Black Snake Moan

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This one's a little complex, there's at least three different places
I could have posted it; here, entertainment, or philosophy. More or
less though its philosophy surrounding a movie that's about relationships
, not the surface area of it but the internal aspects of ourselves.
Having all this kinda fresh in my head I definitely want to put it out
there just because I think its one of those things that hardly ever
gets discussed around here or in general for that matter.

Yep, I saw the movie, won't give any spoilers but it was incredibly
deep and definitely hit a lot of points that I've been noticing a lot
about life lately - I think you'll all probably understand if you see it.

The whole bottom line of life really seems, at least from birth until
your mid 20's, about betrayal, backstabbing, voilence, hurt, all kinds
of things that really harden a person and also do a lot of damage - its
part of what generally makes an adult an adult as such. However after
that there's a whole other flight of stairs. When you think about it,
when you think about that sort of innocent happiness as a kid, when you
could love without having the cynicism over it, when you could actually
be at your best and be taken for nothing less (all these as separate
from, of course, if you grew up in an abusive situation); that's I think
the hardest part to reclaim and its the more evolved staged of becomming
an 'adult' that I see so many people these days completely being lost on.

Watching this movie it reminds me a lot of other movies as well when they
have the deeper theme being conveyed of - yeah, sort of going into the human
and emotional wreckage pile but showing people actually learning, finding
a way to be able to look at everything they went through - the first
20-some years where they were being beat on like punching bags or dishing
it out when needed, hardening, seeing a pretty rotten and messed up world,
but finding some way to reconsile, come to peace, let it go, and let it pass.


That's probably the hardest part for anyone to do I think but then again with
our culture being what it is these days over all its like its been very
difficult for people to be real self aware, people who've really craved it
and understood what they craved (self-knowledge and finding happiness
within themselves) would generally find this on their own; however so
many people even as adults bury themselves in the liquor, drugs, mind
you these things have their time and place but like the movie showed -
when they're tools you use to run from yourself that's when things
really need to change. People do it in all kinds of other ways, sometimes
its the pain, sometimes hanging on to pride seems like the only way
they're able to keep a great strong facade on for the world at all; its
hard - I definitely get that, but then again it being as such is why
I think its such a noble aim and I'm really glad to see it when
movie makers bring these issues up in the full degree of depth, pretty
much showing the whole 360 degrees of it (the extreme circumstances of
course kind of making the point that much more blatant).


Still, what do you all think of that overall idea and aim - to reconsile
with yourself, take all of what you've been through, and putting it
on a shelf? I used to noticed as a kid, when I was going through the
crap, how my parents or so many other people seemed so peacefully aloof
to things, at least on the outside, I wondered what the heck they were
thinking or what rock they were living under but then as I got older
and especially as I hit 25'ish I really started to understand a lot
better, at least getting glimpses, of how hard that really is to obtain
and its not a denial of the realities we live in - its a choice not
to be controlled by them and it takes a lot of discipline, a lot of
focus, but also a lot of heart to be able to both take in all the negative,
see things for what they are without glossing or hiding things from myself,
but at the same time making the conscious choice to choose love, loyalty,
and the things that REALLY matter and have a redeeming aspect that goes
way above and beyond what we generally see. To me, again, its a very
noble cause and I think its one of those few ways to where in this f'd world
we can actually give a value, meaning, and something positive back.

No joke, it takes lots of discipline but that's the kind of challenge
I love to embrace because - friends, S/O, relatives, anyone; I'd want
to be there for them in that capacity, for them and for the sake of
sharing what inner peace I've had to work so hard to obtain and for
the sake that taking that sort of inward emotional/spiritual rout
turns around and yields more inner peace within yourself. Its rare
to actually see an 'upward spiral' in this world but this is definitely
one of those cases.

(oh yeah, and if this text looks a little out of my usual I had to sit there and
write it in MS Notes while WP glitched some more )

i saw that movie it was good! plus it had Justin Timberlake in it!

Naked chained teenagers and the blues. How could you go wrong with that?

Hey dude, I have looked at this thread about 2 or 3 times now thinking, I will come back later and read all that and write a dazzling response.

I think you would get some more replies in here with a little tap of the truncation stick unless of course the issue is too complex for that. Anyways... Back later hopefully

Nb411, I like the caterpillar in your avatar and bemoan the general lack of caterpillars in my area these days.

Yeah, I think when I'm writing something like that my mind is more about getting the whole of idea into words so that even if I'm repeating myself I'm too wrapped up in the idea to catch it till later. When I posted it though it was late at night so if I'd wanted to edit it I probably would have been at it for hours as much as WP glitches around 2 AM.

And yeah, I know that until I can shrink all that down I can probably expect a lot more trite little "Ohh! I just saw something shiny!" type responses. I guess if I get myself on aderol one of these days I might find the mental energy after a night out to do it all - write it AND edit . Still, you say you've got this raw and real discourse to drop on this - throw down! Less talk more action

Thanks, Pandora.

Techstep, what movie is this? Anyways...

So really all that was just about the fact that we lose our innocence as we mature, then come to peace, lastly deciding to hell with it all and making the most out of life anyway?

If I understand, you are aspiring to letting go of your anguish over cold hard reality. I am a few years younger than you but not too many. I have experienced the same loss of innocence and maturing that you describe and while it has been shocking in many ways, it also pleases me, as a truth seeker. I suppose there is a reason that the surface level exists. Mainly in order to maintain productivity both in the personal and greater sense. I think that in many ways religion provides this convenience to people. I am not a religious man myself, well not in the normative sense anyway. Some people are just not capable of delving deeply. I am absolutely gob-smacked by some people that have made it into their forties and still believe some of the things they do about the world. I really think that it manifests as a persistent ignorance in many people (contrary to what you said - I think). Drugs and alcohol are amazing re-enforcers of this phenomenon.

You lost me a bit in your last paragraph there I must say. I think you want to reel back your sobriety for the sake of your loved ones? I feel odd over this. I have this insatiable appetite for truth and while I may lose some enjoyable aspects of life as a result I am still convinced that it is better on the whole. I wonder though, due to the fact that I can imagine very clearly and relive past mental realities if you will, that increasing conciousness into the future is not detrimental overall. I mean I can easily go back in my mind and re-create any pleasantness extremely vividly when I feel the need. The down side is that this is not existing in the external reality and is of no benefit to anyone but myself.

So in conclusion I may be way off on planet la la here but I did refrain from pointing to the shiny object and giggling

Heh, well, I'm at least learning one thing - its probably better to hold your deepest emotions in and feel like you're imploding from it rather than put them out there and really prove to yourself that your pretty much by yourself in how you feel the world around you.

And nb, you did get some of the overall, I think what I was leaning more on is just the fact that people do reclaim the same base they had as kids but on much harder and firmer ground; almost unshakable. I think it takes a lot of grit and inner toughness to really see yourself through it and out of negativity, for me part of the reason I push myself toward things like this - for one it is me shooting for the most dignity, strength, and character I can, the second reason is I'm already starting to self-destruct from the weight of own awareness (as I have been for years but its accelerating)- I almost feel like its my only hope of surviving.

Well perhaps I am yet to reach the top of the curve then. It must be imminent. Freaky s**t for real dog.

I will watch the movie.

I'm at least glad of one thing though, at 25 or 26 I think my existential depression was at about its worst. I was feeling the most grimy emotions that I'd ever felt, no reprieve from them because they WERE reality, and I'm still not sure which way it went - whether I really desensitized myself to what I saw and acclimated or if I really just found a way to put it all out of my head.

You know, while the movie has that element I think it just had more to do with my state of mind when I watched it. That sort of thing seems to be making its rounds a lot more in film these days though.

This is an interesting blog about passing through Existentialism and reaching a suposedly higher "Integral Philosophy". It gets much meatier from the middle onwards.

"an existential angst in which the only cure “is the transcendence of the existential condition… in a yet higher and wider awareness… into the theosphere, into the transpersonal domains, the domains not just of the self-conscious but of the superconscious.”[8]"

>>Link<<

No, it wasn't anything like that. It was really feeling the blackness of what really is reality at the bottom line - when you aren't hiding yourself from it or wrapped up in the everyday. It mostly hit me at its hardest when I was either half an hour into falling asleep or right in the beginning of waking up. The word 'existentialistic' is tricky too, I didn't mean it in the sense of existentialist philosophy - I really meant it in the literal sense of my own existence.

(haven't seen the movie)

what you say in your first post, makes me think of how i was observing adults all the time as a kid, and not understanding lots of things (i now know that this was about sex, alcohol, lies, hidden violence,miscommunication, not knowing how to cope with things but hide it for the external world and the kids, etc). i also felt like no one of other kids asked themselves these questions, like they were not interested in knowing what kind of things were hidden behind their weird smile, cramped face,... at times and so.

i can't say that i cleared that all out at 25, maybe i'm just starting to know all about it now, when i have had the time, the need and reasons to see and live it all by myself and that's something that really gives me some peace.

i don't think other people have this peace, as you say most of them are just using alcohol or medication or whatever to make life bearable (which it never is with this stuff) and the others are more naïve they are not really aware of the fact that the majority of people are under some kind of drugs, but they are stronger in a way cause they just suffer.

that leaves only a very few people going for this self-quest, which is hard and tough but kind of interesting (maybe aspies with their exploring mind find it even more interesting?)

and of these few people you've got the ones to admire who are capable of doing great deeds,
having great initiatives, and being correct as a human being, and being such a person is my goal,
but maybe one can only obtain this at an old age, don't know ...