Tag: Buddhist

snowden-real-and-unreal

Edward Joseph Snowden – Real and unreal (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

SNOWDEN

By Marlene Ardoin

What stayed with me after seeing “Snowden”, was the fact that he did not finish high school and that his moral sensibilities were deeply offended while working for the U.S. government.

I am reminded while listening to a radio show, that so many lower income youths join the services to fix their teeth, have a place to live and to get an education. The caller pleads that the government does not have the right to ask them to go against their moral beliefs.

After looking into the reason for Snowden not finishing high school, I discover that his whole family worked for the government, and it just involved the family being relocated and a bad case of mononucleosis.

Snowden chose not to return to high school. He passes the GED test to get his diploma. He has a very high IQ. And, at this point, he decides to take online college courses from Britain, instead. This is not at all the impression I got from the film. In fact, his whole family is missing from this film.

Filmmaker, Oliver Stone, does a good job of playing at our heart strings in his most recent film, “Snowden.” I received the impression that the young Edward Snowden was a victim of circumstances.

As far as his moral beliefs go, he listed himself as a Buddhist, when he enlisted in the Armed Services. So, this is not your normal Ten Commandments kind of a moral upbringing. How could Stone explain this to the American public in his film?

I can relate to the real Snowden, but I wonder if it was decided that the truth may not be sympathetic enough. Stone appears to be on a mission to make Snowden heart-wrenching.

The broken legs, the epileptic seizures and the offending surveillance scenes really do make him worthy of sympathy. I for one, will never have a computer in my bedroom after seeing this film.

There are victims depicted in this film. Edward Snowden may not be one of them.

“Citizenfour,” which won the Oscar for Best Documentary, is recommended as a more truth filled source.

Wiki biography of Edward Snowden:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden

Preview of “Citizenfour”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKkF-X4QLB4

Captain Fantastic family

A single father, Ben (Viggo Mortensen), with his six children, is Captain Fantastic.

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

By Marlene Ardoin

A single father, Ben (Viggo Mortensen), with his six children, navigates his way around the death of his bipolar wife in the best possible Buddhist way.

We find that he and his wife, a former attorney from a wealthy family, have home-schooled their children in an isolated wilderness. Both parents were very critical of society. The children have been groomed to be athlete fit, healthy, intelligent, analytical, well-read, creative, independent, survivalist, brave and self-sufficient individuals. If the world as we know it fell apart tomorrow, this family would be ready.

It is a clash of two schools of thought on raising the next generation, in which neither school is totally without flaw. We gradually realize that this father has given it his all. But, having to carry on alone, in the midst of his grief, almost unravels him.

The death of his wife forces him to reenter the real world. The close knit family discovers that they are not in any way, shape or form, prepared to live in the real world, as we know it.

As they observe the new found world, they encounter sick people, fat people, and beautiful girls smoking cigarettes, kind people, and people with different beliefs, old people and gullible people. It is sort of like Prince Buddha coming out of the palace walls for the first time in his life. It is a shock.

I would have liked to have the husband’s family and background filled in. He is obviously very intelligent and free-thinking. How did he get that way? Who were his parents? And, how did he meet his wife? And, the ultimate mystery is what caused his wife’s bipolar condition? From my research, I find that it rarely occurs in childhood, but develops in adulthood. Is it caused by brain chemistry or by built up inner emotional turmoil?

His wife’s mother, Abigail (Ann Dowd), is compassionate enough, but her husband, Jack (Frank Langella), seems to blame his son-in-law for everything.

Everyone is in a fragile state due to the circumstances with plenty of blame to go around. But, by being so opinionated, he creates more strife than can be borne by the children’s father, Ben. And, Jack is forcing the children and Ben to make a choice. I think I know what caused his daughter’s manic depression.

The real core of this story is the emotional shift of full-force sympathy for the young father, Ben, as he and his children navigate their grief and bring closure to everything in the Buddhist way. They choose love and truth.

Bipolar disorder slideshow

http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/ss/slideshow-bipolar-disorder-overview

Noam Chomsky

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky

Buddhism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism

Captain Fantastic Circle in the woods

8/2/2016 # Captain Fantastic