Thought for the day
Failure
should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is
a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by
saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.-- Denis Waitley
Take home – Home
Home
is a 2009 documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The film is almost entirely
composed of aerial shots of various places on Earth. It shows the diversity of
life on Earth and how humanity is threatening the ecological balance of the
planet. The movie was released simultaneously on June 5, 2009 in cinemas across
the globe, on DVD, Blu-ray, television, and on YouTube, opening in 181
countries. The film was financed by PPR, a French multinational holding company
specializing in retail shops and luxury brands, as part of their PR strategy.
The film
HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a beautifully shot panorama of the Earth and
the damage done to it by modern humanity. It includes a moving narration about
the evolution of the Earth, nature, agriculture, humans, and the crises of
habitat destruction, energy depletion, climate disruption, degradation...of the
environment, health, economic disparity, and more. They are well integrated in
the film, but many assumptions in the script make this film hard to recommend
unless accompanied by a reality check on energy and the value of traditional
ways.
Thirteen thousand liters are required to produce one kilo of beef,
while 100 liters of water are required for one kilo of potatoes. Ninety-five
percent of soy farms in the Amazon region, which has shrunk by 20% in the last
40 years, goes to Europe for livestock and poultry. So a forest is turned into
meat.
But the narration reveals a lack of understanding of the
implications of peak oil. Additionally, technology is romanticized,
guaranteeing that the Earth's crisis will not be solved by those wedded to
present concepts:
"This pocket of sunlight [fossil fuels] freed humans from
their toil on the land. With oil began the era of humans who break free from the shackles of time."
The assumption is that energy extraction can be
sustained, as in "Oil might run out; we can still extract oil from the tar
sands of Canada." Not that the film makers wish to see that, but they are
not aware of the inability of tar sands to satisfy much demand when
conventional oil extraction is already starting its plummet.
Wisdom Message
Our
whole attitude about life is money-oriented. And money is one of the most
uncreative things one can become interested in. Our whole approach is
power-oriented and power is destructive, not creative. A man who is after money
will become destructive, because money has to be robbed, exploited; it has to
be taken away from many people, only then can you have it. Power simply means
you have to make many people impotent, you have to destroy them -- only then
will you be powerful, can you be powerful. Remember: these are destructive acts.
A creative act enhances the beauty of the world; it gives something to the
world, it never takes anything from it. A creative person comes into the world,
enhances the beauty of the world -- a song here, a painting there. He makes the
world dance better, enjoy better, love better, meditate better. When he leaves
this world, he leaves a better world behind him. Nobody may know him; somebody
may know him -- that is not the point. But he leaves the world a better world,
tremendously fulfilled because his life has been of some intrinsic value.
Money,
power, prestige, are uncreative; not only uncreative, but destructive
activities. Beware of them! And if you beware of them you can become creative
very easily. I am not saying that your creativity is going to give you power,
prestige, money. No, I cannot promise you any rose-gardens. It may give you
trouble. It may force you to live a poor man's life. All that I can promise you
is that deep inside you will be the richest man possible; deep inside you will
be fulfilled; deep inside you will be full of joy and celebration. You will be
continuously receiving more and more blessings from God. Your life will be a
life of benediction. – Osho
Picture of the day – Dal Lake
A lone shikara boat slices through the peace
and tranquility of Dal Lake, the oarsman reflecting on a better tomorrow to
come [NatGeo]
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