Paws For Thought
My "mewsings" on life, the universe and everything!
About Me
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Friday, October 12, 2012
The Full Moon
― Richard Adams, Watership Down
“The full moon, well risen in a cloudless eastern sky, covered the high solitude with its light. We are not conscious of daylight as that which displaces darkness. Daylight, even when the sun is clear of clouds, seems to us simply the natural condition of the earth and air. When we think of the downs, we think of the downs in daylight, as with think of a rabbit with its fur on. Stubbs may have envisaged the skeleton inside the horse, but most of us do not: and we do not usually envisage the downs without daylight, even though the light is not a part of the down itself as the hide is part of the horse itself. We take daylight for granted. But moonlight is another matter. It is inconstant. The full moon wanes and returns again. Clouds may obscure it to an extent to which they cannot obscure daylight. Water is necessary to us, but a waterfall is not. Where it is to be found it is something extra, a beautiful ornament. We need daylight and to that extent it us utilitarian, but moonlight we do not need. When it comes, it serves no necessity. It transforms. It falls upon the banks and the grass, separating one long blade from another; turning a drift of brown, frosted leaves from a single heap to innumerable flashing fragments; or glimmering lengthways along wet twigs as though light itself were ductile. Its long beams pour, white and sharp, between the trunks of trees, their clarity fading as they recede into the powdery, misty distance of beech woods at night. In moonlight, two acres of coarse bent grass, undulant and ankle deep, tumbled and rough as a horse's mane, appear like a bay of waves, all shadowy troughs and hollows. The growth is so thick and matted that even the wind does not move it, but it is the moonlight that seems to confer stillness upon it. We do not take moonlight for granted. It is like snow, or like the dew on a July morning. It does not reveal but changes what it covers. And its low intensity---so much lower than that of daylight---makes us conscious that it is something added to the down, to give it, for only a little time, a singular and marvelous quality that we should admire while we can, for soon it will be gone again.”
“The full moon, well risen in a cloudless eastern sky, covered the high solitude with its light. We are not conscious of daylight as that which displaces darkness. Daylight, even when the sun is clear of clouds, seems to us simply the natural condition of the earth and air. When we think of the downs, we think of the downs in daylight, as with think of a rabbit with its fur on. Stubbs may have envisaged the skeleton inside the horse, but most of us do not: and we do not usually envisage the downs without daylight, even though the light is not a part of the down itself as the hide is part of the horse itself. We take daylight for granted. But moonlight is another matter. It is inconstant. The full moon wanes and returns again. Clouds may obscure it to an extent to which they cannot obscure daylight. Water is necessary to us, but a waterfall is not. Where it is to be found it is something extra, a beautiful ornament. We need daylight and to that extent it us utilitarian, but moonlight we do not need. When it comes, it serves no necessity. It transforms. It falls upon the banks and the grass, separating one long blade from another; turning a drift of brown, frosted leaves from a single heap to innumerable flashing fragments; or glimmering lengthways along wet twigs as though light itself were ductile. Its long beams pour, white and sharp, between the trunks of trees, their clarity fading as they recede into the powdery, misty distance of beech woods at night. In moonlight, two acres of coarse bent grass, undulant and ankle deep, tumbled and rough as a horse's mane, appear like a bay of waves, all shadowy troughs and hollows. The growth is so thick and matted that even the wind does not move it, but it is the moonlight that seems to confer stillness upon it. We do not take moonlight for granted. It is like snow, or like the dew on a July morning. It does not reveal but changes what it covers. And its low intensity---so much lower than that of daylight---makes us conscious that it is something added to the down, to give it, for only a little time, a singular and marvelous quality that we should admire while we can, for soon it will be gone again.”
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Some musings on the „Star Trek: Voyager“ episode „Innocence“
„Life should begin with age and its privileges and accumulations, and end with youth and its capacity to splendidly enjoy such advantages.“ -Mark Twain
Tuvok's shuttle crash lands on a moon, where he meets a group of what appear to be alien children who begin mysteriously disappearing one by one.
I
have, perhaps, an odd approach to rating Star Trek episodes. Some are
excellent all around, yet they don't resonate with me emotionally,
and I find it hard to evaluate what I cannot connect with. For
“Innocence“, the opposite is true. It is only an average episode,
yet it strikes a very deep chord within me. Let me show you where I
feel it falls short, and why it is nonetheless among my favourite
“Voyager” episodes.
Several things diminish this episode for me. Firstly, the plot is rather drawn out. Picking up the pace would have made it more interesting. It takes the crew too long to discover that Tuvok is missing. They should have noticed in short time that he'd stopped reporting in. It also takes Tuvok too long to realize that there is more to the “children's” story than meets the eye.
Secondly,
the
portrayal of the “adult” Drayans is reduced to just a few
characteristics, most notably xenophobia and mercurial temperaments,
neither of which make them very appealing. The spirituality we get at
the end is not enough to compensate. Even their dress makes them look
as if they are in mourning. In fact the “adults” seem drab and
joyless, in stark contrast to the very lively “children”.
But
what bothers me most, from a scientific perspective, is the
reversed ageing process, which clearly violates the laws of physics.
(notation)
Granted, this is true for much of the “science” of Star Trek,
otherwise the series couldn't tell the stories that it does. However,
this is one point in which I cannot suspend disbelief.
That
said, the concept of reversed ageing is not new in fiction. Two
examples come to mind. As early as 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald,
inspired by a quote from Mark Twain, wrote „The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button“.
In the realm of Star Trek, the Animated
Series
episode
"The
Counter-Clock Incident”
has the crew pass into an alternate universe and grow younger as time
runs backward. Near
the end of “Innocence”, the Drayans explain that the apparent
children are in fact of advanced age and have been brought to this
moon in order to pass peacefully from this life to the next. From
a purely literary standpoint, this reversed ageing strikes me as a
fitting illustration of how the elderly in our
world can become increasingly childlike in mind and spirit as they
approach the end of their lives.
So
perhaps this point really isn't so negative after all, but rather
bears much further discussion. This leads nicely into what makes
“Innocence” so meaningful for me. We see this story through the
eyes of Tuvok. Much of what he goes through reminds me of my
experiences with my ageing grandmother, and of accompanying a close
friend, who died of cancer several years ago, on his final
journey.
At
the beginning we see Tuvok at the side of a dying Ensign Bennett, a
young man who passes away long before his time. Tuvok simply remains
by his side and assures him that he will be remembered and missed.
Though this scene is very brief and can in no way compare with my
friend's long battle with cancer, it reminds me a little of one night
just a few days before he passed away. Several other friends and I
stood around his bed, sharing stories, praying with him and letting
him know how much he had blessed each of our lives.
Tuvok's interactions with Tressa and the other “children” make me think of my experience with my grandmother's progressive dementia. In the years before she passed away, she became more and more childlike. When I visited my mother, who was caring for her, I often found myself reading her stories, tucking her into bed, praying simple prayers with her, trying to dispel her fears and confusion, singing her to sleep and so forth, just as she had done for my mother, and later for me. Occasionally she would have moments of clarity and speak like the 96-year-old she was, telling me, say, how much I reminded her of my mother when she was my age. Tressa's suddenly adult remarks at the end of the episode call those bitter-sweet memories to mind once more.
I
am often ill at ease with children, so I commiserate with Tuvok's
initial discomfort, and find it heartening that he does learn to
approach the “children” on their level and open up to them. In so
doing, he also shows the viewers more about Vulcan culture, and about
himself, which makes him much more real to me. I find his singing
voice average, but even that only contributes to the realism. I would
have loved to have heard some of his lullaby in Vulcan, but even so
it was quite nice.
We
see the importance of leaving this life at peace with yourself and
with the world, and of not having to face death alone. My friend, my
grandmother and I shared a faith that allowed them to do that, and
lets me know that one day I'll be with them again. They passed on
with as much dignity as possible, and they were not alone, which gave
me great comfort in the midst of the grief.
There
are several other points that I enjoy about the episode. The young
actors, especially the girl who played Tressa, do a fine job. The
“children's” behaviour seems very natural. It is amusing to see
little flashes of irritation from Tuvok. Chakotay gets a bit of
character development as he tells Janeway about his diplomatic
mishap. The Doctor is excellent, as always. I like the warning
against pursuing technological advancement at the expense of ethics,
personal relationships and self-discovery. Granted, we've heard that
many times before, but the message holds true nonetheless.
The
faulty scientific premise and slow plot development keep me from
giving this episode a top score. Yet it touches the core issue of
what it means to age and die with dignity. Addressing such basic
questions has always been one of Star Trek's great strengths, and
that is what makes this otherwise unremarkable episode so meaningful
for me.
"May this day find you at peace, and leave you with hope."
- First Prelate Alcia
- First Prelate Alcia
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Future
This is a song text someone posted on a forum, and I wanted to share it with everyone:
The blue moon lights up the darkness
The murmur on the surface of the water
is the song of the wind
It looks down upon the footprints
Of we who keep repeating mistakes that
are not erased
Your tears that my outstretched
fingertip touches
May one day paint the coming future red
"May this fleeting moment stretch
on..."
So I prayed to the stars as you held me
so tight I might break
No matter how much sadness you bear
Someday, you will be rewarded
We are simply being dragged along in
the unstopping cogs
The all too fickle flow of time is too
fast
"If we can't go back, then kill me
with your own hands..."
So I cried out to the night as you
simply looked into my eyes
Let me offer this song of parting as it
is brilliantly torn apart
When I wake up from this sleep, I want
to be in your arms
"May I see you one more time..."
So I prayed to the stars as the blue
moon looks down upon me
Hold me...
Hold me until I break...
- „Future“, by Gackt (English translation of the Japanese original)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Birthday Bash
Yesterday my best friends' daughter celebrated her second birthday. How the time has flown! Several families brought their kids too, and it was fun to catch up with old friends, and meet some new ones as well. I especially liked meeting a couple from England. The husband, Richard, is English. His wife is from Taiwan and they have a sweet little girl who is also 2. Other friends of mine came with their daughter, who is 7. Watching the girls play in the garden was very touching! After the party, my two other friends invited me to go to dinner with them. We went to their favorite Indian restaurant on Prinzregentenplatz. The food was firey hot and delicious! Catching up with them was fun, and their daughter is growing up to be a very special young lady.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)