I recently read an article by Mortimer Adler entitled "Education for All." This article made clear for me something that I had long had a sense of, but was unable to articulate. The vision of Truth in Fiction is essentially to "sophisticate" people to the principles and concepts of the classics, but to start them at a level accessible to the average American (i.e.: movies and television). Team, the community building system that CTIF is plugged into runs parallel to these efforts with easy-to-read non-fiction paired with audio learning in the form of expository storytelling. That is why the Team system is an invaluable asset to us as we seek to build our consortium. Our writers and creators need to be well-versed in classical learning for this idea to gain traction.
One of the reasons that I'm so excited about this article is that it confirms my belief in the importance of ABC's "LOST." If there's a shining ray of hope for television it's "LOST." I'll cut right to the point: the Executive Producers, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are avid readers. Though, not everything they've cited as influential to this story is a classic, there certainly is a wealth of philosophy embodied in the show. In fact, as an ode to their scholarship, they've even named key characters after philosophers: John Locke, a man who feels he's found his purpose on the Island, named for the English philosopher and originator of Natural Law theory; Jeremy Bentham, an alias, named for the father of Utilitarianism; and Edmund Burke, named for the founder of modern conservatism. Also referenced in names are Jean-Jaques Rousseau, David Hume, Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, Michael Faraday, and Stephen Hawking.
Told in a non-linear fashion with flashbacks, the show is about the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island, their lives leading up to the crash, and the tangled web of relationships between them. The integrity of the story is dependent upon the viewer watching every episode in order, as it's more like a long movie than a TV series. But, you can easily find a promotional synopsis for that info. What's difficult to market to the masses is that it has a character-driven story, rather than a plot-driven story, and that it deals with such subject matter as leadership, destiny, fate, faith, and the conflict between science and faith. While it is not genre-fiction, LOST plays heavily upon themes of pseudo-science (or lite SCI FI) and mystery to tell its stories.
The show's producer, J.J. Abrams is quoted as saying, "Mystery is the catalyst for imagination." A story that evokes the viewer's imagination, set in a universe where nearly anything is possible, creates a platform for discussion. Pair that with a firm knowledge of truth through classic literature, and you have a POWERFUL, important body of contemporary fiction. I think it's fitting to consider Einstein's quote, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." The viewer needn't know the truth to become a fan, but through watching, his curiosity and imagination will lead him to the truth in the story, and I believe, foster a hunger for more. So do the show's producers, apparently, as they have made available for the show's uberfans (such as I am) a LOST reading list, which suggests further READING.
The most amazing thing about the show, and the reason it ties so well into what I see happening with networking and independent film in the future, is that my wife and I actually felt compelled to aggressively share this experience with people. We grew a small following, and had weekly get-togethers to watch and DISCUSS the show. And it's not just us. Across the world, the same thing is happening organically. Imagine that! Television that actually encourages networking, discussion, and THINKING! I'm convinced it's because the writers are avid readers.
After I finished my first film (which wasn't important or literary), I was armed with the belief that ANYONE could make a film by simply using what is already available and some creativity. I still believe that today, however, when I got into college (to pursue my liberal education) I found I no longer had the time to write, much less produce, another film. As you can imagine, this caused some distress: how was education supposed to help me make films, if it was able to do it before, but unable during and after college.
I was aware that networking was imperative to making films independently. Even when I found enthusiastic people, I also found they had little time outside work and school. I was sure that if we could just make a film, a grass-roots effort could make us all money. I knew a little about the concept of network marketing, and had the thought that it would be great if we could get paid for the promotional work we were doing for LOST naturally! It was at that time, that I had gotten involved in Team's community building system, and saw its potential. Then along came MonaVie, a company which is dominating the wellness industry with it's healthy acai blend beverage. Team's community building efforts plugged into MonaVie's network marketing plan, and proved that a great product would spread like wildfire if the customers (or fans) were allowed to earn compensation for the sharing they would naturally do anyway!
I see a connection between quality, literary fiction; endorsing a great product like MonaVie; and the natural formation of communities around both products that will INCREASE our national economy AND national intelligence quotient. The reality is that this is the Information Age way to operate the media, rather than government's subsidization of business failures and advertising's subsidization of entertainment failures. I think a consortium of leaders as passionate as I am about this, can duplicate these profound results.
Let us change the future.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH
Let me tell you a story.
In a time long ago, things were simpler. A boy went to school, got good grades, then got a safe, secure job with benefits. It was then that he was called a man. He was able to support his family, and the MAN for whom he worked PROMISED to take care of him if he put in his time. In this way, he became comfortable. He began not to look toward the future; there was no need, no purpose.
Silently, this man became uneasy, which grew into dismay. He was told he was contributing, that he was successful. Even so, the man's dismay grew. He distracted himself with "recreation" and other diversions. His time was spend chasing pleasure, in the name of pursuing happiness. But he was not happy. He was desperate.
Quietly, he heeded the advice that things would get better; that the next big bonus, the next raise would come. In his despair, he spent that money before it came, or allowed his family to draw upon the savings. He was doing everything right. His pride would not allow him to admit defeat to his family, who DESERVED the life to which they had become accustomed. The man felt the walls pressing in upon him.
Several investments he had made were beginning to sink. He sold them (at a LOSS) to fund an addition to the house... his family was growing, after all. He began to spend more time at work, seeing less of his family. He tells them this is so they can have a vacation, a promise he now knows he will never have the money to keep.
He is given a promotion! With it comes a warm handshake, a corner office with a secretary, a raise, and salary. He is also asked to put in more work. For awhile, things are looking up, but soon the feeling creeps up again. He feels empty, purposeless, and stressed. He is soon spending so much time at work (on salary) that he is making less hourly than he made before the promotion. He receives an award! Can he tell his wife that he's failing them? Pride and separation drive him to blame his family for their spending habits. He uses this to justify evenings out with his secretary.
At home, he has become a distant, shell of a man. During his only free time he sits, lifeless on the recliner, watching television. He can no longer look into the eyes of his family for the memory of the time spent with other women. And the TV tells him it's just what everyone's doing. It will get better, it's not his fault. He's a victim of his circumstance. It's his wife's reckless spending, why do we need another kid? We can't afford this pregnancy. I've given my company my life, I'm ENTITLED to a solution.
Soon, it will be election year.
Upon the pulpit stands a man, eloquent of speech, seemingly godlike in stature. He announces that he will bring the change we need. This man says he will fix the economy. He will take money from the rich and give money to the struggling poor. He will close the gap between the middle class and rich. He makes examples of a few, dishonest heads of corporations, and tells us this is what ALL RICH PEOPLE DO. He says he will freely print money, handing it out evenly, to STIMULATE the economy. Albeit, he suggests we might to good with this money; give to charity, invest, help our neighbors.
Our shell of a man, knows this isn't right. No one will do anything good with the money. They will spend it, waste it. Instead, people should downsize their homes, live within their means, and take a risk or two. They should build, create, and develop new things. But that is HARD and he is not a strong man, and the promise of a financial solution that satisfies his NEED for status is too much to bear. His emotions applaud this man, the savior of a country.
Our broken man is not alone, dear reader! The vast majority of people in this once-great nation have fallen into broken selfishness, blaming anyone who's not suffering, calling them "greedy." You want to talk about the basics of economics: NO ONE will give you anything without something in return.
This is such an overplayed story in history. Things are great, we prosper. Then we get comfortable, and things slow their growth. We get selfish, and begin to manage, rather than lead. We feel the pressure, and, like a drowning victim, try to drown everyone else in our panic. We cut investments when we should cut expenses, and we look to anyone who has a PAINLESS solution. Our actions cause economic collapse, and our actions are the result of our thinking. The economy does not have a life of its own. It's only temperamental because WE ARE. No single man can fix it, even if he GIVES money to those at the bottom. But aren't they the key to the economy? YES! But they have to be compelled to act with purpose. Give a man a fish and he eats today, TEACH a man to fish and he eats every day.
If you give a man a fish, he is forever a slave to the man with the food. In this way tyrants seize power. We need to take responsibility for our OWN independence. If freedom is having choices, independence is MAKING choices. Difficulty is not even a factor, this is what MUST happen if we are to have liberty and justice FOR ALL.
Do what you think is right, but question everything and stand by the TRUTH. As for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH.
In a time long ago, things were simpler. A boy went to school, got good grades, then got a safe, secure job with benefits. It was then that he was called a man. He was able to support his family, and the MAN for whom he worked PROMISED to take care of him if he put in his time. In this way, he became comfortable. He began not to look toward the future; there was no need, no purpose.
Silently, this man became uneasy, which grew into dismay. He was told he was contributing, that he was successful. Even so, the man's dismay grew. He distracted himself with "recreation" and other diversions. His time was spend chasing pleasure, in the name of pursuing happiness. But he was not happy. He was desperate.
Quietly, he heeded the advice that things would get better; that the next big bonus, the next raise would come. In his despair, he spent that money before it came, or allowed his family to draw upon the savings. He was doing everything right. His pride would not allow him to admit defeat to his family, who DESERVED the life to which they had become accustomed. The man felt the walls pressing in upon him.
Several investments he had made were beginning to sink. He sold them (at a LOSS) to fund an addition to the house... his family was growing, after all. He began to spend more time at work, seeing less of his family. He tells them this is so they can have a vacation, a promise he now knows he will never have the money to keep.
He is given a promotion! With it comes a warm handshake, a corner office with a secretary, a raise, and salary. He is also asked to put in more work. For awhile, things are looking up, but soon the feeling creeps up again. He feels empty, purposeless, and stressed. He is soon spending so much time at work (on salary) that he is making less hourly than he made before the promotion. He receives an award! Can he tell his wife that he's failing them? Pride and separation drive him to blame his family for their spending habits. He uses this to justify evenings out with his secretary.
At home, he has become a distant, shell of a man. During his only free time he sits, lifeless on the recliner, watching television. He can no longer look into the eyes of his family for the memory of the time spent with other women. And the TV tells him it's just what everyone's doing. It will get better, it's not his fault. He's a victim of his circumstance. It's his wife's reckless spending, why do we need another kid? We can't afford this pregnancy. I've given my company my life, I'm ENTITLED to a solution.
Soon, it will be election year.
Upon the pulpit stands a man, eloquent of speech, seemingly godlike in stature. He announces that he will bring the change we need. This man says he will fix the economy. He will take money from the rich and give money to the struggling poor. He will close the gap between the middle class and rich. He makes examples of a few, dishonest heads of corporations, and tells us this is what ALL RICH PEOPLE DO. He says he will freely print money, handing it out evenly, to STIMULATE the economy. Albeit, he suggests we might to good with this money; give to charity, invest, help our neighbors.
Our shell of a man, knows this isn't right. No one will do anything good with the money. They will spend it, waste it. Instead, people should downsize their homes, live within their means, and take a risk or two. They should build, create, and develop new things. But that is HARD and he is not a strong man, and the promise of a financial solution that satisfies his NEED for status is too much to bear. His emotions applaud this man, the savior of a country.
Our broken man is not alone, dear reader! The vast majority of people in this once-great nation have fallen into broken selfishness, blaming anyone who's not suffering, calling them "greedy." You want to talk about the basics of economics: NO ONE will give you anything without something in return.
This is such an overplayed story in history. Things are great, we prosper. Then we get comfortable, and things slow their growth. We get selfish, and begin to manage, rather than lead. We feel the pressure, and, like a drowning victim, try to drown everyone else in our panic. We cut investments when we should cut expenses, and we look to anyone who has a PAINLESS solution. Our actions cause economic collapse, and our actions are the result of our thinking. The economy does not have a life of its own. It's only temperamental because WE ARE. No single man can fix it, even if he GIVES money to those at the bottom. But aren't they the key to the economy? YES! But they have to be compelled to act with purpose. Give a man a fish and he eats today, TEACH a man to fish and he eats every day.
If you give a man a fish, he is forever a slave to the man with the food. In this way tyrants seize power. We need to take responsibility for our OWN independence. If freedom is having choices, independence is MAKING choices. Difficulty is not even a factor, this is what MUST happen if we are to have liberty and justice FOR ALL.
Do what you think is right, but question everything and stand by the TRUTH. As for me, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH.
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