A Movie and a Minute

Last night, we (mostly me....Josh has completely lost the ability to stay awake through even the best movies) watched the movie Yesterday. Among other things, it brought to mind the distinction between American conceptions of prosperity and wealth and those in third world communities. I use the word community because kindness...the genuine kind that erupts from the eyes without tripping over "ought tos" on its way...and community defined the frustrated agrarian lifestyle depicted in this film. I can't help but grimace (grimacing right now, in fact.....bet you are too) when I think of the notion of the "better life" that capitalist prosperity myths promise. (Don't misunderstand me, here. I think that economic capitalism is the most supportable system available in contemporary culture.....since legislated kindness only ever produces widespread deceit and ...eventually ugly pandemonium.....I think it's best to offer ample opportunities for personal gain that don't prohibit kindness. All of this reeks of my faith-in-humanity paradigm, I realize, because I am convinced that people in this scenario will be most apt to realize their responsibility to other people and will have the means to act accordingly......I'm digging my nails in on this one and not letting go. White knuckles....edge of cliff, etc., etc. I guess I'm a Political Capitalist for Ethical Communism....and you can be one too! We meet every 5th Tuesday at the St*rbucks....we pay you to show up but expect that you'll give the money back because you believe in our worth as human beings). People still behaved badly in the movie, which was set in a South African Zulu village (tribalism, reactionary meanspiritedness and such), BUT there was a rhythm of peace that pervaded so much of the life, a cadence of laughter in their speech. Once basic needs are met, perhaps we are better off stopping. Maybe we could rechannel our acquisition addiction and pine for....I don't know....trees. (How bout that....pine for trees.....Let's all pine for trees.....get it, pining for trees....because, you know, pine trees). I realize that I have completely misrepresented the movie here. My post is like chewing on sawdust, and the movie was tender and poignant. See it, in spite of this post!