavorable fortunes as a result of each industry in addition to the psychology of those in power.

    I'd start talking about the intersect between Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power and all of this but then I might end up writing another Master's thesis.

    Whoops.

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