Destination...

Yesterday in class when we brought up destination the first thing that popped into mind was the Final Destination movie series...

For those of you, who don't know what I am talking about the concept of all the movies is that death has pre-determined who is going to die and when and how it will happen. But one of the twist is that there is one person in the group that can see what death has determined. So the group uses this person who can more or less see the "future" to cheat death. Although they can be very grusome movies I find it very interesting to see how when these people are successful in cheating death how death alters it's plan and still tries to get you at another time.

When I first watched these movies and any movie for that matter I don't notice the philosophy and other lessons, subject matter, etc. that is included. (Then again up until this semester I didn't really know that much about philosophy). In many movies they include the nature nutrture debate, fatalism, determinism, destination, etc, etc.

Question:

I am sure you can think of other movies or tv shows that include philosophical ideas but can you think of any that don't include these ideas??

How do you feel about including these ideas in the media, which influences people everyday??

In response to Katie's question "How has art affected you?"

I have had very similar experiences as well. Many times when I look at pictures I can remember the day it was taken and how I felt that day and if it was a good day usually I get a smile on my face. Sometimes I have mixed emotions too...Almost a year ago one of my close friends pasted away but when I look at pictures of him as sad as I get that he is no longer here with us and although sometimes my eyes start to tear I can't help but smile because of how happy he looks. He had a rough life but he was always smiling. I could be having one of the worse days and then I would see him and I knew that everything would be okay.

Movies and other forms of media can do the same thing. I also cry alot during movies while the other people watching it with are sitting there like what the heck is wrong with you. But I don't always cry because it's a said movie (like Bambie) sometimes I cry because of how inspiring it is. A perfect example of the later is the movie the Blind Side and the tv show Home Makeover Edition...in both examples it is simply amazing how people open up their hearts and arms in order to help each other. I only hope that I can be the same way and I wish that more people could be like this. Many times I take what I am watching and picture myself in the situations presented. Many times if I am in similar situation that I can relate to the characters I find myself even more emotionally attached.

Now that I am older I find it fun to watch "little kids movies" like Cars and Bambie to look for the underlying message. For example when I first went to see the movie Cars I just thought that it was a cute movie while one of the people I went with balled her eyes out. I didn't get it at first but then when I went back and anlysized the movie I realized how much the movie is about friendship and how great of a message it was....I hope that someday I can have a friendship like Lightning McQueen and Sally.

Question:

How do you feel about mixed emotions...have you ever experienced them...are there any benefits to mixed emotions??

Why and How?

It is very apparent in our class and outside the classroom that people are fasinated with the questions why and how. The human race ia always trying to figure out why and how things work. A perfect example would be psychologists studying human behavior and other such things. And even better, philosophy. All of our discussions in class revolve around the question of human nature (thus the title of the class). But why do we care so much, why can't we just accept things the way they are.

I suppose I could be viewed as biased because I am a psychology major and I picked this major because I want to know how the brain works...why we "tick" or why we do the things we do...and it has occurred to me that some of it may have something to do with our development while the rest of it has to do with the environment....the nature vs nurture debate. But just like I think many of us do...I want to know where it all begins. It's interesting to think how our lives would be different, slightly or dramatically, just because one little thing was different. It could even be from something as simple as answer a question differently...like instead of saying yes you said no.

It would be a very time consumming task to trace everything back to the "beginning" (if there even is one) and it would aslso be very difficult because of all the other possibilities of outcomes. We would end up with more "what if" questions than we already have.

Question:

Why are we fasinated with the questions why and how everything works...Why are we so interested in why we do everything we do?