In the morning with the dew,
that is all I want to see:
what clears out the old
and brings up the new.
lunes, 24 de noviembre de 2014
domingo, 23 de noviembre de 2014
miércoles, 12 de noviembre de 2014
THE ART OF LOVING
First of all, I'd like to say that it has been a pleasant activity to reread Eric Fromm's The Art Of Loving, as I had already "discovered" it in the year 1994.
The main intention of the book is clear to the author, and he will make his point through all the chapters: love is an art, something that requires knowledge and effort. His concept of love is the consequence of a conscientious work, not something that happens by chance.
He reinforces his idea of love as a struggle by mentioning three mistakes that people make when they love: the first one consists of the notion of passive love (being loved) rather than active love (love somebody or something).
The second usual mistake is to conceive love as an object instead of as an ability to be increased and developed through willingness, willpower and convenience. In fact, the belief of romantic love is very recent, and this vision has demolished the concept of love as a faculty in the world today, as it follows the path of consumism. In that way, we seek love as if we were looking for new clothes or shoes from a shop window.
And the third mistake he sees is that people should stand in love instead of falling or being in love. This means that after being able to pass all the stages of love, even with its rough patches, there is nothing easier in life than to love.
Finally, the writer reinforces the thought of love as an art by pointing out that you have to be dominant both in theory and practice, and the proficiency of the art must be a topic of ultimate concern, that is, to have no other purpose than benefit your spirit.
First of all, I'd like to say that it has been a pleasant activity to reread Eric Fromm's The Art Of Loving, as I had already "discovered" it in the year 1994.
The main intention of the book is clear to the author, and he will make his point through all the chapters: love is an art, something that requires knowledge and effort. His concept of love is the consequence of a conscientious work, not something that happens by chance.
He reinforces his idea of love as a struggle by mentioning three mistakes that people make when they love: the first one consists of the notion of passive love (being loved) rather than active love (love somebody or something).
The second usual mistake is to conceive love as an object instead of as an ability to be increased and developed through willingness, willpower and convenience. In fact, the belief of romantic love is very recent, and this vision has demolished the concept of love as a faculty in the world today, as it follows the path of consumism. In that way, we seek love as if we were looking for new clothes or shoes from a shop window.
And the third mistake he sees is that people should stand in love instead of falling or being in love. This means that after being able to pass all the stages of love, even with its rough patches, there is nothing easier in life than to love.
Finally, the writer reinforces the thought of love as an art by pointing out that you have to be dominant both in theory and practice, and the proficiency of the art must be a topic of ultimate concern, that is, to have no other purpose than benefit your spirit.
martes, 4 de noviembre de 2014
A FILM REVIEW
GONE GIRL
The last film I watched at the cinema was Gone Girl, and I must say that I was really astonished by it. It is not similar to anything I had watched in a long time.
David Fincher (The Fight Club) is the director of this film, released in cinemas in October 2014. It is based on Gillian Flynn's best-selling 2012 novel which used a page-turning plot line -the sudden disappearance of a smart, pretty married woman called Amy Elliott-Dune (played by Rosamunde Pike) to unpick the modern mania for presenting a perfect vision of ourselves to others, even though the truth, after all, lies underneath.
Ben Affleck plays the suffering and desperate husband. He plays a stunning character, and the director chose him on purpose since he represents the good American boy, with a bland personality.
What strikes more my attention is the way things change from one side to the other: the homme or the femme fatale. At first, you will probably wonder why this successful female writer is married to a rural boring man, and as the film moves on, you are shocked and intrigued by the events. The truth is constantly changing, and being revealed in the most fascinating way. Although it lasts more than two hours, you will not feel it is a long film. No one is indifferent after watching it. It is dark, intelligent and stylish to a fault.
Such is the reaction to the film in the USA, that it has created some controversy, and it has even been debated at late-night TV shows up to the point that some people may consider it a sexist film.
What I like the most about the film is the fact that sometimes, reality overcomes fiction, especially in the case of twisted, manipulative and dangerous people. For me, it is not a question of a man or a woman, it is the question of the human mind, no matter what gender you are.
The last film I watched at the cinema was Gone Girl, and I must say that I was really astonished by it. It is not similar to anything I had watched in a long time.
David Fincher (The Fight Club) is the director of this film, released in cinemas in October 2014. It is based on Gillian Flynn's best-selling 2012 novel which used a page-turning plot line -the sudden disappearance of a smart, pretty married woman called Amy Elliott-Dune (played by Rosamunde Pike) to unpick the modern mania for presenting a perfect vision of ourselves to others, even though the truth, after all, lies underneath.
Ben Affleck plays the suffering and desperate husband. He plays a stunning character, and the director chose him on purpose since he represents the good American boy, with a bland personality.
What strikes more my attention is the way things change from one side to the other: the homme or the femme fatale. At first, you will probably wonder why this successful female writer is married to a rural boring man, and as the film moves on, you are shocked and intrigued by the events. The truth is constantly changing, and being revealed in the most fascinating way. Although it lasts more than two hours, you will not feel it is a long film. No one is indifferent after watching it. It is dark, intelligent and stylish to a fault.
Such is the reaction to the film in the USA, that it has created some controversy, and it has even been debated at late-night TV shows up to the point that some people may consider it a sexist film.
A SONG
I WANT TO BREAK FREE BY QUEEN
I have chosen the song I want to break free by the British group Queen. This song was included in their album The Works, published in 1984.
It is one of the most emblematic and charismatic videos of the band, in which they parody a British soap opera, Coronation Street. The opening sequence features all the band members disguised as women: Mercury as a housewife pushing the hoover with a prominent moustache, Deacon as a grandmother, Taylor as a schoolgirl, and May as a housewife.
However, the video got some controversy since some people did not understand the reference, so it got banned by MTV in the USA. In fact, they did not get the peculiar British sense of humour. American people interpreted the aesthetics of the video as an open declaration of transvestism and the bisexual sexuality of Freddie Mercury.
At the end of the 1980s, this song became an anthem for the ANC in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was still in jail and the white government's apartheid policies were still in place.
Today, the song can also be an anthem for gay people. Actually, you can see it from many perspectives: a break up song, a feel good song, a male perspective of the women's liberation movement, etc. The song transmits strength through Mercury's voice, especially when they sing: "God knows, god knows I want to break free".
The message is full of hope and encouraging, and the thing I love about the song is that everyone, at some point of their lives, may have felt identified with the lyrics: who has not ever fallen in love? or who has not ever wanted to break free from whatever it is that makes you unhappy?
I have this video set in my memory as I was a little girl and I loved watching music videos, when they were music videos, in my grandmother's house: it could actually have been the first time that I would see a man disguised as a woman, acting as a housewife, a shock and a provocation for my seven-year-old mentality, but once again: who has not ever loved provoking?
I have chosen the song I want to break free by the British group Queen. This song was included in their album The Works, published in 1984.
It is one of the most emblematic and charismatic videos of the band, in which they parody a British soap opera, Coronation Street. The opening sequence features all the band members disguised as women: Mercury as a housewife pushing the hoover with a prominent moustache, Deacon as a grandmother, Taylor as a schoolgirl, and May as a housewife.
However, the video got some controversy since some people did not understand the reference, so it got banned by MTV in the USA. In fact, they did not get the peculiar British sense of humour. American people interpreted the aesthetics of the video as an open declaration of transvestism and the bisexual sexuality of Freddie Mercury.
At the end of the 1980s, this song became an anthem for the ANC in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was still in jail and the white government's apartheid policies were still in place.
Today, the song can also be an anthem for gay people. Actually, you can see it from many perspectives: a break up song, a feel good song, a male perspective of the women's liberation movement, etc. The song transmits strength through Mercury's voice, especially when they sing: "God knows, god knows I want to break free".
The message is full of hope and encouraging, and the thing I love about the song is that everyone, at some point of their lives, may have felt identified with the lyrics: who has not ever fallen in love? or who has not ever wanted to break free from whatever it is that makes you unhappy?
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