Across the Universe

I’m on a roll tonight. Thanks, reddit!

There’s plenty in the world to be angry about. The Violence Against Women Act nearly didn’t pass in Congress, the government making it their personal business who people can and cannot marry, recession, unemployment, and that’s not even considering the turmoil in the rest of the world. There’s quite enough to be furious at. Furious enough to want to go change the world.

What happens is people misuse their anger. People simply broadcast their feelings, but don’t understand how to use their anger to do something constructive. It’s not acting on the base feelings of hatred (at whatever you choose) or anger or rage. It’s taking those feelings and using it as motivation to make change. Be angry, be indignant. Just know how to use it. 

I have no idea if this post makes any sense at all, since it’s 1 AM and I felt kinda insightful. The quote just got me thinking. 

• Question: ROBOTS OR DINOSAURS? - tumblrbot
• Answer:

  Dinosaurs!

My Snail Shell: To certain bronies

snailchimera:

It has come to my attention that a certain segment of the “brony” community has some complaints about their favorite show; not the entire brony population, which has many cool people in it, but enough of a portion to have a visible internet presence.

Namely, they are upset that My Little Pony:…

I was browsing the Best Of Reddit subreddit (r/bestof, if you are curious), and came across this post. It was originally in a thread where the original poster asked about times in which people followed their hearts, even if everyone else around them thought it was foolish, and if it was worth it. This particular post was pretty heavy, and it honestly made me pause and reflect for a minute - and that’s pretty uncommon for me on the internet anymore. I just thought I would share this with everyone:

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

• I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

• I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

• I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

• I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

• I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Only a minute into this film, all I could think was “whoa. This is going to be intense.” You get further drawn in by “why are you sad?” “I’ll tell you someday…” All that occurs within the first two minutes of the film.

Dear Zachary is an intense, emotional look into the life of a man, and how an entire family - and the surrounding networks of people - handle the sudden, violent loss of a close friend, at the hands of a scorned woman. The story is patched together from the family and friends of the deceased, as well as information from the police, and other assorted pieces of information (such as voice messages and home movies). 

The narrator, a close friend of Andrew’s (the deceased) decides he wants to tell Zachary (Andrew’s son) about his father’s life and his death. The story is pretty straightforward, and I won’t detail it here - go watch it yourself, since goodness knows I can’t do the emotional impact justice. What comes from that story is much more murky. It plants the thought in your head, “how many lives have I touched?” “Where do I fit in amongst this vast web of people I know?” “What am I leaving behind as my own legacy?” I guess the broader question that you take away is “what, exactly, is the story of my life?”

The Allure of Horrible Protagonists

I’ve been noticing the same trend that the author discusses - the absolutely unlikable protagonist. The only thing that makes these characters protagonists is that they’re who the story is about - if tables were turned, they would make absolutely picture-perfect villains. When you think about it, it’s pretty weird. Considering the cost of a movie ticket these days, you’re paying money to watch a 90 minute story about someone who you would absolutely hate in most circumstances. You’re paying to identify with someone who is written to be disliked. As the author describes it:

These protagonists are (decidedly) so toxic, broken, unheroic, and even unlikeable that they can’t even be deemed antiheroes. These characters (to varying degrees of success) challenge the assumed connection that filmic convention makes between the “main character” and the “film itself” by presenting protagonists who don’t triumph over adversity, who don’t fight or win a “good” battle, and who frankly don’t warrant an act of rooting.

Why are these movies springing up? What is drawing people to spend 90 minutes with a totally unlikeable protagonist? I’ve got a couple ideas.

• It’s so completely different, and therein lies the entertainment value. Usually a movie asks you to sympathize with someone, and it’s easy. It’s at a point where you can usually guess the plot of a film, just by the character’s archetype. A hardworking single father? You can bet that there will be some kind of romantic entanglement, and/or some sort of threat to his job. A lonely teenager? The movie will probably end with the kid finding her niche in school and/or getting with the crush. With an unlikable protagonist, it’s easier to be on your toes and more engaged in the story - you wonder what exactly is going to happen, and what CAN happen. It’s a much more entertaining experience because you don’t know what to expect. You can’t rely on any stereotypes you have built up from before, so you actually become that much more interested and invested.
• I am agreeing with a point the author made in the original article, that most people in the world are not heroes - so why should all movie characters be heroes? Sometimes it feels good to see people we can feel equal to, or even look down on (awful as it sounds). Perhaps audiences have grown weary of a cinema landscape full of protagonists who are meant to be paragons of humanity that everyone knows don’t exist. Escapism is nice, but it only really works in small doses. A story becomes more engaging when you can believe in it - for whatever reason. Maybe audiences want characters they can identify with, and see themselves for who they actually are in the characters, rather than idealized versions of people? Considering the way the economy has been, plus the political climates, maybe people are feeling a bit down on themselves.
• On that note - I wonder if unlikable protagonists have been a trend in film before? Were they in poor economic/political times? Hmmmm…

I think I love Lars von Trier.

That may be one of the most painfully hipster things I’ve ever written.

Since I’m a college graduate, as of a month ago, I figured I would sit back and reflect on what 5 years of college really got me. I don’t want to devalue my education in the classroom, but the things I have learned are things that can’t be taught in a classroom, explained in a recitation, or quizzed on for a midterm.

• It is amazing how much you can accomplish simply operating on the pure fear of failure
• Corollary: Succeeding just because you have never failed, and are afraid of failure, doesn’t allow you to really understand what “success” feels like
• There is no shame in realizing that a path you have taken is the wrong one - the shame lies in continuing to go down the wrong path, knowing full well it’s wrong
• Your best work will always come just as you decide to take a break. Every time.
• Sometimes you can “talk the talk” so well that people think you can “walk the walk.” (see: every paper and exam I ever bullshit and mysteriously got an A on)
• The best things in life really are free
• However, there really is no such thing as a free lunch
• Some things are worth doing just to be able to tell the story later
• The most rewarding experiences come from stepping out of your comfort zone, and doing something you never thought you would do - whether it be volunteering for something, or taking the time to get to know the person sitting next to you in class
• With the right mindset, everything is a learning experience
• In addition - if you learned something, then it is hard to look back on your life and feel regret
• It’s okay to admit to needing inspiration to do dull, but necessary, work. For example: a stiff drink prior to writing a research paper
• You come to college expecting to figure yourself out - in reality, you just think of more things to figure out about yourself
• The human body functions surprisingly well when sleep-deprived (with proper motivation)
• When a person drinks, that’s their true nature coming out
• Additionally: some people should continue to hide their true natures
• If you can look back on an experience and laugh - even if it’s because it was totally ridiculous - then it was an experience worth having
• Mutual hate can create some truly strong bonds…
• …as can mutual happiness

Honestly this probably isn’t even everything, but frankly…well, I learned a lot. It’d take a pretty long time to cover it all :)