Love

I saw the movie Love tonight by the group Angels & Airwaves. I love their music. It's beautiful, deep, meaningful... The movie wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst. The fact that they had a $500K budget, and featured a civil war enactment, as well as a man stranded in space in a satellite made it pretty damn great.

The movie was about the human condition. The human connection. The fact that we need each other and love to survive this thing we call life. Humans are complex. We thrive when we have community and we fail when it begins to break down. Look at the riots happening these past few days in London. The disaffected youth taking and destroying everything in their path.

Tonight I felt a smidgeon of what that youth must be like. I'm watching this beautiful movie with a gorgeous soundtrack, stimulating visuals and an epic story and all I can feel all around me is boredom and disrespect. They just don't get it. I had the unfortunate luck of sitting next to a pimply-faced, foul-breathed teenager with the emotional capacity of a five-year old.

He couldn't understand the basic concept of the movie because he wouldn't sit still long enough to absorb the message. Once it became too difficult for him, he began to talk, laugh nervously, text and generally was disrespectful of all around him,

Fine, I can't fault him for being too stupid. That's his cross to bear, but what really pissed me off was his general lack of respect for those around him. Because he wasn't enjoying (understanding), he had to let everyone around him know how terrible, stupid and awful the movie was.

He didn't care if he ruined it for me. All he thought about was himself, his cell phone and probably what he was going to get at McDonalds later.

I was so excited for this movie. I understand the concept they are trying to communicate. I was looking forward to sharing it with people who are looking for the same thing as I am. A meaningful life, connection and depth.

Yes, maybe the movie was too long. Maybe it could've been a bit less esoteric with a clearer meaning for those too simplistic. It was a disheartening experience, because the energy from these kids was so fucking selfish and shallow. I felt the opposite of what I was longing for. I felt disconnected, hopeless and just plain scared for the future of our civilization. Because if our future depends on these disconnected, disaffected young people... we are doomed to just what the ending of the movie was. Man eliminates himself.

If we as a society don't look for more meaningful lives... if we don't care about those around us and continue looking for bigger, better, more... we will never be satisfied. Our communities will continue to fracture and self-destruct.

Love is the answer. For me it is the hardest thing to find at times. People are so damn weak and ugly inside. I find it hard to love them and accept them for what they cannot help. I find it difficult to give them what I myself want. Understanding and acceptance of my own weakness and flaws.