Gunas and Fourth New York City Greek International Film Festival

I went to several films of the annual New York City Greek Film Festival. I may add to this post and describe some, but not yet. I was disappointed in most and in the selection. I had a brief discussion with another Greek lady who had not seen the films and may be “more conservative” than I am, at least by what this socially connotes. Our conversation gave me the idea for this post.

When I went for several years to the School of Practical Philosophy, nestled between the Greek Archdiocese and the Iraqi mission, and across the street from Bloomberg’s house on 79th Street in Manhattan, they talked about sattwic, rajastic and tamasic energy, or the three gunas, I believe from an old Indian-Sanskrit tradition system. Sattwa is associated with the morning, a serene mind, classical music, etc. Rajas is associated with work, competition, mid-day, etc. Tamasic is associated with night, lethargy, evil perhaps, etc. Of course sattwic is considered the highest evolved energy. I tend to see all sides of things in a holistic manner. For instance being in a calm, non-reactive meditative state (which I was not with family recently J and listening with a smile on one’s face to Mozart is in a way an evolved energy. But we are on earth, and to me, to enjoy and be it all, which to me is part of being authentic. Although quiet mornings may be my favorite time, who does not want to relish in getting their tasks done, progress through work, sweating through dance, yelling when one really feels like it, and the like? Likewise, a sort of lethargic, angry, gothic, evil-sexual energy adds diversity to life and expresses energy within us (this does not mean to hurt anyone – that’s why religious beliefs are important). There can be perfection in the disgustingness of a scary Halloween costume, or in the sexy, gothic professor from Harry Potter, or a teenager fully being/embodying black clothes, piercings and tattoos if it really is, at least for a few years, the “real” him or her. I think in many cases, energy transmutes from and to each of these gunas, perhaps even sometimes tamasic to sattwic as when forgiveness if quickly granted or love dominates hate. I visualize it as a verticle cycle. Other times, energy is stale.

Given all this, I would not mind a film or two about infidelity, alcoholism, a sex party, a fight, money scarcity, etc. (not they are all necessarily associated in all circumstances; I am quickly writing this entry so as to get on to some other work), but I do not want every damn movie to be that. To me, that MAY show something about the overall consciousness of the ethnic group’s film festival. Now, there are movies I did not see, and many more that were not in the festival because they were not entered or picked. However, I will go with my intuition. Every movie I saw had some or all of these themes: infidelity; brother and sister romance; lying in business; male dominance; clinginess to parents; and other crap, including in one “The Business Manager” having crap fall on one’s face through a busted pipe. Now in some cases, this was needed as a metaphor. Some old ladies may have been disturbed with t4he movie Dog Tooth, for instance, where kids are kept at home, controlled by the parents, except of course for the boy who can have a visiting prostitute, who is later replaced by his sister. When she finally feels that there is something wrong (rightfully so), she tries to escape. I won’t give this away, but the way she does this (and we don’t’ know if she succeeds in the end) shows us that her mind is still controlled by Dad. (If we think about it, our minds are mostly controlled, but that’s another post. Who is free?) In this movie, elements which may be disturbing to some or many were needed to convey the message and it was done brilliantly on many levels. In another movie, Four Black Suits, a dead man was carried in his casket across the countryside. The destination where he was taken as per his will was heartening, but I did not need to see him carried across the countryside for more than an hour.

At the same time, I would have liked some, yes, good old-fashioned, classy movies. I am all about balance. Stay in the middle road or come back to the right if you are left for a long time, to still have balance. I went to Manhattan to see the movie Black Field advertised as a relationship between a nun with a wounded soldier in the 1600s. The scenery was great and he looked like a mixture between Brad Pitt and Jesus Christ, but lo and behold a surprise! She was a hermaphrodite. Now there is nothing wrong with that, I believe in civil rights, and the whole thing, but don’t advertise it as a nun-Cinderella movie.

Nisos, or the Island, was a great movie, although it was off to a slow start. Although it showed infidelity, homophobia, and shady business and political figures, it did so in a brilliantly funny, matter-of-fact, and paradoxically indirect demonstrative way to show how full of it people are, even in a small idyllic island society. Religious, police, political and education figures, the supposed pillars of society, each had major issues.

My favorite movie was surprisingly the military movie Heart and Soul, which I saw because the manager gifted it to me. I usually do not like military films and could leave early if I did not like it, as he suggested. This film about civil war and world politics was "high energy" through the first class acting, directing and cinematography.

The film about a transsexual and her father, Dark Odyssey, was not too sattwic because of the dream images of a squirrel, that lasted to the end of the film. To me, this symbolizes our calm center of the "real" us, composed of our childhood before too much baggage, and our dreams and desires.

Of course, America America with director Kazan is a masterpiece, and a long one. I did not see it at the festival event. Rather, I saw it in pieces at the Avery Fisher Center of the Bobst Library of NYU. Stathis gave a brilliant performance. I love his askance smile. I would like to know if he ever married the woman from Constantinople. Black Fields is an old movie. It stayed within the confines of what Greek film could be about decades ago. The father's character was somewhat unbelievable, being so jolly with his home open to his daughter's male friends. Some Greek men do have that humor. The mother was played brilliantly by Ariadne Zapnoukayas, the wife of Nicholas Zapnoukayas, who played the father. The character was somewhat cliche, but she went inside of herself for depth and nuisance, even though her facial expression could have changed a few times. She was an exemplary actress. The actresses playing daughters played well too.

That Monday, I chose a film from the Asian International Film Festival that was there about a once-rich New Jersey businessman who goes to India to sell his property because he is broke. He is kidnapped and a comedy ensues. This was a funny film full of nuances on human nature. It was pleasurable and well-done. Different topics such as this were needed in the Greek film festival.

Dependence

I went to a Tuesday meeting of the Forum on Orthodox Spirituality at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity on the Upper West Side of Manhattan today. I have been going to most meetings since 2008. Father Frank Frangos, who has two Ph.D's and teaches religion a Saint John’s University in Queens,, presided. As usual, I liked or agreed with most of what he had to say, but not all. He was a bit rushed. For instance, he said that Hinduism is the oldest religion. I would not think this is true, unless he meant of the major religions: For instance, How do we know if we have record of another religion but we have not found it, or if pre-oral civilizations had their own religions?

He showed clips from Bruce Almighty. I the past, he has used The Matrix and Star Trek. He showed how Bruce's trying to play God caused chaos. I like how we must work with God, but we must to be entirely dependent on God like children. In fact, we have our will and choice, and must take risks at times; the future is uncertain. He also used DNA to show how some atheists turned to loving God after appreciating DNA, which symbolizes rules, law and order. To me, as I have written before in this blog, almost everything all the time is a yin-yang balance. Nature is not only ordered: There are earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis and volcanoes, and larger animals tear apart poor little small ones. (Yes, this "must happen for order, but it can be argued God did not need to create this stuff, which can be viewed as ugly.) In DNA, there are continuous mutations that must be continually repaired by DNA enzyme. Mutations may lead to cancer, or to evolution. I thought this in the moment and then thought how this is a metaphor for having to break the rules once in a while for growth, progress, and, yes, new rules. Slavery used to be legal once, after all, and was approved of in the Bible. The point is, use religion as your roots, and look at other's ideas and yourself, and branch out.

What I liked is his emphasis on those who go to Church and go through the motions such as the Holy Sacraments, fasting, etc., yet do to know Jesus Christ, and to those who turn to religion only during tough times.

The group is a great group and if anyone wants information on visiting to a free Tuesday session, let me know.

What Is Work?

They peer at you with beady eyes, waiting to attack, drowning in the ecstasy of their misery and ancestors' conversations of hard work and suffering. They ready to spring at your neck in case you are having too much fun, and, especially if you are earning money doing it! How to be nice to these bleeps while being powerful and straight is the subject of another blog post, but for now I will focus on the topic of work. It has been on my mind after an ordinary ignoramus made a comment to me months ago, and curiously, is a major topic of Oprah Winfrey's recent O Magazine issue. Perhaps this is a sort of serendipity -- alike minds think alike. Martha Stewart, another wealthy woman, was on the Oprah show recently. These too work and play hard -- another yin/yang balance I'd like more of and wanted since a child. Oprah gives millions to others, and employees people, and has her share of homes, clothes, jewelry, food and more. She has her healthy ego too, putting her good ol' self on the cover of her magazine.

Working hard has its merits. Who wants to be a lazy bum? At the same time, you can do what you love and have fun. And, think: If one is extra smart and talented, they may not have to kill themselves to do the same work another does, and they may do so a lot quicker. Yes, some people have to pay the bills. With some creativity, intuition and imagination, they can begin hobbies that grow to be lucrative. They will be self-expressed and have fun.

Think more: Oftentimes, what looks like fun, like dance, is the result of hours of hard work. And it is also fun and self-expression for some, not to mention magic, inspiration and a way to make a difference!

Think more: Everything is work. If you read a book, have an experience or watch a television show and are conscious or present so that you grow, you are working. And if you use this for further work in which you get pay, good for you.

Church of the Holy Family UN Service New York City, September 16

I went this Thursday to the service before the first meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). Bhante from the Queens Sri Lankan Buddhist Vihalra in Hollis HIlls told me ab out it. He is so sweet. I did not see him there. Actually, I saw few Non-Christian clergy. I saw a rabbi. In the seats were a Muslim woma and Asian Indian woman, and in the back of the room stood a Buddhist monk. Attending were the Archbishop of New Tork City Dolan and the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon. To my dismay, there were no Greek Orthodox leaders. There were a Russian and Armenian priests.

My first impressions were that it was a pompous ceremony of men in weird costumes. I did not like that there were no female religious leaders. I realized I can have a more positive perspective and switched to that I can make a differece in this, and that people are at least trying to get together for common peace consciousness. I went beyond my resignation and cynicism to join them.

In the reception, I talked to several religious leaders and a graduate student who wants to make a difference in interfaith work. We will team up next week.

Buddhist Vihara Visit

Since 2002, I have been going to the Sri Lankan Buddhist Vihara occasionally to meditate on Wednesdays. The Clintons have been there, and cute balding Bhante represents them at the United Nations. I went this Wednesday, following my intuition. I went into the zone, just a little while, and it was great at the end. I had a slice of pizza going up the hill; I guess I combined the Italian parts and Indian parts of Eat, Play, Love. I thought of this later. Bhante invited me to a September 16 prayer service of different religious leaders to start the year. This is in line with one of my Impossible Promises from the Power and Contribution Course of Landmark Education.

I am Greek Orthodox, not fundamentalist. I think exploring good ideas from other faiths is great. I love the ceiling at the center, full of paper lilies that have faded with time. I went through a rough time years ago, and it’s one of the places that got me through it. Now they rearranged the lilies in a way I don’t like, but they are still great. There is a balcony opening to the back of the center. It is up on a hill, by the side of Hillside Avenue. North of Hillside Avenue, houses are more expenses. South, where I live, they are less expensive. On the balcony, you just see tree tops and water towers, and Grand Central Parkway, a beautiful highway I enjoyed when I had a car. You also see the back yard of the neighboring house, with a beautiful tree house where children play. The overall energy is great.

There was a ceremony upstairs, so he talked in the kitchen. I sat next to Bhante for most of it. I don’t like how faith groups make desire wrong. I see both sides of many areas, and believe in a yin-yang balance. You can be a slave to desire, as alcoholics are, or you can find Truth, Love and Beauty there like in a sacred kiss, or appreciation of beauty. He did make good points, however: We keep pursuing what is beautiful – books, sounds, smells, tastes great, what our mind likes. Rather than desire in a lustful sense, I thought of my subway experience. After interviewing for a job where they had no money to pay me until and if they get clients, and being upset over thinking someone I’ve had feelings for just came back from Europe with someone, I just wanted to nap on the subway. I had in front of me two teenagers talking in a way and about what I did not like, and a woman with a battery-mouth behind me yapping in a foreign language ceaselessly. Finally I saw another seat to move into for a few minutes. In mindfulness, part of what Bhante referred to was accepting, although he said “tolerating” afterwards. I really believe in expressing emotions, and there is nothing wrong with them unless they overtake you for a long time or you hurt someone, I get that I could have been accepting then. Other times I am loving or just neutral o the subway. The key is not to make myself wrong either way or analyze too much.

I also thought that one can have a seventh sense, after sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and the mind as they categorized it: spirit. What do you do if your spirit actually feels or cares for another who is away? Could it all be a delusion as Buddhists say? Could it be too a lot of drama, like in Most Greek songs? I lean toward thinking it is a combination. Sigh. Ah. Silence.

New York Times: Your Brain on Exercise

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/your-brain-on-exercise/

More later

Bible Quotes from Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude

by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone

This attitude can empower one when "negative" situations occur.

From page 338:

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Romans 13:13-14.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Mark 9:23

Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief. Mark 9:24

According to your faith be it unto you. Mathew 9:29

Faith without works is dead. James 9:20

What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24

If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Ask and it shall be give you; seek ad ye shall find; knock ad it shall be opened unto you. Matthew 7:7

Naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Matthew25;32-35

Go ye into all the world. Mark 16:15

For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. Romans 7:19

For what I would, that I do not; but what I hate that I do. Romans 7:15

Silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give thee. Acts 3:6

The love of money is the root of all evil. I Timothy 6:10

Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:15