Nothing Exists Save Empty Space...

[Severus Snape]

...and you are but a thought.



Mark Twain's "The Mysterious Stranger" gets a claymation makeover. Discuss your thoughts on the video here.

I personally thought it was brilliant--and an accurate depiction of the pathetic in human nature, as demonstrated by the "people" the children made. How quickly things turn to ruin.

"I find you humans quite interesting, even though you are a worthless, greedy lot." How true.

 

[MJ~And~Me]

i dont get it:no:

 

[Anna]

Wow, what a bleak point of view. I will say that human beings are capable of great evils, but we are also capable of great beauty and kindness. At our core is the essence of how we came to be, the essence of all life in the universe, the thing that connects us to everything else in existence: and that is love. Just look at people like Michael, he was one of those most knowledgeable of this ultimate truth.

To only be able to see the badness and darkness in things is very sad and I feel sorry for people who see the world like that.

 

[Severus Snape]

Wow, what a bleak point of view. I will say that human beings are capable of great evils, but we are also capable of great beauty and kindness. At our core is the essence of how we came to be, the essence of all life in the universe, the thing that connects us to everything else in existence: and that is love. Just look at people like Michael, he was one of those most knowledgeable of this ultimate truth.

To only be able to see the badness and darkness in things is very sad and I feel sorry for people who see the world like that.

I take it Mark Twain is probably not one of your favourite writers, then.

Well, look at what happens to people like Michael--the best of the human race is always met with nothing but abuse by the majority of people, who are nothing to be admired, in my humblest of opinions. Most people are petty and dishonest, unfortunately, which is why the world is such a mad place.

In any case, what do you think about the film itself?

 

[Anna]

I take it Mark Twain is probably not one of your favourite writers, then.

Well, look at what happens to people like Michael--the best of the human race is always met with nothing but abuse by the majority of people, who are nothing to be admired, in my humblest of opinions. Most people are petty and dishonest, unfortunately, which is why the world is such a mad place.

In any case, what do you think about the film itself?

I think it's creepy. But I like that. No, I do like Mark Twain. And as a writer myself, I tend to get quite bleak at times, but there's always the other element to. The beauty and hope you can find even in darkness. And despite our flaws, I believe we all have it in us to be good, because I think that's our true nature.

 

[Severus Snape]

i dont get it:no:

The little clay people represent humans, and how self-important they think they are, that everything is centered around them.

Although the claymation segment concerns The Mysterious Stranger, I think a quote from Twain's Letters From the Earth sums up the human experience a bit more concretely:

"He [man] thinks he is the Creator's pet. He believes the Creator is proud of him; he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him; sits up nights to admire him; yes, and watch over him and keep him out of trouble. He prays to Him, and thinks He listens. Isn't it a quaint idea?"

In other words, humans attribute so much importance to their own affairs, like the clay people made by the children do--the clay king seeks to rule over all the other clay people, the two clay people fight over the clay cow, etc. very much in the same manner we go about our lives, but they're all reduced to nothing when a natural disaster strikes, and the Clay King even cries out to the heavens, as if it was some sort of plague rained down upon him. When all is just utterly insignificant, because nothing exists save empty space, and they are but a thought.

 

[Severus Snape]

I think it's creepy. But I like that. No, I do like Mark Twain. And as a writer myself, I tend to get quite bleak at times, but there's always the other element to. The beauty and hope you can find even in darkness. And despite our flaws, I believe we all have it in us to be good, because I think that's our true nature.

I thought it was excellent, but a lot of YouTubers seem to find it creepy, so you're not alone in that one.

Ah, philosophy. What is good, and what is evil, is the question that is forever posed before us, isn't it? It all comes down to, like you said, belief. I personally think that chemical imbalances in our heads tend to influence our behaviour, and the whole "good" and "bad" thing is just a human invention--they don't really exist outside our own creation and belief in them.

 

[Anna]

I thought it was excellent, but a lot of YouTubers seem to find it creepy, so you're not alone in that one.

Ah, philosophy. What is good, and what is evil, is the question that is forever posed before us, isn't it? It all comes down to, like you said, belief. I personally think that chemical imbalances in our heads tend to influence our behaviour, and the whole "good" and "bad" thing is just a human invention--they don't really exist outside our own creation and belief in them.

We are certainly influenced by the chemical imbalances. I have a chemical imbalance, that's why I take Prozac.
But I believe it is also much deeper than that. We can choose to go against our physical feelings or imbalances. And we can. I have proven that to myself many times.

 

[Severus Snape]

We are certainly influenced by the chemical imbalances. I have a chemical imbalance, that's why I take Prozac.
But I believe it is also much deeper than that. We can choose to go against our physical feelings or imbalances. And we can. I have proven that to myself many times.

Maybe. That is all dependent upon belief, though--there is nothing that can scientifically prove things like that.

 

[Anna]

Maybe. That is all dependent upon belief, though--there is nothing that can scientifically prove things like that.

I have proof. :cheeky: The imbalance in my head tells me that if I go outside I will drop dead of a heart attack (yes, this is how I used to think). But something else drives me to face that challenge. Something sparks a hope in me that if I go outside I will be fine. And something tells me that this is something I have to do. Despite all the physical feelings of fear, anxiety, impending doom and a belief I could be about to die, I can overcome it. We are not ruled by the physical processes in our heads. They affect us definitely, but we are far from slaves to feelings. It's harder to go against them, than to go with them, but much more rewarding in the end.

 

[Severus Snape]

I have proof. :cheeky: The imbalance in my head tells me that if I go outside I will drop dead of a heart attack (yes, this is how I used to think). But something else drives me to face that challenge. Something sparks a hope in me that if I go outside I will be fine. And something tells me that this is something I have to do. Despite all the physical feelings of fear, anxiety, impending doom and a belief I could be about to die, I can overcome it. We are not ruled by the physical processes in our heads. They affect us definitely, but we are far from slaves to feelings. It's harder to go against them, than to go with them, but much more rewarding in the end.

The thought itself is irrational, though. So the danger perceived is not real. That doesn't prove that there is such things as "good" or other invented human concepts, though, which is more what I was getting at. Since the irrational thought is only a part of your head, it only seems plausible that you would be able to combat it--we aren't a slave to our feelings, in this you are correct, that's why we have reason.

However, things put against a universal reality...that's more of what the scientific is, and thus far there is no scientific proof that "good" or "evil" exist, nor will there ever be, because these concepts are an invention of humanity, and belong more in the realm of philosophy and the abstract.

With that being said, human phobias are pretty interesting.

 

[Anna]

We use language to assign meaning - "good" "bad" etc, but I think the idea of wrong and right can be universal in some cases. Not just belief. For example, the destruction of life. Killing something. You have destroyed something that was meant to exist. So that is a wrong against nature and it's process itself. Whether we use our own language to define it or not, it is still an aversion to the natural order of the universe and the thing that spawned our very existence.

 

[Severus Snape]

We use language to assign meaning - "good" "bad" etc, but I think the idea of wrong and right can be universal in some cases. Not just belief. For example, the destruction of life. Killing something. You have destroyed something that was meant to exist. So that is a wrong against nature and it's process itself. Whether we use our own language to define it or not, it is still an aversion to the natural order of the universe and the thing that spawned our very existence.

How do you justify eating, then? To eat, you have to kill an animal, or a plant. What makes it less worthy of existence than you?

It is true that our language grants things meaning, but these things are inventions, illusory concepts, which do not in and of themselves exist, nor can they be found in nature.

 

[Krshna28]

I've seen this before..........

Apparently it's a banned children's show.............


But there are some truth's in the film.............

We humans have destroyed more then any other living beings............

...........and we are still failing to save most of the remaining natural world..............

..........The very fact that we can never achieve real peace means that we will ultimately destroy each other!!!!!!

 

[Anna]

How do you justify eating, then? To eat, you have to kill an animal, or a plant. What makes it less worthy of existence than you?

It is true that our language grants things meaning, but these things are inventions, illusory concepts, which do not in and of themselves exist, nor can they be found in nature.

I am a vegan, so I try to have as little impact as I can on the earth and animals. But obviously I have to eat plants if I want to stay alive. It's necessary. But being necessary doesn't make it right. If I could survive by eating nothing, I would. But I can't.

On the topic of "Do things exist?", that can go many ways. But in terms of physically being able to percieve them, they do. They exist in some form to our senses.


Anyway, I'm out. Because we seem to have diverted from the original point of this thread. But it's been fun. I do love philosophy.