The Empathic Civilization- Jeremy Rifkin
Empathy and human relations are what is
responsible for filling life with passion, affection and allowing individuals
to understand what others are going through, along with adding a whole new
element to the journey of life. The word empathy is defined by Merriam-Webster
as “the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and
emotions: the ability to share someone else’s feelings.” The book The Empathic Civilization written by
Jeremy Rifkin focuses on the idea of human empathy, and how humans interact and
relate with one another. In Rifkin’s book he says, “Empathy is what allows us
to stretch our sensibility with another so that we can cohere in larger social
units” (Rifkin, Empathic Civilisation). This shows how humans use empathy to
group together in a way, and live their lives with a society of people who
understand what they are going through instead of living on their own. Also in
this book, Rifkin discusses how often times empathy is something that is linked
to pain or struggle. Rifkin states, “There's no empathy in Utopia because there
is no suffering. Empathy is grounded in the acknowledgement of death and the
celebration of life and routing for each other to flourish and be. It's based on
our frailties and our imperfections” (Rifkin, Empathic Civilisation). This just shows how empathy is something
derived from pain and suffering, and how without pain or suffering in life,
empathy would be non-existent. The main theme of the idea of empathy and how it
adds to the journey of life is the fact that it is something that creates
relationships, creates communities, and brings people together across the
world. In The Empathic Civilization,
Rifkin says, “When that earthquake hit Haiti and then Chile, but especially
Haiti, within an hour the Twitters came out and within two hours some cell
phone videos, YouTube; and within three hours the entire human race was in a
empathic embrace coming to the aid of Haiti” (Rifkin, Empathic Civilisation).
This displays how much power empathy truly possesses, and how it has the
capability of bringing people from across the world together to support a
country in need as a community. Clearly, empathy is something that plays a
massive role in forming the lives of individuals and adding to the journey of
their lives by filling them passion, affection, and the ability to relate to
the struggles of other people.
Craigslist Joe- Joseph Garner
Often
times, individuals live their lives sheltered in a bubble, and stepping out of
their comfort zone is the one thing that makes them truly see the adventure
filled world around them. The film Craigslist
Joe focuses on a man name Joseph Garner, and his month-long journey of
basically living life strictly through craigslist. This film is a perfect
example of how people can be so sheltered within the bubble of their self or
their society that they do not realize what surrounds them, and it is not until
they step outside of this bubble that they realize how much there really is to life.
In this film, Garner says, “Have we been so caught up in our own lives that we
don’t see life outside of our bubble?” (Garner, Craigslist Joe). This quote
directly states the fact that people are commonly stuck inside of this bubble,
and the only way to break out of it is to step out of their comfort zone. One
way that people can step out of this bubble of comfort is by connecting with
others, creating relationships, and building communities. One of the first
things that Garner discusses in Craigslist
Joe is exactly this, and it is shown when he says, “If you take a snapshot
of America today, what would it look like? Some say we’ve lost the sense of
community that used to carry us through tough times” (Garner, Craigslist Joe).
This shows how forming bonds and communities is something that society has lost
because of the lack of people seeking adventure and the lack of desire to step
out of comfort zones in life. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone can seem scary
to some, but it can return with very high rewards. Near the end of the film
Garner states, “The generosity,
and the stories that they share, and the connections I’ve made in one month is
so deep” (Garner, Craigslist Joe). This is just proof that often times the only
way to receive certain rewards is by taking risks. In the end, the bubble some
people choose to live in is something that restricts them greatly, and the only
way to see the world outside of this bubble is found through taking risks and
stepping out of comfort zones.
Seven Pounds
Life
is not something that can be taken for granted. It is delicate, unpredictable,
and can change in an instant, so it is crucial to live everyday like it is the
last. In the film Seven Pounds, there
are many themes found that focus on the idea of life being such a short,
fragile, and unpredictable thing. In the beginning of this film the
protagonist, Ben Thomas, is talking about a car crash that he caused that
killed seven people when he says, “In seven days, God created the world. And in
seven seconds I shattered mine” (Seven Pounds). This shows how easily an
individual’s life can be permanently changed in a matter of seconds. Another
thing that is discussed in this film is the idea of life being too short to not
live to the fullest, and it is never too late to change the path that an
individual may be going down in life. In this film there is a scene where Ben
and Emily are discussing life, and Ben states, “I haven’t treated myself very
well” and Emily responds by saying, “Well start now” (Seven Pounds). This exchange
of words between Ben and Emily shows the fact that there is no point in living
life in sadness or regret, and that it is never too late to turn the course of
one’s life around. Another theme that is found in this film that relates to the
idea of not taking life for granted is the theme of hope. Towards the end of
this film, Emily is talking to Ben when she says, “What if…my pager goes
off…and it’s a heart…and it works? And my body doesn’t reject it? And…what if I
have time? (Seven Pounds). When Emily says this it shows the hope and positive
outlook she has on life, and it shows how she never takes a day for granted
because for all she knows it could be her last. It is certain that life is a
very short and fragile thing, and it is not something that can be taken for
granted because all it takes is a few seconds for it to be changed forever.
Post-Traumatic Stress
Post-Traumatic Stress is a great example
of something that can take over one’s life, and control the way they live
unless they develop a way to properly deal with the symptoms and realize that
their past is something that cannot be changed. Post-Traumatic Stress is
something that is very powerful and something that can single-handedly dictate
how an individual lives their life. In the novel Ceremony written by Native American author Leslie Marmon Silko, the
protagonist, a half-white and half-Laguna man named Tayo, severely suffers from
symptoms of Post- Traumatic Stress that are present because of his time serving
in World War II. When discussing Tayo, this novel states, “He was tired of
fighting off the dreams and voices; he was tired of guarding himself against
places and things which evoked memories” (Silko 26). This quote shows how
powerful Post-Traumatic Stress can really be, and how vivid and painful some of
the visions and flashbacks that people suffer from can be. Another way that the
power of Post-Traumatic Stress is displayed can be seen through the difficulty
that comes along with healing it. In the book The Black Echo, the author Rick Warren explains, “You can’t patch a
wounded soul with a Band-Aid” (Connelly). This quote explains how it is not an
easy task to heal Post-Traumatic Stress, and how it is something that doesn’t
affect people just on the surface, but instead much deeper. One of the biggest
aspects of Post-Traumatic Stress that causes it to take over the lives of
people is the fact that it usually comes from people living in their past, and
not letting go of mistakes that they made.
In the book The Purpose Driven
Life: What on Earth Am I here For, written by Rick Warren, there is a quote
that says, “We are products of our past, but we don't have
to be prisoners of it” (Warren). This just shows how although the past is
something that makes individuals the way they are, they do not have to let this
dictate the way they live their lives, and they can always change the direction
in which their life is headed regardless of their past. Obviously,
Post-Traumatic Stress is a very powerful force, and it is something that can
easily take over an individual’s life unless they develop a way to properly
deal with the symptoms, and avoid living in the past.
PressPausePlay
A big part of the
adventure of life is found in the media. Whether it is following trends or
rebelling from them, the media plays a huge part in crafting individuals and
taking them through the journey of life. The film PressPausePlay is a documentary that focuses completely on media,
and the idea that the digital revolution that is taking over the world has
influenced the media greatly, thus influencing people and how they live their
lives. One way in which the media influences people is by bringing individuals
together from all parts of the world and all parts of life to create some sort
of community. In this documentary, Moby, a DJ well known for his electronic
music, states, “Almost everybody I meet in the world of art, music, literature or
creative expression, everybody is equally excited and afraid. Nobody really
knows where their next pay-check is coming from, but they’re really excited
about their ability to create and share their work” (Moby, PressPausePlay).
When Moby says this it shows how everyone involved in the world of art, music,
literature, and creative expression can show empathy for one another because
they all go through similar experiences at some point in their lives, and they
understand what each other are going through. Another thing discussed in this
film, is the fact that individuals who have a true passion for producing media
such as music, literature, and film aren’t doing it for the money, but instead
because they want to express ideas and emotions to people across the
world. In this film, Seth Goodwin, an
American entrepreneur and author, explains, “People don’t become artists because they want
to become rich. They become artists because they have an idea to share. Or an
emotion to share” (Seth Godin, PressPausePlay). This directly shows how
individuals involved in these departments are involved simply because they have
a true passion for what they do, not because they are seeking fame and money. One
more very significant topic that was talked about in this documentary is the
creativity that humans have. In PressPausePlay
there is a quote that says, “The human spirit when it is allowed to express itself will
usually make interesting things. When humans make stuff, they tend to make
interesting things. Give a human a hammer and a piece of wood, or a computer
and broadband and they are going to make something interesting”
(PressPausePlay). This just exemplifies
how it is in the programing of humans to be creative. It is certain that the
media is something that strongly influences the lives of people across the
world, and this is not something that is ever going to change.
No comments:
Post a Comment