What’s your “big distraction”?

I’m still inspired by Zach Braff’s movie GardenState.  I was recently reading his blog. It’s funny, you should check it out.  He made an off handed comment, “Why do you always have to do things with other people; being alone is refreshing.” 

It reminded me of something I wrote in a journal about 12 years ago.  Yes - I think everyone should keep a journal of some sort.  Write in it everyday if you can.  Journaling helps you work through things, it also keeps you objective.  You can read it later and see how crazy you were when you wrote it. It also helps chart your growth.  You can see how your opinions change and grow. It’s very cool.  If you have to you can call it a diary.

Back to the topic at hand, the journal entry.  I’ll just copy it for your consumption:

A man who has not visited and analyzed himself has nothing to offer.  H.D.Thoreau makes this point saying, “When our life ceases to be inward and private, conversation degenerates into mere gossip.  We rarely meet a man who can tell us any news which he has not read in a newspaper, or been told by his neighbor; and for the most part, the only difference between us and our fellow is that he has seen the newspaper, or been out to tea, and we have not.  In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office.  You may depend on it, that the poor fellow who walks away with the greatest number of letters proud of his extensive correspondence has not heard from himself this long while.”

Ask yourself a question, how often do you check e-mail, look for another IM, pickup another magazine, do some task just to fill time?  I’m not saying these things are necessarily bad, but if you constantly neglect looking inward you will wake up one day and wonder who you are.

Another great author, Henri Nouwen, puts it like this, “When I have to write an article and face a white empty sheet of paper I nearly have to tie myself to the chair to keep from consulting one more book before putting my own words on paper.  When, after a busy day, I am alone and free I have to fight the urge to make one more phone call, one more trip to the mailbox or one more visit to friends who will entertain me for the last few hours of the day.  And when I think about the busy day I sometimes wonder if the educational enterprise so filled with lectures, seminars, conferences, requirements to make up and to fulfill, papers to write and read, examinations to undergo and to go to, has, in fact, not become one big distraction - once in a while entertaining- but mostly preventing me from facing my lonely self which should be my first source of search and research.” - from the book Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, P.18

So what is your “big distraction”?  Is it your job, your hobbies, your relationships? Take some time, take a look inside, journal a bit.  Let me know what you discover.

Now playing: FrouFrou - OnlyGot One

Posted by admin Posted in: God, Hobbies, Random Stuff No Comments » September 2004

Garden State

Well please don’t think I’m ignoring anyone.  I haven’t blogged in a long time,probably because I’ve just been too busy and too tired.  There is nothing worsethan working in front of a computer screen all day and then coming home and seeingone again.  I just needed a break from my trusty ViewSonic.

Well I could make this one gigantic entry and try to catch everyone up on allthe stuff going on, but I don’t have the energy, and I don’t think you’d read theentire thing anyway.  So I’ll just tell you about a wonderful experience I hadtoday.

I finally got to see GardenState.  Run, don’t walk, to the closest theater and see this film. I absolutely loved this movie.  This movie is almost perfect.  Zach Braffis my new hero.  Sure he’s funny on Scrubs, but I predict he’s the next writer/producer/actorgiant.  Tom Hanks is finished.  Zach is simply brilliant.

I’m not going to tell you about the movie, I don’t want to ruin it for you. But I will say that if you’re a mid 30’s kind of person, you will love this movie. It’s characters make life changing decisions, lives intersect to change forever. Zach Braff plays Andrew Largeman, known to his friends as “Large”.  His performancereminds me of Bill Murray in Lost In Translation.  Natalie Portman is back toher old pre Star Wars self.  She’s terrific in the role of Samantha.  “Herwarmth and fearlessness give Large the courage to open his heart to joy of the infiniteabyss that is life.”   Ok, so I told you a little bit about the movie.

Once you see the movie you’ve earned the right to read ZachBraff’s blog; it reads like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

What are you still doing here?  Go see Garden State!  Then tell me whatyou thought about it.  What issues resonate with you?  Who do you most identifywith?  I think I’m going back right now.

Posted by admin Posted in: Movies No Comments » September 2004