Sep. 17th, 2008
Having a Carl Sagasm...
Sep. 17th, 2008 05:41 amThis Carl Sagan documentary is fucking brilliant. As I said in a comment on the youtube, it's like the Sergeant Peppers of documentaries, man. Watching it high would be a spiritual experience. Fuck, watching it straight is a spiritual experience.
I *love* it when science and spiritualism come full circle. In certain little offsets of Gnosticism (mostly new Gnosticism which isn't so fatalistic and anti-life) there's a belief that God was once all there was. Just this great ball of energy. And it wanted to know itself. In that moment it split into two, because to know yourself you have to look at yourself (sort of like looking in the mirror) ... but it's still you there. I kind of believe that at this point, the universe was born (big bang) and that everything that happened since, to get to us, is this great energy wanting to know itself. It's the basis on which my spiritual outlook is based.
And then Carl Sagan comes out with that organic life is made of the stuff of stars (I love that fucking line) and that it's the Cosmos' way of getting to know itself.
Oh man, I came! That's just brilliant! He's all about science, and then there's dudes all about the spirit (I'm a bit of both, I think) and BAM! FULL CIRCLE. Back to the SAME FREAKIN' CONCLUSION! MAN!
You know it's a good day when you start it feeling this exhilirated! It's moments like this I love being human.
Anyway, I paused the docco for a minute to go do something, and when I came back I noticed that Carl was pulling a totally awesome expression. So I made these:
( LOLSAGAN )
I *love* it when science and spiritualism come full circle. In certain little offsets of Gnosticism (mostly new Gnosticism which isn't so fatalistic and anti-life) there's a belief that God was once all there was. Just this great ball of energy. And it wanted to know itself. In that moment it split into two, because to know yourself you have to look at yourself (sort of like looking in the mirror) ... but it's still you there. I kind of believe that at this point, the universe was born (big bang) and that everything that happened since, to get to us, is this great energy wanting to know itself. It's the basis on which my spiritual outlook is based.
And then Carl Sagan comes out with that organic life is made of the stuff of stars (I love that fucking line) and that it's the Cosmos' way of getting to know itself.
Oh man, I came! That's just brilliant! He's all about science, and then there's dudes all about the spirit (I'm a bit of both, I think) and BAM! FULL CIRCLE. Back to the SAME FREAKIN' CONCLUSION! MAN!
You know it's a good day when you start it feeling this exhilirated! It's moments like this I love being human.
Anyway, I paused the docco for a minute to go do something, and when I came back I noticed that Carl was pulling a totally awesome expression. So I made these:
Ree-suruts! -- D: This cannot be eaten!!
Sep. 17th, 2008 05:56 pmI've been trying to have interesting gluten-free foods lately. I decided to make myself some satay sauce to go over the top of my rice noodles, which are essentially tasteless. I didn't have any onion, so I thought that if I used dried onion and garlic, that my satay sauce would still work. I then proceeded to put twice as much peanut butter in than was needed, and... well... it was a sad, sad sauce. The onion ended up burnt and crunchy and the peanut butter was all sweet and unflavoured and BLAH. Had to be thrown out. Next time - fresh ingredients, less peanut butter. Or I could just buy some, but I can't be assured of there being no gluten in the mix.
What I ended up doing was frying up egg and noodles in ketjap manis (Indonesian for THE BEST SOY SAUCE EVER). The noodles was soaked in vegeta-steeped water and it managed to add some taste to them. But I think I'll go easy on the vegeta next time!
All the while I'm doing this, my Mum is watching Monster Ark. That's a serious title. I have to wonder if Renee O'Connor has the ability to play a role that doesn't make me want to stab her in the face. Don't get me wrong, I loved Gabrielle, but she could be SUCH a sanctimonious, self-rightous little twat, and I wanted to slap her SO MANY TIMES!
Get every self-serving so-called 'spiritual' moment that Gabrielle ever had and concentrate it into a two-hour movie, and you have this character, 'Eva' in this movie. GOD. She's such a stupid bitch. I swear this script was written by a full-on creationist cause the 'atheist professor' stock character is there, (married to the virtuous and faithful Eva).
Now, this movie harps on and on about 'faith'. I use the quote marks because it's that brand of faith that a special brand of Christian has... it's the type that forwards saccharine "Mathematicians helping out astronauts discovered that one day is missing in history!!!" sort of mails, it's the kind that want to prove to skeptics and atheists that they're right and the skeptics are wrong.
I have a very very hard time being comfortable with that sort of behaviour for the following reasons:
- Faith is exactly that... believing without proof or evidence. Faith is believing in something more than proving yourself right to other people.
- I have a very deep belief not to intefere with the spiritual progress of fellow human beings. Everyone is at a certain spot in their spiritual evolution, whether they're believers of a particular idea or faith or not. I believe that people need to come to spiritual awakenings in their own time - you can't force it on them. They need to figure it out on their own, they need to be open to it. You can't force a religion on *anybody*. I think when people try to prove things, they're doing their faith a HUGE disservice.
This movie is basically an embodiment of that "Prove I'm Right" way of thinking. It's a Chick Tract made into film. And Renee O'Connor's acting is attrocious. She had some really good moments in Xena because I think she was stretched and challenged to the point in some episodes where she kind of forgot to overthink things. That woman needs to be rushed through a script because it's too premeditated otherwise. I liked a lot of her comedy episodes with Ted because her acting was really off-the-cuff and vital and real (In season five, anyway). But ugh, this movie is shite.
I hadn't planned to rant this long about it but you know, it's a really bad, irritating, fundie-flavoured movie.
What I ended up doing was frying up egg and noodles in ketjap manis (Indonesian for THE BEST SOY SAUCE EVER). The noodles was soaked in vegeta-steeped water and it managed to add some taste to them. But I think I'll go easy on the vegeta next time!
All the while I'm doing this, my Mum is watching Monster Ark. That's a serious title. I have to wonder if Renee O'Connor has the ability to play a role that doesn't make me want to stab her in the face. Don't get me wrong, I loved Gabrielle, but she could be SUCH a sanctimonious, self-rightous little twat, and I wanted to slap her SO MANY TIMES!
Get every self-serving so-called 'spiritual' moment that Gabrielle ever had and concentrate it into a two-hour movie, and you have this character, 'Eva' in this movie. GOD. She's such a stupid bitch. I swear this script was written by a full-on creationist cause the 'atheist professor' stock character is there, (married to the virtuous and faithful Eva).
Now, this movie harps on and on about 'faith'. I use the quote marks because it's that brand of faith that a special brand of Christian has... it's the type that forwards saccharine "Mathematicians helping out astronauts discovered that one day is missing in history!!!" sort of mails, it's the kind that want to prove to skeptics and atheists that they're right and the skeptics are wrong.
I have a very very hard time being comfortable with that sort of behaviour for the following reasons:
- Faith is exactly that... believing without proof or evidence. Faith is believing in something more than proving yourself right to other people.
- I have a very deep belief not to intefere with the spiritual progress of fellow human beings. Everyone is at a certain spot in their spiritual evolution, whether they're believers of a particular idea or faith or not. I believe that people need to come to spiritual awakenings in their own time - you can't force it on them. They need to figure it out on their own, they need to be open to it. You can't force a religion on *anybody*. I think when people try to prove things, they're doing their faith a HUGE disservice.
This movie is basically an embodiment of that "Prove I'm Right" way of thinking. It's a Chick Tract made into film. And Renee O'Connor's acting is attrocious. She had some really good moments in Xena because I think she was stretched and challenged to the point in some episodes where she kind of forgot to overthink things. That woman needs to be rushed through a script because it's too premeditated otherwise. I liked a lot of her comedy episodes with Ted because her acting was really off-the-cuff and vital and real (In season five, anyway). But ugh, this movie is shite.
I hadn't planned to rant this long about it but you know, it's a really bad, irritating, fundie-flavoured movie.