Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance

cheechako

cheechako

Well-Known Member
I'm not Buddhist. Well, maybe I am a little. Officially, I'm Roman Catholic cause you can't get out of that supposedly. Fact is, I don't have a "religion", and if I do, I'm pretty crappy about it. I try, though.

Sometimes I think Koyaanisqatsi is the best way to explain it - the thing that speaks most to me. Anyone else feel even remotely that way?

Yeah, I've seen the others, Baraka, etc. But this one - that's the real deal.

Edit: My apologies - I must mention that I am talking about a film. If you have not seen it, you are unqualified to answer my question.
 
ginjawarrior

ginjawarrior

Well-Known Member
roman catholic needs not be a lifelong burden

Mark 3:29 gives you the perfect out

"Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

apparently denying the god as i do and even suggesting that he did exist that you wouldnt worship a stupid attempt at a deity such as him

well you get to not call yourself roman catholic anymore

coming out of a religion will leave a hole that you think needs filling

but trying to shove buddism or any other eastern mystical in there as a replacment just leaves you back where you were with catholism
 
cheechako

cheechako

Well-Known Member
ginjawarrior said:
roman catholic needs not be a lifelong burden

Mark 3:29 gives you the perfect out

"Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
Click to expand...
That's if you believe this Mark fellow. I don't.

coming out of a religion will leave a hole that you think needs filling

but trying to shove buddism or any other eastern mystical in there as a replacment just leaves you back where you were with catholism
Click to expand...
I don't think that you really get the life out of balance thing. That's different than a "hole". I wasn't aware I was trying to shove anything anywhere. People like to toss around labels so I used a few and explained why none of them really fit even if they did before. Sure, some of the "eastern mystical" ideas make sense to me. Koyaanisqatsi is actually taken from the Hopi language. The Hopi were from what is now Arizona - the western part of North America - hardly easterners. :)

p.s. One of the first things I've done this morning -the first of the new year - is watch and listen to this film. For years now, I've watched this film multiple times throughout the year. I struggle, but I like to think I am closer to achieving balance in life.
 
eye exaggerate

eye exaggerate

Well-Known Member
cheechako said:
I did not. But thank you, though.

My apologizes - I failed to mention that Koyaanisqatsi is a film in my original post. If you have not seen the film, you are perhaps unqualified to answer my question. Please ignore the whole RC thing.
Click to expand...
...that was more for gingy.

...no need for apology - it depends on who you ask.

[video=youtube;pcHnL7aS64Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcHnL7aS64Y[/video]
 
cannabineer

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
I recently saw Baraka on a recommendation from a sitemate. I must say ... I felt f'd over. The movie starts so beautifully, then hits you with nasty mind penetrations. Not the experience to have while three heets to the wind. cn
 
cheechako

cheechako

Well-Known Member
I apologized because that simple fact that I am talking about a film that describes a vague concept really changes my opening post. Really - this is about a film and the message. I mentioned my catholic history in passing as matter of fact, and that was the first thing discussed.

The fact is - the balance I speak of could transcend religion and god - or be within God, if you prefer - but it does not confirm or deny any of that. Can you not be a devout Roman Catholic and loose a sense of balance in your life? Can you over-do some good intention and miss out on something else. For such a person, Jesus and prayer might help them get through a rough spot. But at the heart of things, there is an imbalance - be it some "eastern" mumbo-jumbo or a slight disconnect with your faith and your God.

Now, this is where things might get messy if we bring in religion: The balance I speak of is not only within me (or anyone) as an individual, but within the whole of "us" that share this planet. My beliefs of me as an individual are one thing - regardless if I can attach some nice, simple label. When I speak of "us", though, I bump into group labels - religions and every other way we seem to divide ourselves from other's.

The recent end of the world really got me thinking. The current gun debate - put guns in the hands of the good guys, self-defense. Damn right you should be able to defend your family and your household. But it is all so scary and sad. People prepare for the end of the world, and I'm not just talking about some crazy zombie-believers or a Heaven's Gate cult. Are they wrong? I dunno. And, just like this is not about Catholicism, it is not about the "prepers".

We still do wondrous things. And we still do horrible things. When I see the wondrous things, I have a hard time believing in a god that would want to put an end to our potential based on some schedule handed down long ago. And if I don't believe in god, then perhaps all I have is hope from the wondrous things I see us do. If anyone wants to argue that the end is indeed near because of a book or whatever, I'll just ignore. And again, this is not about God.

Let's assume for a moment that the end is not fated or at the very least it is still quite a few generations off. In the meantime, we - all of us no matter how we group ourselves, share this planet. Do I just sound like a hippy or eco-nut? Again - labels, and probably the wrong ones. It isn't easy. Koyaanisqatsi suggests that we live in technology - and this film is from 1982, long before we moved into our iPhones and whatnot. Is this good or bad? The film leaves it to you do draw your own conclusions.

Now, for one thing, I think if we have any hope or desires for "our" future on this planet, then it obviously must involve our children. Again, I don't have answers. But lately, I've been big on the film in my signature: Breaking The Taboo. I'm thinking one way to shift the balance back in the right direction is to immediately end the war on drugs and focus on education and our children instead. Alas - that is too controversial an idea for most people, even on these forums. (Not to mention those here that make money because of the illegalities.)

I don't think I'm read to take on that battle and campaign to end the War on Drugs outside of RIU. Maybe in 2013, I'll figure out what more I can do to at least get MJ legalized. But now I'm getting off topic - I just plan, in 2013, to continue finding my own balance, and try to keep not giving up on us.
 
cheechako

cheechako

Well-Known Member
cannabineer said:
I recently saw Baraka on a recommendation from a sitemate. I must say ... I felt f'd over. The movie starts so beautifully, then hits you with nasty mind penetrations. Not the experience to have while three heets to the wind. cn
Click to expand...
Ron Frickie was the cinematographer for Koyaanisqatsi. He directed Baraka. While they are similar at first glance, they serve different purposes. I think that some of the visuals in Baraka can slam into you harder. But when Koyaanisqatsi really starts to penetrate your mind, it can be just as nasty.
 
cannabineer

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Chechako, much of what you say resonates with me. I too have an ill-formed but durable concept that "balance" is a basic philosophical and moral virtue.
I have seen Koyaanisqatsi but it's been a while. I walked into it expecting to be challenged ... it's the "set" part of set&setting. Conversely, with Baraka I was expecting the antidote, a movie of celebration. Boy was I blindsided.

But the doubt I have is about technology and the lifestyle it gave us a condition more deeply out of balance that in pre-industrial days. If scale is a factor, then certainly. Not many strip mines or denuded forests before powered equipment. But I have also lived through a sea change, an awareness that ungoverned industry is bad. But against the large-scale pollution (which is being brought under control but for the great unanswered, global climate change) I also point out balancing forces, such as an ebb in doctrinal religion and a gain in the capacity (and the belief that this is a human right) to learn and be informed.
Personally I think that the need to adapt to a rapidly-changing world brings with it an out-of-balance condition. But i have also seen the basic social and personal consciousness strive for the center. i think the response to imbalance is to rebalance. i don't see the implied threat, centrifugal runaway, to be compelling. Fwiw. cn
 
eye exaggerate

eye exaggerate

Well-Known Member
cheechako said:
I apologized because that simple fact that I am talking about a film that describes a vague concept really changes my opening post. Really - this is about a film and the message. I mentioned my catholic history in passing as matter of fact, and that was the first thing discussed.

The fact is - the balance I speak of could transcend religion and god - or be within God, if you prefer - but it does not confirm or deny any of that. Can you not be a devout Roman Catholic and loose a sense of balance in your life? Can you over-do some good intention and miss out on something else. For such a person, Jesus and prayer might help them get through a rough spot. But at the heart of things, there is an imbalance - be it some "eastern" mumbo-jumbo or a slight disconnect with your faith and your God.

Now, this is where things might get messy if we bring in religion: The balance I speak of is not only within me (or anyone) as an individual, but within the whole of "us" that share this planet. My beliefs of me as an individual are one thing - regardless if I can attach some nice, simple label. When I speak of "us", though, I bump into group labels - religions and every other way we seem to divide ourselves from other's.

The recent end of the world really got me thinking. The current gun debate - put guns in the hands of the good guys, self-defense. Damn right you should be able to defend your family and your household. But it is all so scary and sad. People prepare for the end of the world, and I'm not just talking about some crazy zombie-believers or a Heaven's Gate cult. Are they wrong? I dunno. And, just like this is not about Catholicism, it is not about the "prepers".

We still do wondrous things. And we still do horrible things. When I see the wondrous things, I have a hard time believing in a god that would want to put an end to our potential based on some schedule handed down long ago. And if I don't believe in god, then perhaps all I have is hope from the wondrous things I see us do. If anyone wants to argue that the end is indeed near because of a book or whatever, I'll just ignore. And again, this is not about God.

Let's assume for a moment that the end is not fated or at the very least it is still quite a few generations off. In the meantime, we - all of us no matter how we group ourselves, share this planet. Do I just sound like a hippy or eco-nut? Again - labels, and probably the wrong ones. It isn't easy. Koyaanisqatsi suggests that we live in technology - and this film is from 1982, long before we moved into our iPhones and whatnot. Is this good or bad? The film leaves it to you do draw your own conclusions.

Now, for one thing, I think if we have any hope or desires for "our" future on this planet, then it obviously must involve our children. Again, I don't have answers. But lately, I've been big on the film in my signature: Breaking The Taboo. I'm thinking one way to shift the balance back in the right direction is to immediately end the war on drugs and focus on education and our children instead. Alas - that is too controversial an idea for most people, even on these forums. (Not to mention those here that make money because of the illegalities.)

I don't think I'm read to take on that battle and campaign to end the War on Drugs outside of RIU. Maybe in 2013, I'll figure out what more I can do to at least get MJ legalized. But now I'm getting off topic - I just plan, in 2013, to continue finding my own balance, and try to keep not giving up on us.
Click to expand...
...funny how 'not giving up' and 'surrender' can mean almost the same thing. To me, and at this point in my understanding, surrender is to 'resign'...or re-sign. Collectively, we 'sign' the history books, then debate them. Doesn't work, imo, and there's proof of that in most things media. I have to admit, though, to being an idealist. I'd love to see peace and harmony. Don't sht where you eat.

...I listened once to a gnostic instructor pose this question. "Do animals destroy their own habitat? What kind of animal destroys its own habitat? Only a sick, or desperate, animal destroys its habitat. So, what does that make the 'human' race?"

Do we hate the race and not the racer?

...and, is perspective the key?
 
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