Exorcising the Demons: The Act of Killing

The Act of Killing

This is what an exorcism really looks like. Adults who try to teach children that they should think about consequences and consider they might have regret, use their words as examples of what it feels like. This documentary shows, really shows, what regret looks like. The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2014) is a documentary that follows former Indonesian death squad leaders as they reenact their war crimes, the murders they committed. They reenact precisely how they captured, interrogated, and garroted their victims, the “communists”. This is THE most disturbing film I think I have ever seen; this is the BEST teaching tool I’ve ever seen for youth in terms of attitude and regret.

 

In this film we have the self-proclaimed “gangsters”, proud of being such and sanctioned by a huge para-military faction established by the coup rulers and still in existence today, the Pancasila Youth. The gangsters identify themselves as heroes, characterized and supported by the cinematic images of American films of their youth. They are given an opportunity to tell their story through any medium they wish and they choose to make a film. They expect to become famous; they already are famous and revered in their home land. This film shows the thought processes of mass murderers in reflection, from arrogance and self-aggrandizement to (for some but not all) pensive and remorseful…almost.

 

The synopsis on the film's web site could not sum it up better, however the potential for this film in middle and high school classes is unspoken and evident to me. This film has purpose. At a developmental stage where children appropriately depend on their peers, they do not have the experience of regret to teach each other and are destined to have regrets, some potentially deafening, unless they “get it”. This film can help students “get” the impact of decision making to the “nth” degree, and demonstrates the process of self-justification, and the consequences both globally and personally of harming others in both minor and life-determining ways. Fortunately, for those who “get it”, this film also demonstrates that one can exorcise their demons and survive. Whether the students are children or adults, this last benefit is the most crucial, and necessary lesson of this film.

Photo: Favim.com

 Because we are “merely” human beings, we go through life with menial and self-centered purpose. This film has the potential to elevate our thinking, and our behavior, outside our selves. This film shows the cultural values of people, the influences that create those values, and so important to the "western" citizens, the consequences of those values and the attainment of the materials that represent the values; the things we hold to represent our status….the symbols that say “I made it!” This film is about the consequences of greed; it is the justification for being inhuman and inhumane.



Photo: TheGermansMakeGoodStuff Quote: George Orwell, Animal Farm

This is THE most disturbing film I can remember ever seeing (other than The Exorcist.) This is the most important film I’ve seen. This film is not as romantic as our idea of an exorcism might actually look like, but it is the only real exorcism I’ve seen portrayed. You must watch through to “get it”, but like any good film the cliff hanger at the end leaves you wanting more, and in this case wondering “Did he really get it?”, and hoping he does, and hoping I will get it too, when I exercise my own demons.

Tubes Tuesday: Deception

"The Woman Who Wasn't There" (2012) is a documentary film about one of those people who lie about everything. Tania Head wasn't there. She was not a survivor. She was not in the twin towers. She was not married or engaged to "Dave". She didn't have a dog. She wasn't a friend. Whether she was really nice is in question.

Memecenter.com

Tania Head did a lot of nice things for a lot of truly nice people who were truly nice survivors and family of survivors of what has become known as "9-11". She did it all as what cyberspace calls a "troll." She rubbed elbows with the mayor and got the gates of ground zero open to the WTC survivors group; she also influenced the board members of the group to dethrone the groups founder. She didn't do anything illegal though; she didn't sign papers or gain money. However she raped the emotions of a lot of people who loved her and cared about her because they believed her. I've never heard of such an extreme example of selfishness; however sociopaths are not capable of selfishness because they are not capable of identifying with others.

Like anyone else who watches this film or hears this story, the questions beg an answer: Why? What did she have to gain?

The way this film tells the story is excellent. The story is almost incredible. That people can do such a thing is so disheartening, almost as much so as the tragedy that Tania Head so much wanted to be a part of.

To Dream the Impossible Dream (Hmmm another song title!)

How do I want to feel today? My daily transformational question, gifted by the Desire Map. I want to feel creative, compassionate, and eloquent.

I had the best dream this morning, which surprises me. It surprises me because I went to bed tired enough to sleep at 10:30, got on my Facebook in bed, became engrossed and agitated by a post about mental illness, and didn't fall asleep until about 12:30. I've been having dreams in the last 2 months that have been totally atypical for me.

In this dream I was in India, and I was in the offices of my old job at Position 2.  I had blonde hair and actually had just had a conversation with a woman at the counter of the beauty shop as I paid for my services on the way out. I was cleaning a dishwasher that was also a clothes washer. Kelly Greene was there and so was a young man who was her boyfriend. Kelly had the power of telekinesis and she made a large book fly through the air and hit the boyfriend. The two made me feel like they were the couple from Twilight.

MandarinArts.co.uk

Next I was outside, and there was a kind of rummage sale. One of the guys, maybe Avinash, was showing off his find of these beautiful orange-brown, lotus shaped, ceramic bowls, with matching dipping trays. And I got excited to find some of my own and Avinash had a microphone in one hand and started singing about all the Indian  foods you can put in the bowls, and I sang with him about all the other foods and objects I could put in the bowl, and it was fun and funny, very Bollywood comical. Then off to the market I went. I began to feel desperate that I wouldn't find the bowls because there was so much stuff to look at, but then not only did I find them, but the ones I had found were different than the ones Avinash had. The bowls I had found were a turquoise-green/blue and they were not lotus shaped, they were Buddha shaped! They had five lobes, one for the head, two for the arms, two for the folded knees and flat on the bottom. And the dipping trays of the same color were about 1/2" deep with the same outline shape but they were not bowls, they were miniature trays for individual servings. If I had clay I would make them all right now!

WorldTraveler.eu

As I continued through the market and looked at many different things, I came to a stand where one older woman was laying down on a step riser where many of the wares surrounded her, and another more agile, younger (but older than me) woman sat with her legs tucked under her on the ground below. As I bent over to pick something up from one of the steps, I dropped something, but not out of clumsiness but rather out of loss of control of my body. And I felt like I knew what to do to respond to my body, but I was scared, and the women were not scared but were concerned. My entire body seized, and there was a pain (like when something you swallow gets stuck in your esophagus) which radiated out from my chest. I was not thinking "heart attack" so I don't think I was having one; instead I was thinking "you know how to handle this, relax, focus on the pain, find your center, So, Hum, breath". I closed my eyes, as I felt my body's falling sensation. And my mantra began...So (inhale) Hum (exhale) focus, and my third eye focused on a vision of a batik of Buddha with radiating light surrounding and going outward in rays from the head. And just like that, at that moment of clarity the pain went away, I had control of my body, I opened my eyes, I was still standing (maybe never really fell), and I took a deep breath. As I began my mantra, I was humming Ohm, and the two women also had been humming Ohm, and as they were humming I could feel their desire to help me and the confidence that prayer was the absolute only thing that could be done.

123rf.com

As I paid for my wares, leaving the market, another woman was at the counter. I didn't immediately recognize her, but she recognized me (I could tell by the way she was looking at me, with curiosity, not necessarily friendliness). She had her glasses on when I saw her earlier, but I remembered being impressed with her clothing, and it was that same clothing that brought recognition to me, because I had never seen her eyes until now. I said "Hello" in a way to acknowledge her stares, but also in a way that kept away conversation. There was an undercurrent of "I know you know me but you don't know me and you don't want to know me but you are compelled to know more about me and you want to take from me and I want to give to you but I do not trust you" and I felt drawn, and she felt drawn, and I felt fear and curiosity, and she felt desire and hate and love.

PoolPurrs.blogspot.com

I left and found myself going back to Position 2, walking joyfully with two other women, both younger, and hopping down the planter ledge, and giving my hand to the younger woman to help her down the ledge. And she asked, "How do you do that so easily, do you have a young child?" I respond, "Yes I do, but he's not a baby any more, he's tall now, very, very tall." That is the end of the dream, and I awake feeling like I'd been to a movie starring me. But I think the most important character was the woman in the sunglasses. So Hum, I Am....the woman in the glasses.


So that's "creative"; I think I'll post this to Story Lane. Now for compassionate and eloquent (well, maybe one might consider what I've written already to be eloquent); I had the intention of being both at the same time to communicate what agitates me as much as my dream gave me pleasure. Gun Control....you wanna talk about it, fine, but talk about the facts and the truth and for God's sake, do not anthropomorphize it, giving it the power to kill. A gun is a tool used by another to kill, whether they shoot a human or an animal or plant; people kill people and unlike corporations, guns are not people (snarky pun intended.)

My Fave! FunnyJunk.com

Don't talk about gun control without talking about the fact that more gun control cannot stop the problem that incited the conversation, the elementary school shooting. The only way to stop the problem is to understand the people who commit the crime, who pull the trigger. What is their mind like, their life, their environment? Understand they are different, the people and the reasons, from each other, that there is not just one explanation or type of person we can "keep from buying guns." If guns were not available at all, other weapons would be used. One death is as important as many, so really, the issue should not be that these are "mass" killings, but killings at all. The issue is the condition of being human in our society. Sometimes we can do something about the conditions of potential killers, however sometimes we cannot. When we can make life more joyous for another we should. When we cannot prevent a killer from killing, we must do what we can to protect everyone from violent outcomes. But we CAN NOT go around making blanket judgments that the mentally ill should be prevented from buying guns. What we can do is pay attention to who is buying enough weapons and body armor and ammunition that combine to a lethal threat should that be the intention.

Examiner.com

It seems to me a very simple solution. A computer database that analyzes purchases, which we already have in online shopping; "People who purchased this item also looked at these other items." To satisfy the needs of more control, we can require registration of all purchases of ammunition, chemicals, fire arms, body armor, and other materials that are factors in the equation we are trying to avoid completion of. As a database continually analyzes these purchases, a red flag can be raised when conditions are met that can be considered lethal. These people who have met these conditions should be simply asked their intentions, not arrested, nor harassed, just asked point blank "Why have you purchased these items, show them to us and how they are being stored." It does not matter if they are mentally ill, because not all people with mental illness kill, and not all killers have mental illness. Unfortunately we must trust a system that fails on a regular basis to allow us our freedom to live and protect and prepare ourselves, regardless of how we see fit to do that on a person by person basis. That is what will cause the down fall of our society, as it has increasingly already become the cause of mass killings and other crimes; our corrupt system of humans with power, who are not responsible, compassionate, or intelligent enough to wield that power.

LosAngelesTimes.com

ConservativeReport.org

 

BOOM!

How do I want to feel? Whole and complete and effective.

Much love,

Mona

Kony 2012 Propaganda and Critical Thinking

Yesterday I received a deluge of requests to pay attention to the campaign "Kony 2012".

At first I ignored it; there are so many problems locally that need attention, whatever Kony 2012 is, it is too much on top of what I already worry about. After that I saw a post "from the other side of the issue" that invited me to read BEFORE I watched the movie. I already had the movie "Invisible Children Kony 2012" cued to watch, so I decided to follow the instructions and read the "pre-show". I felt that the article posted on Siena-Anstis.com was well written, empathetic to the film, and brought up good points. This morning I watched the Invisible Children film, and it changed my opinion of the article, and really made me think both about the issue, and about the intentions of the Siena-Anstis article.

I felt strongly enough that I should blog about the statements made by both sides and went back to my Facebook sharing of the Siena-Anstis opinion article that I call the "pre-show". Funny thing, I could not connect to the article, and only received a database error. What I remembered most was how it stated that a particular scene indicated that the maker of Kony2012 was not equipped to let the protagonist Ugandan-friend-good-guy cry about the loss of his brother, and therefore was not equipped to truly understand what help they need. I felt the point was sincere, and agreed that it is important to allow a person's grief to be expressed despite an observer/helper's discomfort. Feeling the article important enough for this discussion I traveled through Google channels to get to the  Siena-Anstis article, which now appears completely different, and doesn't seem to mention the "tears". I suppose there could have been two or more articles written by them yesterday, but I'm glad I found this one! My posting is about intentions, and it is clearly a case of the pot (Siena-Anstis) calling the kettle (Kony 2012) black.

Siena Anstis, "On Invisible Children's Kony 2012": "commodifies white man’s burden on the African continent" "Commodifies" defined by Miriam Webster is to "turn into a commodity", something one would purchase. The first line was easily read without thought before seeing the movie; it supported my desire to ignore the issue. Was that the intention of Siena Anstis? Or was their intention to make me believe the campaign was arrogant and profit mongering? After having watched Kony2012, the only profit mongering I could see was the option to give a few dollars a month to Tri (charitable funding for Invisible Children), but it was a choice, it was not begged for, nothing left me feeling guilty for not being able to afford even a few dollars a month. I have a brain of my own, it works pretty well, and I will investigate how the money they collect is being sent.

Siena Anstis: "Their underlying message ... is not to be. [admired] ... poverty porn messaging ... based on emotional reactions. It fails to paint the full picture ... Portraying a region like Gulu as such, and sending the mass message that the whole continent reflects this, is damaging. It undermines possibilities of investment. It clouds story of entrepreneurship, success and innovation...Lumping the continent as one messy area". What does Siena Anstis want me to think, and what do I really think?

Another phrase easily thought nothing of on first reading, "poverty porn", after having seen the movie takes on great meaning. The movie asks nothing of me other than to reiterate the phrase "Kony 2012". It is not poverty porn, it does not play on my emotions in order for me to give monetarily. The movie does not talk about the regions of Africa as a whole. The movie does not portray any African community as unable to defend itself for any reason; the movie leaves me wondering why they can't do something on their own, and why they haven't been successful on their own, and it is up to me to find those answers, but at no time did I feel pity for an "unempowered" people with an arrogant too-bad-they're-not-as-good-as-us attitude. At no time did I feel compelled to think that there was no good, no possibility, no growth, no "enterpreneurship, success, and innovation" in the continent. The only thing close to that was the incitement of thinking about the possibilities of cultural differences that might answer why these people have been unsuccessful in defending their lives and livelihoods against this tyrant.

While writing this post, I felt a need to add links to it, and when I went to capture the link for the Invisible Children movie, I noticed at the bottom of the screen a Facebook "like". When I pressed the like I got an error message! Here's a screen capture; notice that Facebook has banned the link.

So, I decided I would find the direct link and go to the Invisible Children website through Google Search. The first link was a CBS report about the film going viral. I guess I better read that too!

Also along the lines of searching for links to add to this post, the donations repository Tri was mentioned, so I thought it should be linkable. Tri.com, per se, is not a website, so I clicked on the "donate" button from the Invisible Children website, and was directed to a donation page  whose url is "StayClassy"! Hmmmm.....