June 30, 2010
re. TotoroAmen. The reason why I purchase so many DVD TV shows and movies 1980's and prior. To see the craft of acting still alive. To view something positive and bright. To have a simple laugh. To feel a sense of commonality and community once again.
I watched an episode of Green Acres last night and just laughed my ass off. Switched over to regular TV for a minute to catch some news on the Internet.
Looked up at the TV for a moment and another dark ugly crime drama. Everyone wearing dark colors, sour puss expressions, ugly picture of a dead guy being shown blood coming out of his mouth and eye sockets. Just shook my head. Said a prayer to God telling him it would be okay if this were my last day on Earth.
-Dan
Dan,
Indeed - whatever troubling these times may be, and no question they are - we should not allow ourselves, in our efforts to understand, and as for some, to unmask the evil that is threatening mankind, to be too heavily overwhelmed by the sheer weight of it all. As, can we, can one man ever carry this weight on his shoulders, in his mind, in his heart? He can't, we can't! Nietzsche, and he must have known, gave us a warning: "When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." - This wisdom is definitely essential for everybody who has the courage or feels the responsibility to face the beast. As the whole of mankind is now wandering on a highly critical path, so is the individual, knowingly or not. Therefore we need to be equipped!
And the only thing that can clothe us and, God willing, shield us is the faith in, more than that: the absolute certainty about His immanent Presence in everything and, yes, in everyone; in other words: about His all-permeating Reality! No one and nothing can ever exist without Him as Creator as well as Maintainer. No one and nothing on this Earth and in the whole universe has received the spark of life from another source but Him. "If the eye were not sun-like, the sun's light it would not see," wrote Goethe. And, true: everyone, even the most dark and wicked, carries at least this initial spark of life within himself, that is unspoiled beauty and innocence by nature.
Therefore Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Understanding this quintessence of true religion and spirituality gives a great deal of peace of mind - as well as inner strength.
One magnificent illustration for such strength in the midst of troubled waters - if one chooses to look at it that way, and this again leads us to Japan - could be the famous Japanese woodcut of 1831, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai, that is part of the series "36 Views of Mount Fuji." Although we Westerners understand little of the subtle sense of beauty as well as the precise depiction of the moment in Japanese art, let alone the power and majesty that emanate from quiet calm, intense viewing of such art does hold, even for us, possible surprise and insight.
This woodcut is, in many ways, a paradox: despite being part of a series on Mount Fuji, it seems to be, even by its title, about a giant wave, in the midst of which several boats seem to be struggling. Are they? The colors are bright, the mood of the picture is one of joyous tranquility. The scene appears almost like a happy boat-race rather than a situation of danger. A lovely dance on the waves that seem to be smiling rather than life-threatening. The men in the boats, like children, appear perfectly safe. Now, what is finally giving this sense of security, what creates this confusing, almost comical contradiction? It's the peaceful presence of Mount Fuji in the far background, though seemingly tiny and small compared to the huge waves that at first completely absorb the viewer's attention. - What symbolism! Once the stable foundation of child-like trust and faith, even surrender, is there, no waves, whatever giant, can threaten you; you're going to be backed and sheltered, no matter what!
Henry Makow is the author of A Long Way to go for a Date. He received his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Toronto. He welcomes your feedback and ideas at
