CIRCLE OF LIFE

After twenty five years Disney Studios went back in time with a remake of “Lion King”. I saw the original back in ’94 but honestly, all I recall are the bones of the plot and some of the music so I went again last night. Animation has become so realistic, the animals, the scenery and the action make it hard to believe they weren’t born of flesh and blood rather than on strings of computer code. I was hoping for a repeat of good vibes and wholesome entertainment but the experience didn’t take me there. Twenty five years, OMG; technology changes, the business changes, movie makers change, I changed. They were true to the story which leaves me wondering, is it them or is it me? 

My first reaction was to rethink Disney Studios and their movie making trajectory from the early days with Walt and Mickey to Lion King 2. Conservative ideals drove both the business and the image they have crafted for public consumption. God, country and family, in that order. In 2010 Disney made the race horse movie ‘Secretariat’. Even in the new century, studio execs felt they could not tell the story with the leading character struggling her way out of a failed marriage. So they wrote it with her pushing back against a glass ceiling in the horse racing crowd but submitting to a traditional, subordinate role in her family. God, country, family; don’t make waves. Why would I expect less with Lion King 2?  

In Lion King, the story is one stereotypical life lesson after another. What is good, bad, what is true, false, what is right, wrong, again and again. Don’t get me wrong, lessons are necessary and without them the story would lose it legs. But after twenty five years, the second version found me considerably more experienced and certainly skeptical with regard to propaganda. Sitting in the dark with the music, the humor, the action, both tender and violent; I wasn’t buying any Disney hyperbole. What I couldn’t dismiss for the sake of story was the idea that our destiny is fixed. Doc Brown in ‘Back To The Future’ wouldn’t have any of that and I tend to lean his way on issues of destiny. Likewise, in any morally charged dilemma there has to be an evil-doer. So we got the Cain & Able model, brother vs. brother and the evil-doer prevails. That biblical ripoff needed a woman to rebuke so they vilified hyenas and their demonic queen. Evil brother and wicked queen, pure Old Testament. Then the story segues to the New Testament parable, the return of the prodigal son. In the end, everything good and right over comes wrong and the just prevail; God, country and family. 

I’m sitting there in my theatre seat making all these observations in real time, questioning myself every time. It’s just a story, right? I’m no conspiracy theorist but poop still stinks and pee runs downhill. Back to the story, the circle of life is a main theme. The old lion king explains to his son, antelope eat the grass and we eat the antelope, then we die and decompose, come up again as grass, the circle of life. That was one of the best parts. Then he shares a heavenly revelation where all of the old lion kings are up among the stars and if you really need help, they will help you; afterlife.

I suppose, if you hadn’t seen the ’94 original, it would be a wonderful movie. If the conservative, status quo agenda went unnoticed you could chalk it up to good storytelling. But Disney is what it is and that’s what you get. I’m a skeptical, old, unapologetic heretic. That’s probably why ‘Back To The Future’ gave me more to feel good about. 

80

I am rapidly approaching my 80th birthday, counting days. I know, it’s only a number. When I wake up on August 4, I will be a day older than I was on the day before and that doesn’t merit a second thought. Those ‘Only A Number’ people default to the Age Disclaimer for any number of reasons. It is much more affirming than, “Damn, you are so old!” (Just A Number) is code for the fact that someone has aged well and that’s fine. It is also an indirect way of dismissing the concept of time and age. After all, we are all trapped in in the present, in the fleeting moment, we can not escape being swept forward into the future: but when we get there it is still ‘Right Now.’ 

But 80 is different; not just from an age standpoint but as a number in of itself. The eight and zero are both symmetrical. It’s the first time in your life that the code for your age shows that kind of balance. If we’re lucky, life will prevail upon us with that kind of balance. Previous birthdays that marked the cusp, spanning one decade to the next, they came and went with neither fanfare nor lament. I can dismiss #80 with the same kind of denial that ushered in #60 & #70, (it’s only a number) but #80 is more than just a number this year. It’s a benchmark. 

With horse racing, jockeys navigate and position their horses out of the gate, into and out of the turns and down the back stretch. They speed up to close on the leader or glide when caught against the rail. They want to be in position to make a difference when the time comes. Coming out of the last turn they suck it up so to say, by the 1/16 pole they are totally invested in the dash to the finish. No matter where they are in the pack, they want to improve their position. After they blow under the wire, nothing matters any more. No matter where you place, you finish. I think age #80 is the 1/16 pole. Good health-poor health, rich-poor, appreciated-unappreciated, our ‘Right-Now’ moment is plunging ahead with no regard for how long we’ve been caught up in its trajectory or how long it will last. But #80 reminds me that my window for new beginnings is shrinking and I want to make the most of today’s ‘Right-Now’, and when it arrives, of tomorrow’s ‘Right-Now’.

Number #80 is not about first at the finish but about maximizing the moment. Unlike jockeys and owners, where I finish holds no promise. I’m in it for the bumping and shuffling, for the speed and glide, the sweat and the dirt, feet thundering against the ground and heavy breathing, looking for a gap to slip through. I really do believe this life is about the journey and like everything else, every little piece and part, they happen in the fleeting moment, in the ‘Now.’

So we will have a birthday party soon. Most of my favorite people will be there. I split fire wood this morning for the campfire and s’mores and we’ll have fresh, Michigan blueberries. I hear there will be peach cobbler instead of cake. If I get really lucky, #80 could be the precursor to #90, another benchmark, purposed for creating stories that will outlive you. The wisdom here, something to chew on; no matter how long you live, all you have to work with is the Here and Now. If you’ve been blessed with good health and good family, growing old just makes each moment more sweet, more precious. 

POWER OF NOW

“THE POWER OF NOW” I picked up this little book a long time ago. Eckhart Tolle is a legitimate, spiritual guru with academic credentials and millions of followers. His book is an easy read, insightful and uncomplicated. Authors and their publishers are always fishing with a long line and a sharp hook. Tolle is no different. He believes he has something that we all need and it is for sale. If you like the book but need more, you can sign up for an expensive workshop in a town near you.

He wants to promote a (Buddhist like) life style. In doing so he uses language and logic that have a ‘Mystic’ quality with broad, subjective generalities that are supposed to make one feel connected. I can’t imagine the absolute wonder of what comes with Spiritual Enlightenment. With that kind of rhetoric my skeptical self comes to bear and I treat it like fruit with a tough peeling and hard seeds. I consume what tastes good and spit out the rest. 

Reduced to its simplest element, he holds out the lure of ‘Inner Peace’. Whatever Inner Peace is, when I try to give it legs it becomes my creation and I do like the way it feels; much more attractive than Inner Turmoil. Fundamental ideas that resonate with me will be addressed here. Not trying to summarize or paraphrase Tolle, the language and perceptions are mine, what I take and make of his uniquely crafted offering. 

Focus On The Present

Nothing happens in the past or in the future. Everything that ever happened or will ever happen takes place in the fleeting moment, in the present. We are trapped in our ‘Moment’ moving forward at light speed. From a technical frame of reference, by the time neurons in one part of the brain arc and register with another neuron, the moment (present) has already come and gone. We can measure and discriminate units of time so precisely that the moment has transpired before we can perceive it. Tolle wants us to, as much as possible, remember that action is where the action is and that only happens in what I describe as, my fleeting moment. 

The point is not for us to seek some foo-foo state of Nirvana but rather, dwell in the moment, in what is present and at hand. It doesn’t mean you are a failure if you remember the past or anticipate the future. My metaphor would be a dog on its leash. If it gets too far ahead of its human, the leash reminds it to stop or slow down. If the dog stops to sniff some other dog’s marker, the leash reminds it that it’s time to move on. All of the dog’s action takes place within the scope of its leash. I can process ideas and recall memories but all of the action is right here, right now. 

This (Be in the moment) mentality goes against human nature. We are evolved to worry about things we don’t understand or what looms precariously in the imagined future. Still we do understand that if we can’t do anything right now to offset those concerns, how does that outlay of time and energy serve us? It doesn’t. All it does is rob us of time that could be better spent, on something that does serve us either in the now or sometime in the future. After all, practicing the piano serves not only the present but also prepares us for the recital next week. Processing ideas and practicing skills are both important applications of being in the ‘Now’. 

After nearly 30 years of Tolle’s influence I have literally become the dog on a leash. It’s a patient, accommodating leash but a leash none the less. In my case the leash has a sufficient length of bungie cord incorporated. If I linger too long on what I can’t fix or if I get too far ahead of myself, there is a gentle tug to get my attention. The more I stretch it the more forceful the reminder. Sometimes I’m a glutton for punishment, dwelling in the house of Inner Turmoil. It provides a dose of self inflicted validation, left over from the Stone Age. At some point I get the message and I’m happy to swap out my self imposed distress for the possibility in my fleeting moment.