Predestination Review;
So I again(sigh) did not keep a track of the comments portion of my blogspot account and I only now read them.
Firstly, I thank each and every person who commented, whether is was regarding any doubts about my views on certain things or just as simple as telling me to keep up my blogging habit. Thank you so much for the encouraging comments. :) Makes me realize that in this vast virtual world, I have a significant voice. As I cannot reply to each and every comment from the past...1 year or so, especially since some of them are on post that date back as far as my secondary school days, I will attempt to address some of the things that majority of them talked about.
As the title suggests, this post will be mainly about reviews regarding the movies I had listed in my back2school post which was a few months ago. I had received a few(to be precise, 8) comments asking me for a detailed review of those movies. I do not remember all the movies in perfect state, however, I will attempt to review it the way I perceived the messages in the movies and my personal takeaways. (keyword: personal. This is a PERSONAL blog. I am entitled to have the views I do. Of course, I am open to constructive criticism and discussion, since I am a firm believer that no idea or opinion should be shielded from critique. However, please, no hate remarks. Thank you!) I am so sorry for not keeping a track of the comments moderation section, I feel like it is an injustice to review now, considering the films are not fresh in my mind. I will still make a fair attempt though. :) Will be making individual posts for each review to ensure I don't cut up on any elucidation for the sake of time or space.
These were the original ratings I gave:
1.) Predestination (1/5) -English
2.) Into the Woods(2/5) -English
3.) Taken 3(2/5) -English
4.) Theory of Everything(3/5 because I espouse the concept of circular time) -English
5.) Chinnadana Nee Kosam(2.5/5)-Telugu
6.) PK(1.5/5) -Hindi
7.) Manam(3/5 just because it has Naga Chaitanya)-Telugu
Predestination
For people who have not watched this movie, and don't mind spoilers, please refer to the wiki page for the plot summary.Predestination was a really deep movie, for me. If you take apart/dissect the time travel component, what I personally took away was that you exist eternally. There is a reflection of you in your spouse, in your child, in the greatest villain and the biggest hero. You are not a discrete existing particle, but a phenomenon that is encompassed in all existence and time. Your actions(karma) make a difference. NOT to please any God or to go to heaven/hell, but because you are accountable. (You really have to watch this movie to get this drift.)
This line if thinking is a something I learnt from a semi-Pantheist quotation/philosophy within Hindusim. Now a lot of questions will arise.
What is Hinduism?
Hinduism describes God in various forms, e.g. monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic and even prods one to question or reject God completely, bordering on modern Atheistic schools of thought. Thus, whether you choose to believe in a single god, many gods, variant forms of god, or no god at all, you can still choose to be Hindu by choice, depending on which of the 6 schools of thoughts within the Dharma he/she chooses to subscribe to.
There was no concept of a believer or non-believer since the inception of the Dharma and everyone is equal in the eyes of Hinduism. Yes, even atheism is accepted as a valid path under Hinduism. In fact one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy (Samkhya Shastra) deals with the atheistic world view. (Note: as far as my reading goes, there's 2 schools of thoughts among the 6 that promote the questioning of God as an entity)
Holy/Ancient scriptures are important but a Hindu is not ordered to be bound by what is written in scriptures. He/She is free to question what is written in scriptures and reject whatever does not seem reasonable to him/her. There is no concept of blasphemy in Hinduism.
There are many modes of worship in Hinduism.(No, Hindus were/are not all idol worships/"pagan" ritual followers. Though there is nothing wrong with that form of worship.Also, Yoga happens to be one of them.) Everyone is free to choose his preferred mode of worship as per his liking, philosophical inclination and intelligence. This world is plural in nature with people of different intelligence, different spiritual inclination and different emotional disposition. Hinduism allows for plurality in modes of worship.
What is Hinduism? Dharma(duty, righteousness).Seeking Dharma.
What is Dharma?
Dharma is one's various responsibilities and duties in accordance to the various roles they play in their existence. The course of action that a creature(any creature) should take to to the best of it's wisdom and adherence to it's roles and responsibilities to support the paradigm of existence/the universe. For example, the Tiger's dharma is to hunt and feed on it's prey.
Human (conscious) Dharma requires one to take into account all existence surrounding your life, as you (should make an attempt to) understand that you are not discrete or separate from creation(Srishti). We are not encouraged to act on impulse like an other animals would, since we possess wisdom and perception very variant from them that enables us to come to understanding to see our lives as a interconnected rather than quantum. We are encouraged to carry out karma(action) optimally in accordance with our various dharma(eg Putri-dharma which means a daughter's responsibility. Or Shishya-dharma which means a student's responsibility). Our dharma is ultimately the responsibility to carry out, at any given moment, considering all possibilities, judicious action in such a way that causes the least harm to yourself,other people, and nature.
The key phrase is always "judicious action". There are instances where peaceful/non-violent/inclusive action cannot keep adharma in check, hence the path of war sometimes (Ramayana and Mahabharata) in order to eradicate adharma(which is an antonym to dharma).
Judicious action is time-evolving. What may seem judicious and responsible in today's context, will not be 1000 years from now. That is the greatest takeaway from the Mahabharata. The key to survival and to ensure humanity persists, is to evolve and practice dharma in context to your current existence in the time cycle.
Of course, one's understanding of the same role/responsibility or what is judicious is different from another's. Your goal should be to reach a state of equanimity which comes from honing our understanding of our dharma(duties) and also renouncing all self-attachment to it's consequences. Why do you seek this equanimity? How do you attain this equanimity? I shall elaborate further down.
How can be better optimize our understanding of our dharma/role? By meditating, empathizing and seeing ultimately that we are not separate from creation("Vasudeva Kutumbhakam", the world is my family). This will bring us the equanimity and inner bliss/peace(which is not affected by his physical/mortal surroundings) that is the true gift a righteous person attains and that an unrighteous/adharmic struggles to seek.And that is really the difference between the two.
What is Pantheism?
It is what is essentially preached in the Gita and it forms a very big component of a lot of Eastern philosophy. Pantheism is the belief that the Universe (or Nature as the totality of everything) is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent God. Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god. This line of thinking(non-duality between a soul and the divine/creator) is extensive in Advaita Vedanta.
What/Who is Brahman(when you do read about Advaita Vedanta)?
Brahman (/ˈbrɑːmən/; Sanskrit: ब्रह्मन्) is a spiritual concept in Hinduism, and it connotes the universal and ultimate Reality in the universe.It is the pervasive, genderless, infinite, eternal truth and bliss which does not change, yet is the cause of all changes. Brahman as a metaphysical concept is the single binding unity behind the diversity in all that exists in the universe.
Yes. I do understand how esoteric this sounds. First things first, Brahman =/= Brahma. Now, as Brahman is a concept, it is of course understood differently by all beings. As the Rig Veda suggests, "There is one truth, but many paths to the truth". That is clear in the various ways each Upanishad attempts to elucidate the concept of Brahman. (You can see what I mean when I say that a Hindu has no single law book. One can follow one text or an amalgamation of texts.)
Taittareya Upanishad describes Brahman in terms of Truth, Knowledge and Eternity.
Truth is recognised at two levels. One is empirical and the other is absolute Truth. These two levels of Truth can be explained with the help of an example. We experience sun rise in the east and sun set in the west. But in reality, the sun is stationary and appears to be in motion only due to earth's rotation. In the physical world, we see the various names and forms of creation; but in reality, it is nothing but the various manifestations of one Brahman/Supreme Consciousness/God. Therefore, every thing is Brahman.(Aham Brahmasmi).
This suggests that Brahman and creation are not dual/separate. This makes morality much easier for me(personally) to understand and adhere to.***
Now that I have explained all these terms and for the fact that CLEARLY the movie has made me think a lot and I do appreciate a lot of the concepts since they make sense to my sensibilities, why did I rate it so low? Because by the middle of the movie, I had guessed the plot twist. And once that happened, the excitement wore off. And that is always a huge no-no for me as a movie-goer. I still do appreciate the motifs depth of this film. :) Also, the acting was impeccable and remarkable. Not a huge fan of the soundtrack though. :/
Ok so there is my review of Pre-Destination. I hope this encourages some of you to catch it and see what I am talking about! I will be reviewing Into the Woods along with Taken 3 in the same post the next time I blog. I realize how much I rattled and really, even after almost 6 years of blogging, I still surprise myself on my own rattling skills hehe. #pro I also realize that blogging on a Friday night after a long and tiresome week(crammed with a module and internship) will probably lead to this post being incoherent in some ways. :/
If it strikes are as such to you, please comment for clarifications. :)
Shall be blogging next week perhaps!
***Of course, it can be argued that this is just another explanation for our existence and the universe. And to that I say, YES, it is just another explanation( for the concept of "God", which is taken in such an Abrahamic sense that I must seek to clarify). The more you read the Vedas and Samakhyas and Upanishads, you realize the various explanations and various ways of perceiving the existence/universe/God. For me, Hinduism is a means to make sense out of my sense of morality, my sense of justice and understanding of my existence and the universe. It offers me the freedom to analyse and flexibility to always change my views and deepen my understanding of my surroundings so that I can develop the sense of equanimity that brings peace. (refer to the part about Dharma) I have no fear of blasphemy or going to hell for my evolving understanding of morality or human nature or existence. It always leaves me pondering and understanding that nothing is absolute about my perception or understanding of creation(which is actually a great one line summary or Hinduism). That makes me humble to creation and its greatness and vastness because I realize how significant I am and yet how insignificant/worthless it would be to rigidly claim that my understanding is perfect or ultimate or to impose it on another being.
Firstly, I thank each and every person who commented, whether is was regarding any doubts about my views on certain things or just as simple as telling me to keep up my blogging habit. Thank you so much for the encouraging comments. :) Makes me realize that in this vast virtual world, I have a significant voice. As I cannot reply to each and every comment from the past...1 year or so, especially since some of them are on post that date back as far as my secondary school days, I will attempt to address some of the things that majority of them talked about.
As the title suggests, this post will be mainly about reviews regarding the movies I had listed in my back2school post which was a few months ago. I had received a few(to be precise, 8) comments asking me for a detailed review of those movies. I do not remember all the movies in perfect state, however, I will attempt to review it the way I perceived the messages in the movies and my personal takeaways. (keyword: personal. This is a PERSONAL blog. I am entitled to have the views I do. Of course, I am open to constructive criticism and discussion, since I am a firm believer that no idea or opinion should be shielded from critique. However, please, no hate remarks. Thank you!) I am so sorry for not keeping a track of the comments moderation section, I feel like it is an injustice to review now, considering the films are not fresh in my mind. I will still make a fair attempt though. :) Will be making individual posts for each review to ensure I don't cut up on any elucidation for the sake of time or space.
These were the original ratings I gave:
1.) Predestination (1/5) -English
2.) Into the Woods(2/5) -English
3.) Taken 3(2/5) -English
4.) Theory of Everything(3/5 because I espouse the concept of circular time) -English
5.) Chinnadana Nee Kosam(2.5/5)-Telugu
6.) PK(1.5/5) -Hindi
7.) Manam(3/5 just because it has Naga Chaitanya)-Telugu
Predestination
For people who have not watched this movie, and don't mind spoilers, please refer to the wiki page for the plot summary.Predestination was a really deep movie, for me. If you take apart/dissect the time travel component, what I personally took away was that you exist eternally. There is a reflection of you in your spouse, in your child, in the greatest villain and the biggest hero. You are not a discrete existing particle, but a phenomenon that is encompassed in all existence and time. Your actions(karma) make a difference. NOT to please any God or to go to heaven/hell, but because you are accountable. (You really have to watch this movie to get this drift.)
This line if thinking is a something I learnt from a semi-Pantheist quotation/philosophy within Hindusim. Now a lot of questions will arise.
What is Hinduism?
Hinduism describes God in various forms, e.g. monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic and even prods one to question or reject God completely, bordering on modern Atheistic schools of thought. Thus, whether you choose to believe in a single god, many gods, variant forms of god, or no god at all, you can still choose to be Hindu by choice, depending on which of the 6 schools of thoughts within the Dharma he/she chooses to subscribe to.
There was no concept of a believer or non-believer since the inception of the Dharma and everyone is equal in the eyes of Hinduism. Yes, even atheism is accepted as a valid path under Hinduism. In fact one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy (Samkhya Shastra) deals with the atheistic world view. (Note: as far as my reading goes, there's 2 schools of thoughts among the 6 that promote the questioning of God as an entity)
Holy/Ancient scriptures are important but a Hindu is not ordered to be bound by what is written in scriptures. He/She is free to question what is written in scriptures and reject whatever does not seem reasonable to him/her. There is no concept of blasphemy in Hinduism.
There are many modes of worship in Hinduism.(No, Hindus were/are not all idol worships/"pagan" ritual followers. Though there is nothing wrong with that form of worship.Also, Yoga happens to be one of them.) Everyone is free to choose his preferred mode of worship as per his liking, philosophical inclination and intelligence. This world is plural in nature with people of different intelligence, different spiritual inclination and different emotional disposition. Hinduism allows for plurality in modes of worship.
What is Hinduism? Dharma(duty, righteousness).Seeking Dharma.
What is Dharma?
Dharma is one's various responsibilities and duties in accordance to the various roles they play in their existence. The course of action that a creature(any creature) should take to to the best of it's wisdom and adherence to it's roles and responsibilities to support the paradigm of existence/the universe. For example, the Tiger's dharma is to hunt and feed on it's prey.
Human (conscious) Dharma requires one to take into account all existence surrounding your life, as you (should make an attempt to) understand that you are not discrete or separate from creation(Srishti). We are not encouraged to act on impulse like an other animals would, since we possess wisdom and perception very variant from them that enables us to come to understanding to see our lives as a interconnected rather than quantum. We are encouraged to carry out karma(action) optimally in accordance with our various dharma(eg Putri-dharma which means a daughter's responsibility. Or Shishya-dharma which means a student's responsibility). Our dharma is ultimately the responsibility to carry out, at any given moment, considering all possibilities, judicious action in such a way that causes the least harm to yourself,other people, and nature.
The key phrase is always "judicious action". There are instances where peaceful/non-violent/inclusive action cannot keep adharma in check, hence the path of war sometimes (Ramayana and Mahabharata) in order to eradicate adharma(which is an antonym to dharma).
Judicious action is time-evolving. What may seem judicious and responsible in today's context, will not be 1000 years from now. That is the greatest takeaway from the Mahabharata. The key to survival and to ensure humanity persists, is to evolve and practice dharma in context to your current existence in the time cycle.
Of course, one's understanding of the same role/responsibility or what is judicious is different from another's. Your goal should be to reach a state of equanimity which comes from honing our understanding of our dharma(duties) and also renouncing all self-attachment to it's consequences. Why do you seek this equanimity? How do you attain this equanimity? I shall elaborate further down.
How can be better optimize our understanding of our dharma/role? By meditating, empathizing and seeing ultimately that we are not separate from creation("Vasudeva Kutumbhakam", the world is my family). This will bring us the equanimity and inner bliss/peace(which is not affected by his physical/mortal surroundings) that is the true gift a righteous person attains and that an unrighteous/adharmic struggles to seek.And that is really the difference between the two.
What is Pantheism?
It is what is essentially preached in the Gita and it forms a very big component of a lot of Eastern philosophy. Pantheism is the belief that the Universe (or Nature as the totality of everything) is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent God. Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god. This line of thinking(non-duality between a soul and the divine/creator) is extensive in Advaita Vedanta.
What/Who is Brahman(when you do read about Advaita Vedanta)?
Brahman (/ˈbrɑːmən/; Sanskrit: ब्रह्मन्) is a spiritual concept in Hinduism, and it connotes the universal and ultimate Reality in the universe.It is the pervasive, genderless, infinite, eternal truth and bliss which does not change, yet is the cause of all changes. Brahman as a metaphysical concept is the single binding unity behind the diversity in all that exists in the universe.
Yes. I do understand how esoteric this sounds. First things first, Brahman =/= Brahma. Now, as Brahman is a concept, it is of course understood differently by all beings. As the Rig Veda suggests, "There is one truth, but many paths to the truth". That is clear in the various ways each Upanishad attempts to elucidate the concept of Brahman. (You can see what I mean when I say that a Hindu has no single law book. One can follow one text or an amalgamation of texts.)
Taittareya Upanishad describes Brahman in terms of Truth, Knowledge and Eternity.
Truth is recognised at two levels. One is empirical and the other is absolute Truth. These two levels of Truth can be explained with the help of an example. We experience sun rise in the east and sun set in the west. But in reality, the sun is stationary and appears to be in motion only due to earth's rotation. In the physical world, we see the various names and forms of creation; but in reality, it is nothing but the various manifestations of one Brahman/Supreme Consciousness/God. Therefore, every thing is Brahman.(Aham Brahmasmi).
This suggests that Brahman and creation are not dual/separate. This makes morality much easier for me(personally) to understand and adhere to.***
Now that I have explained all these terms and for the fact that CLEARLY the movie has made me think a lot and I do appreciate a lot of the concepts since they make sense to my sensibilities, why did I rate it so low? Because by the middle of the movie, I had guessed the plot twist. And once that happened, the excitement wore off. And that is always a huge no-no for me as a movie-goer. I still do appreciate the motifs depth of this film. :) Also, the acting was impeccable and remarkable. Not a huge fan of the soundtrack though. :/
Ok so there is my review of Pre-Destination. I hope this encourages some of you to catch it and see what I am talking about! I will be reviewing Into the Woods along with Taken 3 in the same post the next time I blog. I realize how much I rattled and really, even after almost 6 years of blogging, I still surprise myself on my own rattling skills hehe. #pro I also realize that blogging on a Friday night after a long and tiresome week(crammed with a module and internship) will probably lead to this post being incoherent in some ways. :/
If it strikes are as such to you, please comment for clarifications. :)
Shall be blogging next week perhaps!
***Of course, it can be argued that this is just another explanation for our existence and the universe. And to that I say, YES, it is just another explanation( for the concept of "God", which is taken in such an Abrahamic sense that I must seek to clarify). The more you read the Vedas and Samakhyas and Upanishads, you realize the various explanations and various ways of perceiving the existence/universe/God. For me, Hinduism is a means to make sense out of my sense of morality, my sense of justice and understanding of my existence and the universe. It offers me the freedom to analyse and flexibility to always change my views and deepen my understanding of my surroundings so that I can develop the sense of equanimity that brings peace. (refer to the part about Dharma) I have no fear of blasphemy or going to hell for my evolving understanding of morality or human nature or existence. It always leaves me pondering and understanding that nothing is absolute about my perception or understanding of creation(which is actually a great one line summary or Hinduism). That makes me humble to creation and its greatness and vastness because I realize how significant I am and yet how insignificant/worthless it would be to rigidly claim that my understanding is perfect or ultimate or to impose it on another being.
Comments