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Landor

- 9 months ago

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The Corner: Rainn Wilson's English Teacher

A SoulPancake Exclusive with Raissa Landor

Soul Pancake #2. What’s happening in the movie of your life? What is its meaning?

“Consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures and each of them makes sense and carries a meaning yet the meaning of the whole film cannot be seen before its last sequence is shown…Doesn’t the final meaning of life, too, reveal itself, if at all, only at its end, on the verge of death?” (Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning)

You are the director of the movie of your life. What is the “through-line” of this movie? Where is it going? What is it about?

Do the individual moments of this film make sense? Do they reveal the meaning and purpose that “we all long for in the depth of our being?” According to Frankl, if we lack the awareness of a meaning worth living for, we are “haunted by the experience of an inner emptiness, a void within ourselves…we are caught in an “existential vacuum.”

Meaning can be found in many outlets and many different experiences. The power is in us. Meaning shapes our responses to life, our choices, and our sense of what is worth doing. As Frankl says, even an inevitable and unavoidable suffering represents an opportunity to create meaning by facing one’s suffering with courage and empathy for others.

Frankl has a suggestion: “Live as if you were living for the second time and had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now.” Such a mandate allows you to make a change in your life before it recedes into the past and is unchangeable.

This theme is also explored in Tolstoy’s “Death of Ivan Ilych.” Lying on his death bed, Ivan is anguished by the thought that “I did not live as I ought to have done…It is as if I had been going downhill while I imagined I was going up.” Ivan is monetarily and professionally successful, but he lacks love and a sense that his life has been worth living.

He wonders what he would have done differently if he had followed his earlier motto: “Respice Finem” (Regard the End.)

What would Regarding the End mean to you? What is the trajectory of the arc of your life? What, in the end, will you be most proud of? Looking back on the arc formed by your life, does it bear the weight of your scrutiny? What would you change?

What is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in?

Team SP

Landor

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I went from being an atheist to thinking I, and everyone, will achieve heaven on earth in the next decade. A huge bit of story behind that, I'll just leave it with I see the writing on the wall. It's coming, the end is near! Heheheh. A quick synopsis of what will happen is that every individual person will become a unique, distinct religion. We will all realize that human potential combined is the living bible. The world's population is the living, breathing bible. A rainforest-like library, where each person is a different chapter. The end result is we will have fun learning and living each others story. This, my friends, is heaven. I know I am 100% correct on this, just uncertain of the exact date when this occurs.

This us a lot of questions. Let's take them one at a time.
1) What would Regarding the End mean to you? You will not live forever. Seize opportunities when they are presented to you. Keep in mind that all things, for you, (both good and bad) come to an end, when your life does.

2) What is the trajectory of the arc of your life? I have no idea where I am going or where I will end up. My direction is unclear at the moment. But this may be because I am more oriented to the process than the destination. It matters less where you are going - it's the process of getting there where all the juicy learning takes place.

3) What, in the end, will you be most proud of? I hope I can leave this campground I call earth a little cleaner and nicer than I found it, for the next group that will come through and call it home. I hope I raised my children with love and tenderness, so they can be good stewards and contented people.

4) Looking back on the arc formed by your life, does it bear the weight of your scrutiny? Hind sight is always 20/20. I can see where I would have done things differently knowing what I know right now. Thing is, I didn't know it then. I did the best I could with the incomplete information I had at the time.

5) What would you change? I would have made self care a reflexive habit. I would have learned to play the piano really, really well, or developed a hobby that would be a lifelong source of pleasure....crochet, weaving, knitting, throwing pottery, etc.

I do not try to regard the end. For me, there is only now and what I can do with it. There is past and what I have learned from it, but it is only of value now.

The movie of my life began as one directed by others. Slowly, I took over direction and production for myself. The last chapter was my last employment and it was a starring role.

"And now the end is near and so I face the final curtain..." If I must regard that final curtain, the credits will say that I did the best I could.

themes: the effects of anger, naivety, savoring the journey, relationships are all about convenience, feelings pass, never lose hope

I am producing a documentary on the loss of property and life due to the hurricanes that have struck Clermont, Harbor, Miss. Outer Banks, N.C., Myrtle Beach, S. C., Galveston, Tex.And Datona Beach, Fl Only Datona Beach was prepared with 40 foot telephone poles driven in the sand before Beach houses were built with wind resistant roofsScience) Clermont Harbor had a devestating hurricane every 20 years and I am certain the huricane records will correlate in some way to time. The reason for this dissregard os science is due to the following.
As for the reference in The Hidden Words (Baha;ullah) regarding the covenent enered into on Mount Paran--this signifieth that in the sight of God the past,the present and the future are all one and the same--whereas relative to man, the past is gone and forgotten, the present is fleeting, and the future is within the realm of hope."Writings of Abdul-Baha"

Amy, the gorilla (Crichton "Congo") was perplexed by social metaphores for time. She conceived of the past as in front of her-because she could see it-and the future behind her -because it was still invisable. The essence of this documentary is "Science keeps us from being foolish, and religion without science and the New Laws of God results in death."

The meaning would be of everything love, finding myself, and enjoying what I want to do, but with that, obstacles and other illnesses would be embedded in this. I'd search and work hard until finally I'd crawl toward my goals beaten, bruised and defeated but proud of my accomplishments. That's how my movie would end but near the end I'd expect something crazy to occur but I can't pinpoint what it would be.

to find things and experience things that i love and have an extreme passion for so i can share and create and interact with my enviroment and the people around me. and to have good co-stars haha

This post reflects my experience , strength and hope related to the question of the "meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in" .
Please understand the mention of "God" presented here is that of ones "higher power as we understood it" ,that can be the virtues and attributes of God the group one belongs to ( for example your religion ), the scientific method of research , etc.
Victor Frankel was a psychiatrist who survived a concentration camp.
He was surrounded by death, suffering and constant starvation .
He also witnessed acts of human nobility.
It was there that he composed a new treatment philosophy , Logo Therapy-Logo= meaning.
This approach to therapy was called the " third estate " of psychiatry. The first two were the Freudian and Jungian perception of the nature of people and always to treat those outside the norm .
Alice Miller, a neo-Jungian, who wrote about a nation of individuals becoming insane ( Germany) saying ", "It's not important what happens to you. It's how you feel about yourself with regard to what happens to you."
Two ways to view tests and difficulties we face in our lives is to believe that some tests come which come to us are from God.
God knows our potential and these tests are given to call to upon our potential. God never tests us beyond our ability to endure.We are even told to pray for these kinds of tests !
The other kinds of tests we face are those we bring upon ourselves. These can go on forever and forever . We often test our self beyond our ability to endure.
One test I have have dealt with is handling finances. I will face these tests until I overcome them.
Then God sends us tests , in my case to finances , to sort of check in with to me see how I am doing , the first kind of tests .
Throughout this process, we can grow closer to God ( heaven is within) or more distant ( hell , also within).
Hegel's dialectic materialism , states that we cover the same territory again and again at higher levels of functioning.
This takes the form of an upward moving spiral where we cover the the same ground over and over( my difficulty related to finances in this case. )
This takes a view of human behavior where we experience a testing of our own personal thesis , on how to handle these tests , this would be the first kind of test.
Our reality often presents an anti -thesis , where thesis didn't work out. This creates a new thesis and so on. It mirrors scientific/rational/experimental method.
Then the is the phenomena of natural disasters or death of a loved one..these justs happen as a part of life...where can pray , "is there any remover of difficulty save God?".
The most bothersome tests can be our "defects of character".
These defects can be overcome by our thoughts ,beliefs , and actions ..
The twelve steps of A. A . , a spiritual not religious program of recovery for addiction and alcoholism by confronting and dealing with "defects of character " . This elegant and reasonably effective program can and is used by non-addicts also . cognitive behavioral therapy ) where identifies and copes with ones "stinking thinking " or rational emotive therapy if one sees that one could benefit from help .
In regard to our self perception and our perception and of others....
“ (The ever advancing civilization) has succeeded in developing a culture which promotes a way of thinking, studying, and acting, in which all consider themselves as treading a common path of service – supporting one another and advancing together, respectful of the knowledge that each one possesses at any given moment and avoiding the tendency to divide the ( people) into categories such as deepened and uninformed – is an accomplishment of enormous proportions.
And therein lie the dynamics of an irrepressible movement."-
an edited statement of the U.H.J.

"What would Regarding the End mean to you?" If I am aware, it would mean that I will reflect on my life and see if I missed something, didn't do something I promised myself I would do, etc.

"What is the trajectory of the arc of your life?" My life trajectory is starting to taper down. It is inevitable at 61yo.

"What, in the end, will you be most proud of?" My children and the many lives I saved as a nurse. Also, those I have taught anything to, anything positive.

"Looking back on the arc formed by your life, does it bear the weight of your scrutiny?" Oh yeah!

"What would you change?" I would change nothing, for I might not have my children if I were to eliminate some of the bad things in my life, like my husband.

"What is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in?" The same as my autobiography, unfinished! ;-)

I think it would be about how you plan for your life in one way and so thought that's the way it was supposed to happen, but it ends up not working out. Then your life ends up going in an entirely different direction and you start to realize this was the way it was meant to be all along.

work. work. work. i want to work. not to make money. but to work.....it's a comedy.

In the driest desert..a flower can still blossom..

What is the meaning of the movie that is my life? It's about my hardships of struggle and how I'll reach the top. Get the girl and live happily ever after. At least, I hope.

whatever it is it's inspired by Larry David

All my conflicts .. lead back to love.
I'm a socialist because I believe in justice and equality .. goodness and decency.
It's all very beautiful .. it all leads back to Love.

What is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in?

Love realized.

"If I were the director of a movie of my life", is that what you mean?

cause if you mean literarly what you said in the beginning, that doesn't make sense to me.

iii QUOTE IIII say you are the director of the movie of your life iii QUOTE III.

Which, with all due respect, is like a small man walking up to you, and you saying "I say you are small".

Basically, what you are suggesting with that phrase is that in reality, people do not manage their lives, however with your suggestion, we can pretend that we do.

Which again, to me, and without meaning to dis respect you, makes absolutely no sense to me....

Unless there are things that you are aware of which we are not, are you the oracle from the Matrix? ;)

Just kidding, but honestly I can't reply until I understand what your question is better.

Oh, but I can, literarly take your last paragraph :

iiii What would regarding the end mean to you?" iiii

It would mean keeping in mind what my important objectives, if I have any, would be so as not to regret not having attained or at least tried to attain them once I'm on my death bed

iii What is the trajectory of the arc of your life? iii

Up, down, left right, forwards backwards, in and out. That's 4 dimensions, but if you time to it, that makes 5.
Looking at it in 4 dimensions, I can't say, cause I don't see the boundaries and don't have any points of reference except for geographical ones which don't apply to "my life trajectory" (in my view), I don't have a map, I don't have any other perspective other than my own and what I can make out of other people's, but that doesn't identify (or at least I can't manage to) my "position" let alone my "pogress" and "direction".

But if you add the time dimension, then that acts as an axis, on which it's easy to say that the trajectory arc is not an arc at all, rather a graph, focusing becoming steep when it feels like time slows down and becoming linear when it feels like time is passing by fast. However, it is irremedialy moving towards the end.

iiii What, in the end, will you be most proud of? iii
My attitude, my courage, my determination, my resiliance and adaptability, my strength and sincerity.

iiii Looking back on the arc formed by your life, does it bear the weight of your scrutiny? iiii

My scrutiny and foresight does influence what direction I take, as I learn from mistakes and experience, but I don't see that as a weight at all. To be honest, it can and probably did, but it also often sped things up.

iii What would you change? iii
About what? My life? I don't know, I'd have to get to the end of the movie first to figure that one out.

iiii In short, what is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in? iiii

That depends on what you mean by meaning. What is the meaning of any movie? What is the meaning of a particular movie? Does Labyrinth or Alice in Wonderland have more meaning than American Pie or American History X? Does the Truman Show have only one meaning?

Are you looking for "a moral to the story"? Or "a purpose for making the movie"?

What grand meaning is supposed to be revealed to me in this life? Hmmm... In the end I hope to find that I simply made a difference for the better in this world; lived happily doing what I love & hopefully I learn to be more carefree. Reminder to self: MUST take more risks...plus l wish to see myself as a success in my own eyes.

SoulPancake

Landor

The Corner: Rainn Wilson's English Teacher

What is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in?

Pac

Me2You

joecounsel

BlackSocks

themes: the effects of anger, naivety, savoring the journey, relationships are all about convenience, feelings pass, never lose hope

Hali

SoulEscape

IfOnlyICould

to find things and experience things that i love and have an extreme passion for so i can share and create and interact with my enviroment and the people around me. and to have good co-stars haha

synergy

RosieFullyRiveted

arresteddevelopment

I think it would be about how you plan for your life in one way and so thought that's the way it was supposed to happen, but it ends up not working out. Then your life ends up going in an entirely different direction and you start to realize this was the way it was meant to be all along.

immastereo

work. work. work. i want to work. not to make money. but to work.....it's a comedy.

pain1990

In the driest desert..a flower can still blossom..

sunnysideyim

What is the meaning of the movie that is my life? It's about my hardships of struggle and how I'll reach the top. Get the girl and live happily ever after. At least, I hope.

babypinkbutt

whatever it is it's inspired by Larry David

Socialist

All my conflicts .. lead back to love.
I'm a socialist because I believe in justice and equality .. goodness and decency.
It's all very beautiful .. it all leads back to Love.

Socialist

What is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in?

Love realized.

Inzababa

Yetti83

The Corner: Rainn Wilson's English Teacher

What is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in?

themes: the effects of anger, naivety, savoring the journey, relationships are all about convenience, feelings pass, never lose hope

to find things and experience things that i love and have an extreme passion for so i can share and create and interact with my enviroment and the people around me. and to have good co-stars haha

I think it would be about how you plan for your life in one way and so thought that's the way it was supposed to happen, but it ends up not working out. Then your life ends up going in an entirely different direction and you start to realize this was the way it was meant to be all along.

work. work. work. i want to work. not to make money. but to work.....it's a comedy.

In the driest desert..a flower can still blossom..

What is the meaning of the movie that is my life? It's about my hardships of struggle and how I'll reach the top. Get the girl and live happily ever after. At least, I hope.

whatever it is it's inspired by Larry David

All my conflicts .. lead back to love.I'm a socialist because I believe in justice and equality .. goodness and decency. It's all very beautiful .. it all leads back to Love.

What is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in?Love realized.

What's Next?

All my conflicts .. lead back to love.
I'm a socialist because I believe in justice and equality .. goodness and decency.
It's all very beautiful .. it all leads back to Love.

What is the meaning of the movie that you are producing, directing, starring in?

Love realized.