The other side of alienation

We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats' feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar

Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

   Conformity is the disguise for ignorance. Like what T. S. Eliot described in the Hollow man, people now have a natural inclination to give up their individuality and join the crowd. They repeat the action of others; they live a meaningless life. When they communicate, there is no mind to mind connection. They look united but their hearts are alienated. 

   In the dust of our planet is a philosophical book about nihilism. However, it didn’t become popular until a model wore a clothe with the cover of the book. Then it became a trend and people started to follow it. However, they didn’t really understand the idea behind the cover. They are like the hollowed men, murmuring the same words with their dry throats. 

   The reason that causes these phenomenons is that people are afraid of alienation. The more they fear, the more they try to conform, the more they are alienated from one another. In a way, technology helps to solve this problem. Instead of talking face to face, people communicate online. There is a buffer zone in front of them so they care less about the appropriate things they should say. Technology provides people a shortcut to one another’s mind. 

   Alienation is not something that people should be afraid of, it is something that people experience. To be left alone and think about what matters to them, is what people should be doing. Not repeating others’ steps, or becoming a hollowed shell. 

Overcome their Alienation

      In the movie Little Miss Sunshine, the characters in the family are all really different and each one of them have their own understanding and their opinions but when they have problems with something no one in the family will reach out to help them instead they will make up something and even try to scold them. They are all self-centered and not willing to listen and understand others. Even not accepting others opinions. However, they had a road trip to California and throughout their trip, there are a lot of weird things happened that require the whole family to work together and overcome their alienation. The last scene when the whole family went up to the stage and dance with olive at the little miss sunshine contest really brings the family together and finally giving courage to everyone to reach out and realize that they shouldn’t be apart from each other and their action really makes a different to olive. Just like the poem from TS Elliot, The Hollow Man, the poem is set during the depression after the WW1 when people are still finding their daily routine and try to get over the fear and also get over with poverty. These people work really hard to find themselves. Just like the characters in the movie trying to find themselves and know what is the point for them to be in this house. It’s a long process that people have to get through but they will feel the joy and excitement when they finally found their way of living and in the movie, the family work together to help olive to overcome her obstacle. Helping others not only make others happy but also making yourselves happy. 

The Dangers of Technology

    As the expansion of technology progresses, I predict that our social interactions shall decrease drastically because of both our curiosity and our obsession with artificial intelligence. It was mentioned in class that throughout history children made an object entertaining simply through their imagination and their perception of it, but new devices have been introduced to our youngest generation, and this new technology communicates information to the child rather than the child projecting their desires and imagination on the object. If technology continues to be produced at this exponential rate, we will have programs that we can manipulate to create our desired friend, family, or spouse which will in turn cause us to become antisocial and neglect to socialize and interact with each other because their faults will be heightened when compared to our “perfect” friend that is made up of digital codes and wiring. This phenomena of becoming antisocial due to technology was mentioned in Bowling Alone. Unfortunately, there is a positive correlation between depression and lack of socialization which will become more and more relevant as we spend an increasing amount of time with artificial intelligence and a decreasing amount of time with other people. As a result of the lack of socializing, jobs that are at places such as clubs, the movies, and community centers will become nonexistent, therefore, increasing the unemployed population as well as depression. In conclusion, our mental health is at risk every time that we we discover or invent a new program, every time that we spend another hour watching television, and every time that we are not sharing company with another person.

A.I. Advancement or decline?

I think that there are pros and cons on AI, like with anything. AI can help with improving driving safety, reaching medical help to countries who do not have in person specialist doctors, helping those who need something like a caretaker but not necessarily a human, etc. However I do not think AI to an extreme extent, to the point where we are practically making robot humans, is a good thing. We see that technology can learn. And if that is true it can learn not only the good things but the bad. It can be controlled by hackers or start controlling itself. AI lacks emotion which could be problematic in certain situations where it would need empathy or to problem solve if there is, for example, the choice of killing one person or five but if not interfered with it would be the five rather than only one. Having emotion put into AI would mean it would know empathy but also anger. If AI can learn for itself, feel for itself, it can also protect itself or express itself. If it is angry it could pose a threat to whatever or whoever it is angry at. And then we get into the problem so often used for movies. Robots, or AI, taking over the world. Could this be possible? If AI can really learn without our help, become smarter than us, and if we add emotion into the equation that doesn't mean it will be all good. One one hand it could mean kind and caring and helpful technology. On the other hand it could be hacked into or self taught by deep learning AI terrorists. Technology makes us more reliant on the ability to have a phone navigate for us, have information at the touch of a button, or be able to be on the phone non stop. But if we didn't have this technology then we wouldn't know how to read a map, write a letter, or learn the information we so often look up. There are pros and cons to AI and while I think some technology is good, it also poses a lot of potential problems and should be limited before we start making robot humans.

Authenticity is the Key to Life

The corny and shallow message that I believe should be taken from groundhog day is that the only way to enjoy our repetitive and predictable life is by helping and caring for others, and finding love. However I believe that there is also a deeper meaning, which is that the only way to find the meaning of life is by doing what we want to do, deep down in our hearts. Phil spends the beginning of the movie as a self centered jerk who is sarcastic and rude to almost everybody in his life, until he finds his passion in helping others and enjoying others happiness. I am not saying that we all have to spend our lives doing charity and being completely selfless, because that may not be authentic to every single person on earth. For Phil, I think that he has always wanted those human connections and love, but has not been able to look inside himself and recognize that craving. On the other hand, some people are just born to spend their lives in solitude enjoying their own company, which is also great. However to know exactly what makes you happy, you must critically think about it, and ultimately listen to your heart. The only real cure to this absurd world and the only real answer to the question “what is meaning of life?” is authenticity. This is because ultimately, if you are authentic with yourself, you will be able to find your own happiness, and your own love, with out any dependence on other people, and this independence will give you the freedom to be how and what and who you want to be. 

Meaning in each day

The message I got from Groundhog Day is that we are all repeating a similar thing day after day and that it may seem pointless or stupid and like life is never moving forward. But when you learn to be content and at peace with it life moves forward again. We see this when Phil finally gets Rita the next day finally comes. We have to make our days enjoyable and do the things we love so that the repetition of daily life doesn't seem so dull. It is up to you to create meaning in your life, as Phil did when he tried to help the old man and the guy choking and all the other people who thanked him at the dance at the end. What is the meaning of my life? I think that is up for me to decide. Phil decided he would create meaning by saving peoples lived, changing their lives for the better, or making their last day more enjoyable. Groundhog Day also demonstrated how much life can change you. Phil hated the town where he had to report Groundhog Day. But after what we estimate to be ten years of repeating the same day he becomes attached to the people there, finds enjoyment and begins to like the town. In the end he wants to live there. Similar to Phil who goes from hating the town to wanting to live in it people change as they experience life. I am not the same as I was ten years ago and few are. Especially when you are young you change more as you grow older.

Phil n' Phil

Groundhog day is about a man named Phil Connors who ends up living the same day over and over again. The film is about his arc of charter development as he deals with how to make the best of his situation.

The film relates to the myth of Sisyphus because both Phil Conners and Sisyphus must find meaning in doing the same exact thing every day of their life (supposedly for eternity). The difference is that Phil can do something different every day, and Sisyphus must do exactly the same thing. However, they are similar in that each day when they wake up, they know exactly what will happen the next day.

I identified the themes of the absurd, suicide, trying to find meaning, and a search for authenticity, satisfaction of self.

Phil has three phases of dealing with his newfound existence, 1. I can do whatever I want with no consequences, 2. This is pointless I’m going to kill myself, and 3. I should make the best of this and try to help people and myself have the best day ever. This allows him to see all sides of humanity and eventually see the best in people.

I would recommend this film for those looking to study existentialism and even those who aren’t. It’s a very funny movie and so I think a lot of people could relate to it.