Dwayne=Neitzsche

In 2006's instant classic, Little Miss Sunshine, the character of Dwayne, an "angry" and resilient teenage son, represents and/or demonstrates many aspects of Neitzsche's life and philosophy. Please keep in mind that all my information on Neitzsche so far is derived from a lecture series I've been listening to... I haven't studied too deeply. This allusion is made clear in the film by a large banner of Neitzsche's face hanging over Dwayne's bed. Neitzsche emphasizes the idea of physiological health (probably because he was a sickly boy growing up in Victorian society and constantly reminded to be "good" aka clean, un-adventurous, and well-mannered). The power of one's will to go on was most important... suicide is an ultimate failure... "man would rather will nothingness than not will". Dwayne is stuck with Frank, his suicidal uncle, to share a bedroom. Here the writer? director? brings in a nuance of ultimate defeat versus extreme will. Dwayne's extreme will is exemplified by his vow of silence, among other exercises, until he becomes a pilot. The life Dwayne creates for himself can be seen as ascetic and reclusive. Neitzsche, at some point, identifies scholars as the "new priests", with a will towards truth and life of ascetic study. Dwayne's goal to become a pilot also remains significant, as Neitzsche also remarks on "sick air" (being stuck in a pointy Victorian house all day with fussy women is enough to make the air seem stale and sick), and to be outside, dirty and dangerous, is a healthy freedom. For Dwayne, flying through the air would seem the ultimate escape from the sick air of his dysfunctional family.

Interconnectedness

In a recent flurry of study (more wide than deep) I have come across what might seem like a slew of unrelated topics. At first I was concerned that I could not pick a more narrow subject to investigate, and that my various resources would limit my organization. Through a great series of incredible conversations, though, I found my methods working for me very well indeed. In my organic approach to study, my brain has become cross-pollinated into a web of interconnectedness. A great CD series on the "Philosophy of Western Religions" has talked me from Hegel to the process-philosophy of Whitehead (two of my favorites!) I finally learned a little more about Keirkegardd and Nietzsche, and think that the philosophy of religion is something I'll be investigating more in the future. The Anglo-Saxons, the limbic system, the cerebral cortex, and Darwinism are all hot topics posing challenging questions in a modern mind. I often read many books at once--- starting with around six, and sticking with about two until the end. A book that's stuck for me recently is The Bible: a Biography by Karen Armstrong. Armstrong has written numerous titles on topics within religious studies. After studying Through the Narrow Gate (a personal biography illustrating her life and struggle with the church-- as a girl, as a nun, as an atheist-- and her discovery of a new sense of faith and new life in scholarship) and a History of God in classes, I have come to appreciate her clear but engaging writing style and objectivity. The Bible takes one on a journey through the history of Judaism and Christianity, with the canonical oral and written works of each tradition (how they developed, how they were used and by whom in various time periods and cultures) as the barometer of what are now two established "world religions". Armstrong writes about the spiritual zeitgeists throughout the history of Judaism into Christianity by investigating different interpretations on the same texts we ruminate over today. Seeing the bible how one may have seen it in the 16th Century (sola scriptura-- scripture alone-- the value of the Word of God over the heirarchy of the Church-- Luther, anyone? or in Jewish-Spain--Lurianic Kabbahlism), the concept of Gospels in the 1st and 2nd century-- numerous from various traditions to those selected in the 4th century into the canon more recognizable today, or the creative effect destruction and diaspora had on the writing of scripture and Torah. It will be nice to make an outline of each time period and group discussed once I finish the book. Stay tuned.

In other news, so far I've learned best, soaked up the most information, when listening to lectures of those with British accents. Today I learned, though, that the well articulated Indian accent is very engaging as well. In a lecture on the life of Charles Darwin, Chandak Sengoopta reveals what inspired Darwin to come to his early conclusions about the "origin of the species" and the "struggle of existence", and what those discoveries meant to the failing student turned scientist. The lecturer did a good job of pointing out where Darwin's discoveries end and where the adoption of his ideas towards further study began. In his time, Darwin's theory on "evolution" was on a very philosophical level... he did not investigate the matter on extremely technical (or anatomical/biological) terms yet. It was a bringing together of different ideas on population, selective breeding, and what we now know as genetic mutation in his travels through the Galapogos that resulted in Darwin's theories. Interestingly enough, he became reclusive after marrying his wife, and shared his innermost thoughts and work with only a select few. He was, therefore, astonished and fearful when he recieved a letter from a slight acquaintance that stated very similarly the same points Darwin had set to make with his upcoming book. The two ended up binding together their work to be published, though the namesake of "Darwinism" stuck.

Has any reader out there read Sense and Sensibility? I am listening to it on cassette in my car. It is fascinating to trace how the social climate has changed, and where you can still see traces of the lives of Austenian women today. If this Elanor were part of any social circle today, she would be considered a gold digger searching for a sugar daddy... if I'm reading (well, hearing) this right.