love will tear us apart

I was reading an essay this morning about Revolutionary Road. Well, I suppose it was an interview. It didn't give me a heads up and ended up spoiling the film that Sam Mendes directed as well as the Richard Yates book.

My wife saw the film, but I did not, yet it resonated with us because my wife said that "the message" was that having a third child was a bad idea. We were talking about this a little bit. What fascinated me was Kate and Leo back together.

I saw Titanic perhaps five times in the theater. I know. It is a poor Say Anything on a big fucking boat. But it was the big fucking boat that captured my imagination. It was so big, and so solid, and it just disappeared in the end. I've been wanting to watch this again. It is bad, and painful, but maybe it can redeem itself?

The idea that my mind was trying to understand happened again to all of us. The day was September 11 2001. Where did those buildings go? How did they just disappear? The were so big, and so solid.

This idea is actually an archetype. It is represented by The Tower in the tarot, which I've come to believe is the language of life. The entire journey is encapsulated in the major arcana of the deck, that is the first 22 cards. These 22 cards illustrate our story, our journey, all the roles we play and can play in life. It is a basic pictorial representation of "The" myth.

So what's interesting about The Tower is that it is the only material structure built in the cards. It is the only "thing" that has "substance" in those 22 cards. I know The Chariot, but that is not a literal chariot, it represents the hero actively pursuing his adventure. The Wheel is a figurative wheel too. So, maybe the tower doesn't have to be a literal tower either. It could be our ego which we build and then destroy. It could also be our life, our spine, which we build and grow until it collapses, crumbles, and disappears with death. Maybe. I'm sure both are true--that the god struck tower is our mortal self that must metaphorically and literally die. But, it also likely represents the so-called material that we believe in, um, like money. The value of objects require the mutual faith from all of us to agree that yes, this stuff is valuable. Gold, yes value. Oil, yes value. Diamonds, drugs, yes this is G.O.D. and we all have faith!

But what does it do to us when we witness the dissolution of substance? Does this cause a joy division which requires a new order? We must have "true faith" indeed to believe so firmly in the stability of our towers, but they do fall. . . And it's almost like a "ceremony" as this archetype repeats itself over and over. Anytime our faith in material becomes unwavering, The Tower is struck.

--Think of past tragedies and how it was inconceivable prior to the tragedy to even think of the event as a possibility. I'm talking a failure of imagination. We are witnessing one right now. Will the dollar make it? Have we killed the monster in the heart of the financial center?

So back to Jack and Rose. April and Frank. Kate is April is Iris (is Isis). Anyway, I'm following.

I know how it ends. And so what am I'm doing here. Specifically here in the blogspace today. Maybe The Tower is also the "one flesh" of an initiated couple. Marriage. Hum. And is it ego that strikes that tower?

Let's reconsider. Rev Road-idea of perfect 50's symbolized w/ a marriage and then the idea is revealed as fake and destroyed. Cloverfield-monster destroys NY symbolized w/ a couple dealing w/ selfishness. Titanic-iceberg splits love and boat into separate parts and sinks. The heart of the film is a gem? Disorder Peculiar to The Country-divorce and 911 happen simultaneously.

So what am I saying? Are these stories about love or material. Slum Dog had it's head in the right place.

Have no fear, take no umbrage, know why you are here!

-yesterday was the anniversary of Ian Curtis' death. May 18, 1980.

Listen and contemplate what is really tearing us apart.

twittergument 1

-a philosophical construction from twitter May 4 2009: http://twitter.com/theghostlight

This I believe: The purpose of life is procreation and death.

Death feeds life. Thus ending initiates beginning.

Religion is built upon the rock of sacrifice. Literally. The Foundation Stone is death, and that is a solid foundation. (Death creates.)

Society is built upon the mutual *faith* in the value of money. We all agree to believe that "this" has value. It is built upon nothing.

The only material with real value is life.

Matthew 25:14-30

talent |ˈtalənt|

noun

1 natural aptitude or skill

• people possessing such aptitude or skill

• informal people regarded as sexually attractive or as prospective sexual partners

2 a former weight and unit of currency, used esp. by the ancient Romans and Greeks.

ORIGIN Old English talente, talentan (as a unit of weight), from Latin talenta, plural of talentum 'weight, sum of money,' from Greek talanton. Sense 1 is a figurative use with biblical allusion to the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30).

engine |ˈenjən|

noun

1 a machine with moving parts that converts power into motion.

• a thing that is the agent or instrument of a particular process

2 a railroad locomotive.

• short for fire engine .

• historical a mechanical device or instrument, esp. one used in warfare

ORIGIN Middle English (formerly also as ingine): from Old French engin, from Latin ingenium 'talent, device,' from in- 'in' + gignere 'beget' ; compare with ingenious . The original sense was [ingenuity, cunning] (surviving in Scots as ingine), hence [the product of ingenuity, a plot or snare,] also [tool, weapon,] later specifically denoting a large mechanical weapon; whence a machine (mid 17th cent.), used commonly later in combinations such as steam engine, internal combustion engine.

generator |ˈjenəˌrātər|

noun

a thing that generates something, in particular

• a dynamo or similar machine for converting mechanical energy into electricity.

• an apparatus for producing gas, steam, or another product.

• a facility that generates electrical power.

• [with adj. ] Computing a routine that constructs other routines or subroutines using given parameters, for specific applications : a report generator.

• Mathematics a point, line, or surface regarded as moving and so notionally forming a line, surface, or solid.

generate |ˈjenəˌrāt|

verb [ trans. ]

cause (something, esp. an emotion or situation) to arise or come about

• produce (energy, esp. electricity).

• produce (a set or sequence of items) by performing specified mathematical or logical operations on an initial set.

• Linguistics produce (a sentence or other unit, esp. a well-formed one) by the application of a finite set of rules to lexical or other linguistic input.

• Mathematics form (a line, surface, or solid) by notionally moving a point, line, or surface.

ORIGIN early 16th cent.(in the sense [beget, procreate] ): from Latin generat- 'created,' from the verb generare, from genus, gener- 'stock, race.'

race ¹ |rās|

noun

1 a competition between runners, horses, vehicles, boats, etc., to see which is the fastest in covering a set course

• ( the races) a series of such competitions for horses or dogs, held at a fixed time on a set course.

• [in sing. ] a situation in which individuals or groups compete to be first to achieve a particular objective : the race for nuclear power.

• archaic the course of the sun or moon through the heavens.

2 a strong or rapid current flowing through a narrow channel in the sea or a river

3 a groove, channel, or passage, in particular

• a water channel, esp. one built to lead water to or from a point where its energy is utilized, as in a mill or mine. See also millrace .

• a smooth, ring-shaped groove or guide in which a ball bearing or roller bearing runs.

verb

1 [ intrans. ] compete with another or others to see who is fastest at covering a set course or achieving an objective

• compete regularly in races as a sport or leisure activity

• [ trans. ] prepare and enter (an animal or vehicle) in races as a sport or leisure activity

2 [ intrans. ] move or progress swiftly or at full speed

• (of an engine or other machinery) operate at excessive speed

• (of a person's heart or pulse) beat faster than usual because of fear or excitement.

• [ trans. ] cause to move, progress, or operate swiftly or at excessive speed

ORIGIN late Old English , from Old Norse rás 'current.' It was originally a northern English word with the sense [rapid forward movement,] which gave rise to the senses [contest of speed] (early 16th cent.) and [channel, path] (i.e., the space traversed). The verb dates from the late 15th cent.

current |ˈkərənt; ˈkə-rənt|

adjective

belonging to the present time; happening or being used or done now

• in common or general use

noun

a body of water or air moving in a definite direction, esp. through a surrounding body of water or air in which there is less movement

• a flow of electricity which results from the ordered directional movement of electrically charged particles.

• a quantity representing the rate of flow of electric charge, usually measured in amperes.

• the general tendency or course of events or opinion

ORIGIN Middle English (in the adjective sense [running, flowing] ): from Old French corant 'running,' from courre 'run,' from Latin currere 'run.'

currency |ˈkərənsē; ˈkə-rənsē|

noun ( pl. -cies)

1 a system of money in general use in a particular country

2 the fact or quality of being generally accepted or in use

• the time during which something is in use or operation