Enlightenment: November 2007 Archives

41-year old British humorist Andre Jordan explores his journey through depression in his unique blog, A Beautiful Revolution. His self-deprecating musings, which are sometimes poignant and other times brutal, take the form of short essays, poems and doodles. A collection of his work has also been compiled into a new book entitled If You're Happy And You Know It..., which comes out in the US next year.

In an interview on the BBC's Ouch disability website, to which he contributes weekly doodles, Jordan describes depression as, "All-consuming and exhausting. But at the same time, it does give you empathy for other people. Depression helps you to look at people and understand that nothing is black and white. It also makes you appreciate the really tiny things that are quite amazing."

Turning his black thoughts into dark humor, Jordan turned depression on its head, transforming a major negative into inspirational art. "Getting up every day and being able to draw and paint and write, and people around you encouraging you to do it. That's success, because I'm happy."

Barbie 2007 Holiday Collector Doll: $37.88, 8 GB iPhone: $399.00, 60 GB PlayStation 3: $ 584.99, a debt-free life and peace of mind: priceless.

In their spirited new documentary producer Morgan Spurlock and director Rob VanAlkemade follow the self-proclaimed Reverend Billy as he takes his Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir and his Not Buying It Band on a cross-country crusade against the commercial supersizing of Christmas. A street performer with a mission, Rev Billy (aka Bill Talen) takes his mobile ministry from its humble roots on the streets of New York's Times Square to the ultimate temple of corporate America, The Mall of America, his journey culminating on Christmas Day at the street of false dreams where the Devil with big ears lives in Disneyland.

The Church of Stop Shopping's vocation is to get us to question our buy-now-pay-later society that damns most of us to a future of eternal debt. We spend about one hour per week doing spiritual activities and an average of 5 hours a week shopping. Our nation now has a savings deficit, meaning we're walking through life in the red. The mostly unnecessary stuff we buy takes us further into the darkness of debt, the momentary pleasure of acquisition often being at the cost of abusive labor practices in far off lands - and jobs at home.

Of course we can't completely cease to shop, we even see Rev. Billy sheepishly buying gas after his vegetable oil bio-fuel freezes overnight at a particularly cold stop on his tour, he's just asking us to pause before we purchase. And through the subjects interviewed in What Would Jesus Buy? we begin to understand why. We see a generation who knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing: a young male who's feelin' the Christmas spirit by buying a brand new set of rims, and a teenage girl who dreams of living in a mall.

By the end of the film Rev. Billy's crazy evangelical antics start to look sane against our own frenzied consumerism. You won't find peace of earth in a shopping mall, so take a break from buying, avoid the shopocalypse and give the gift of your time and your love this holiday season. Hallelujah, or change-a-lujah as the good Reverand would proclaim.

Michael Moore's documentary Sicko, about the unhealthy state of healthcare in the United States, has made the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' shortlist for an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. Also on the list is another Daily Mantra favorite, The Price of Sugar, about the scandal that lies behind almost every spoonful of sugar. The final five nominations from this shortlist of fifteen will be announced on Jan 22nd, with the 80th annual Oscar ceremony taking place on February 24th.

Sicko was released on DVD earlier this month, with the Special Edition (available at Amazon.com and Blockbuster) featuring over 80 minutes of additional footage. Even if you've already seen the movie, it's well worth getting your hands on the DVD just for the extras.

One of the choice clips (click HERE to view) from Moore's excellent bonus material covers a foray to Norway, which Moore deemed to "scary" to include in his original film. The Daily Mantra has visited Norway, and can understand why; In Norway 97% of the wealth generated from the country's state controlled oil reserves goes into a fund for the welfare and betterment the people. The revenue pays for arts programs, a years-worth of maternity leave for mothers, and two week tropical vacations for those whose health is compromised by the country's long winters.

Rather than being (mis) managed by greedy corporate moneymen or corrupt politicians, this fund is looked after by a state appointed philosopher whom Moore interviews. "The idea is we don't spend this money now, we can spent the surplus, but the capital itself should be kept for future generations, because basically this has been built up over two to three million years, and we shouldn't spend it in fifty years," explains State Philosopher Hynrik Syse. "This is something I see cutting across the political spectrum, in that all emphasize this need to pull together, to take care of those that are weakest, and at the same time preserving a tolerance and respect for difference."

Wow. Imagine if America's oil wealth was used to fund our education, health, and social services. Imagine if our politicians planned for the future good of the people, rather than merely for short term political gain. Imagine if the ill could concentrate on getting better rather than how they're going to bear the financial burden of their sickness, and the old could look forward to a worry-free retirement after a lifetime in the workforce. Sicko shows it's possible. There are alternatives, if we could only stop fearing the unknown -- and two simple but scary words -- universal healthcare. An Oscar-worthy endeavor indeed.