So I watched Serenity last night and it struck me just how freaking awesome this movie is.
I had seen it before but because of various reasons it did not stick with me any more than it just being a really good Science Fiction flick. Now granted that would be reason enough for any SCIFI geek like me to extol all about it but a few things struck me last night as I watched it that I did not notice before.
First off I loved the imagery of the people of Miranda just laying down and dying because the government had essentially taken away there reason for life. In case you have never seen the movie the Alliance, which is the governing body in the future in which Serenity is set, set up a colony planet called Miranda, on which they introduced a drug into the atmosphere processors that made most of the population no longer want to fight, and as a result they also lost all ambition for the future and died. For better or worse we as human beings thrive on conflict. Whether it be sporting events, a good healthy debate, or war, conflict gives us a reason to better ourselves and think outside of the box. Don't believe me just ask any parent what the most gratifying experience of their life is. In probably 99.9% of cases they will tell you that raising their kids takes the top spot. Now ask them what the most trying experience has been. Not surprisingly they again will tell you it has been raising there kids.
Why is this? Well it goes to the idea that we as humans feel the need to be accomplished. There are few things in this world better than the feeling of accomplishment. There is an old saying that nothing worthwhile comes easily. It takes the proverbial blood, sweat and tears, to get anything worth getting.
Next it struck me as interesting the parallels of this incident in a fictional universe and things that are going on here in ours. We now live in a society that for the most part does not want us to do for ourselves. Instead it tells us that we are entitled to anything we want regardless of whether or not we have earned it. But the curious thing is that the place that I like to call the real world does not work that way. It never has and it never will. The real world still holds to the basic principles of hard work, and entitlement because of that hard work. But we have a government that is working hard to make us all believe that we don't need to. We are entitled to happiness and riches just because. The reason they want us to believe this is because it takes the power out of our hands as a people and puts it in theirs. In other words they want us docile because we will be easier to control.
So what can we do to stop this. Well in the words of Malcolm Reynolds, the greatest space pirate to come along since Han "the man" Solo, "I aim to misbehave." It is only through thinking for ourselves and doing for ourselves that we can stem the tide of entitlement that is crushing this country. The last time I looked we still lived in a society that lets us follow our own beliefs and desires. If your beliefs advocate entitlement over empowerment then continue to follow the "party line" that our government wants you to follow. But if you are like me and believe that "Nothing worthwhile comes easy." than teach to your children, preach it to your friends, and above all else never stop believing that you are right.
Well thats it for this rant. Sorry if it was a little long winded.
Til we meet again,
Paul
P.S. River Tam kicks ass!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Random Thoughts
Hello Everyone.
Just some random thoughts that I have had this week.
1. Who is this Will guy and what did he do to piss everyone off so much that all they want to do is fire at him?
2. Is it safe to call the Harry Potter series one of the best works of literature ever created?
3. Felting pool table rails sucks great big donkey nuts!
4. Is there any greater feeling than seeing someone you despise look like an Idiot? (See my last post and what I had to say about Britney Spears)
5. Is there any song that has been released in the last twenty years with a better message for life than "The Dance" by Garth Brooks?
6. I know one person who could kick Chuck Norris' ass. His name is Robert Duvall.
7. Is there any western better than Lonesome Dove?
8. They need to stop making Highlander Movies. Although I loved the first movie and the TV series the well is dry and the horse is dead.
9. I hate election years. Especially when they last more than one.
10. Sometimes a "Once in a lifetime opportunity" means you loved doing what you did but you would never do it again.
That's all for now. I hope I did not bore you too much.
Til we meet again,
Paul
Just some random thoughts that I have had this week.
1. Who is this Will guy and what did he do to piss everyone off so much that all they want to do is fire at him?
2. Is it safe to call the Harry Potter series one of the best works of literature ever created?
3. Felting pool table rails sucks great big donkey nuts!
4. Is there any greater feeling than seeing someone you despise look like an Idiot? (See my last post and what I had to say about Britney Spears)
5. Is there any song that has been released in the last twenty years with a better message for life than "The Dance" by Garth Brooks?
6. I know one person who could kick Chuck Norris' ass. His name is Robert Duvall.
7. Is there any western better than Lonesome Dove?
8. They need to stop making Highlander Movies. Although I loved the first movie and the TV series the well is dry and the horse is dead.
9. I hate election years. Especially when they last more than one.
10. Sometimes a "Once in a lifetime opportunity" means you loved doing what you did but you would never do it again.
That's all for now. I hope I did not bore you too much.
Til we meet again,
Paul
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Did you notice...?
Hello all.
Did anyone else notice the lack of coverage of the 9/11 attacks on the regular news outlets this year. I was at work on Tuesday and turned on the television we have there to check out what I was sure to be a good hours worth of coverage remembering the worst attack on American soil. Instead what did I find? A story about the return of Britney Spears at the VMA's. Okay so I figured that they were probably just waiting until we got close to the time that the second Plane hit the towers to start there real coverage and this was just filler until it began. So I made it a point to take another look around 9 o'clock figuring that soon they would have to begin some kind of memorial coverage for those lost in NY, Washington, and Pennsylvania. But no. I saw a grand total of about ten minutes of coverage concerning 9/11. The rest of the coverage was on stupid shit like Britney Spears, and what fashions were in for this fall.
Now I by no means want 24/7 coverage of the events and memorials that happened to mark that day, but come on. 10 freakin minutes. What the hell is that all about. Needless to say I more than a little miffed at what I saw that day. Have we as a society truly fallen that far that we would prefer to see coverage of a skank like Britney Spears than take a few hours out of our day to remember the horror of that day and why the fight against these extremist Muslims, is so important. In case you hadn't noticed they want to kill or convert us all. Not just a few but all of us. Republican or Democrat. American or Australian is does not matter. If we do not fall to our knees and worship the way they want us to and follow the same moral code as them they will cut off our heads.
I weep for our country sometimes. I hope against hope that I am wrong about what I saw and that I just missed the coverage, but I do not think so. So as I leave you today think about what is important to you in this life, and remember that there is evil in this world that can not be bargained with or bought out, it can only be fought and destroyed. May god bless our troops and bring them home as soon as it is right to do.
Til we meet again.
Paul
Did anyone else notice the lack of coverage of the 9/11 attacks on the regular news outlets this year. I was at work on Tuesday and turned on the television we have there to check out what I was sure to be a good hours worth of coverage remembering the worst attack on American soil. Instead what did I find? A story about the return of Britney Spears at the VMA's. Okay so I figured that they were probably just waiting until we got close to the time that the second Plane hit the towers to start there real coverage and this was just filler until it began. So I made it a point to take another look around 9 o'clock figuring that soon they would have to begin some kind of memorial coverage for those lost in NY, Washington, and Pennsylvania. But no. I saw a grand total of about ten minutes of coverage concerning 9/11. The rest of the coverage was on stupid shit like Britney Spears, and what fashions were in for this fall.
Now I by no means want 24/7 coverage of the events and memorials that happened to mark that day, but come on. 10 freakin minutes. What the hell is that all about. Needless to say I more than a little miffed at what I saw that day. Have we as a society truly fallen that far that we would prefer to see coverage of a skank like Britney Spears than take a few hours out of our day to remember the horror of that day and why the fight against these extremist Muslims, is so important. In case you hadn't noticed they want to kill or convert us all. Not just a few but all of us. Republican or Democrat. American or Australian is does not matter. If we do not fall to our knees and worship the way they want us to and follow the same moral code as them they will cut off our heads.
I weep for our country sometimes. I hope against hope that I am wrong about what I saw and that I just missed the coverage, but I do not think so. So as I leave you today think about what is important to you in this life, and remember that there is evil in this world that can not be bargained with or bought out, it can only be fought and destroyed. May god bless our troops and bring them home as soon as it is right to do.
Til we meet again.
Paul
Saturday, September 8, 2007
The Joys of Live Theater.
For those of you who don't know I am an actor. It is really the only thing that I do well and strive for perfection in. It is also the only addiction that I have that is actually beneficial to me. For any one wondering what could possibly posses a person to stand up on a stage in front of complete strangers and make a total ass out of themselves, I will try and explain why at least I do it.
Contrary to popular belief acting is not an easy thing to do. It involves long hours of rehearsal, both at the theater and away to effectively create a believable character and an enthralling experience for those who come to see us. We put ourselves through pain, suffering, and exhaustion voluntarily and regularly with no thought as to what we may be doing to our health, both physically and mentally. And when this is all done but before opening night we frequently leave the theater looking like something out of a George A. Romero movie.
But all of that is worth it when opening night comes. The unadulterated high that we get from putting everything on the line and leaving it all on stage is enough to keep us going for days. You want a high that you never really come down from? Then put all that you are into a character, sweat your ass off giving every ounce of energy that you have into bringing that character to life, and just when you think that nothing good could possibly come of it all, take a look into the faces of your audience. It is an experience that no one who has not gone through it can possibly understand.
Now granted the trials that we suffer in no way compare to those of others in this world (soldiers spring immediately to mind), but we do suffer none the less. However the rewards that we gain from this experience include close friendships with people we probably would never have met otherwise, a little ego boost, and the knowledge that if nothing else we gave our absolute best to bring little distraction to the lives of people who live in a world that needs distraction from time to time.
Oh yeah there's one more reason I almost forgot. Chicks dig actors!
Til we meet again
Paul
Contrary to popular belief acting is not an easy thing to do. It involves long hours of rehearsal, both at the theater and away to effectively create a believable character and an enthralling experience for those who come to see us. We put ourselves through pain, suffering, and exhaustion voluntarily and regularly with no thought as to what we may be doing to our health, both physically and mentally. And when this is all done but before opening night we frequently leave the theater looking like something out of a George A. Romero movie.
But all of that is worth it when opening night comes. The unadulterated high that we get from putting everything on the line and leaving it all on stage is enough to keep us going for days. You want a high that you never really come down from? Then put all that you are into a character, sweat your ass off giving every ounce of energy that you have into bringing that character to life, and just when you think that nothing good could possibly come of it all, take a look into the faces of your audience. It is an experience that no one who has not gone through it can possibly understand.
Now granted the trials that we suffer in no way compare to those of others in this world (soldiers spring immediately to mind), but we do suffer none the less. However the rewards that we gain from this experience include close friendships with people we probably would never have met otherwise, a little ego boost, and the knowledge that if nothing else we gave our absolute best to bring little distraction to the lives of people who live in a world that needs distraction from time to time.
Oh yeah there's one more reason I almost forgot. Chicks dig actors!
Til we meet again
Paul
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