As a recently released cubicle slave, I've been pondering whether the world really does need to face reality. Is reality news, or is there more reality - more emotional authenticity to our common experience - in fiction? After all, religion, which we could argue is the perfect viral blend of fact and fiction, is for some people the ultimate reality. First, some background.
Over the weekend, I've had some tough choices to make, some stiff realities to face. And yes, I've showered in the baptism of fire. But, truth be told, I've also hidden away from it.
I've been reading a hefty Dan Brown novel, [hefty in the sense that it's R199, and hefty in that it's as heavy as a bible]. I've been watching Season 8 of Smallville. I've watched X-Men 3 for the 30th time. And I've been daydreaming about writing fiction and movie scripts. All this, right next door to spending hours on the computer, strategising, transcribing an interview, working, planning, plotting.
One of the themes of SHOOT is that we need to face reality. But how do you do that? By watching the news? And does that mean we ought to pack away fiction? On any given Sunday I probably would have said YES. The fact is, who can say what reality is, and what is true for one may not be true for all. The News, peddled by the mainstream media, is also a mixture of fact and fiction and idiocy. Facts are often about celebrities and are not necessarily important, or stuff we really need to know, though there probably is some voyeuristic satisfaction in it. We see our lives through theirs, or what we wish could be our lives, even our troubles.
Gossip and tabloid journalism have infected the news to the extent that it is so mixed up, so filled with manipulations, that even the New York Times has a substantial fraction of its content devoted to opinion. 'Facts', relating to energy etc., are often wrong, or skewed, or estimates. Much of economic analysis is projections based on models, formulas, assumptions. What happens on the stock markets tends to surprise everyone. Reality, when it comes down to it, is really up to you.
You test it against your own experience, against what you see.
In the same way that I have a bone to pick with news, fiction is flawed too. But one persons meat and potatoes is another's lasagna, one's roast lamb is another's hamburger. Fiction does the very important job of acknowledging some of our emotional needs, and bringing congruence in terms of deceptions, betrayals and frustrations. In the fictional world, there is a safe place to spar with our demons and troubles, and often win. Hence the incredible power and wealth of Hollywood, of television, of franchises from Star Wars to Harry Potter. You might be a cubicle slave in real life, but on the tube you can fly through Smallville and go back to being a High School hero.
Some fiction, the fiction I am fixated on, even have deeply embedded political, social or subversive messages. I'm talking about movies like ALIENS, the Matrix and Dark Knight.
Here's a piece of script that I've found relevant and interesting of late:
VAN LEUWEN:It is the finding of this board of inquiry that Warrent Officer Ellen Ripley,
NOC-14672. has acted with questionable judgment and is unfit to hold an ICC license as a commercial flight officer.
Burke watches Ripley taking it on the chin, white-lipped but subdued.
VAN LEUWEN:Said license is hereby suspended. Indefinitely. No criminal charges will be filed at this time and you are released on own recognizance for a six month period of psychometric probation, to include monthly review by an ICC psychiatric tech...
It's interesting because I was recently at the receiving end of a hearing, I recently took it on the chin, and was fired. Whether or not I was guilty in the scheme of things, the point is, ALIEN and ALIENS provided much emotional fodder for the process I went through. The 'COMPANY' is unreservedly devious and evil in the franchise, they are guilty of subterfuge and contradictions, and of course, greed. And crew is expendable.
The irony is made explicit, in that Ripley's judgement is questioned, when the writers went to every effort to painstakingly show that Ripley's actions in virtually every instalment are unquestionably rational, and humane. What is true though, is that Ripley's understanding of reality puts her at odds with virtually everyone else, and this I find fascinating, troubling and of course, frightening. I can really empathise with this Sigourney Weaver character in particular.
The problem is, for the less discerning among us, we begin to give over, give our lives to watching, ruminating, simply being emotional spectators. Some people watch endless re-broadcasts of the same news. Some watch entire seasons of soapies or series. We start to gush over unrealistic wishes and desires, for example being a beautiful diva who falls in love with her bodyguard [whilst chomping chocolate cake on the couch].
News and movies can give the illusion of living, by powerfully bringing closure to a range of emotions, stimulating some of our latent desires for perhaps revenge, or seduction.
Watching achieves nothing - doing achieves everything. Herein lies the rub. When it comes to reality, there is no greater, no better reality, than doing.
Use news and fiction to inspire and back you up, but never let it replace the doing part. That can only impoverish you. If you have big plans, but you're still struggling with the basics, start doing by simply exercising more often. Develop the habit of controlling your moods, rather than having your moods control you.
A great teacher of this is running. Whenever you're run, you're always running towards knowing yourself and the world better. You're always getting stronger, and faster, and better at being you in the world. Whenever you run, you make the world your own.
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