Phaedrus First Flick †Theology Essay

Phaedrus First Flick – Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers Somewhere off in a strange world similar to our own, Ted Briggs and Phaedrus are offered a one-time chance meeting. They are to watch Jocelyn Moorhouse’s film Proof, enjoy the atmosphere of a completely empty theater, and walk together, speaking about whatever it is that comes to their minds. Unusual you say, perhaps, but no more time for haste, the movie has just ended†¦ Ted: Hello there friend, I am not sure that we have met, my name is Ted Briggs. Phaedrus: I am Phaedrus, and I do not recognize my surroundings, quite strange! Could you tell me what I have just witnessed? Ted: What you just witnessed? You just saw some crazy movie with Russell Crowe and that guy from the Matrix. Phaedrus: Matrix, I do not understand, what language am I speaking. Ted: Yes I know that it is strange, but due to our limited time here together I can only give you the abridged version. That was a motion picture and although I know that you were quite taken aback by it, they are not new, nor are they small in number. In fact, you would be amazed at how many have been made that have just been garbage. Anyway, I also know that Greek is a little more familiar to you but somebody more powerful than us has had their way so for the time being and so that I can understand you, we are speaking English. After that it gets really complicated so just don’t ask any more questions. Phaedrus: Fair enough I suppose, may I inquire as to why your leg is damaged as so? Ted: An injury, incurred in battle, you know war. Phaedrus: Yes, war is a term that is common in any language. Ted: No big deal really, I have learned to live accordingly, but enough about me, how about you, I hear that you are an intellectual. Phaedrus: Oh yes, more of a self proclaimed philosopher I would say. Ted: Philosophy, I see, well what did you think of the film that we just saw? Phaedrus: That was beautiful, yet it was sad, it really made no sense to me, why would Martin act as he did? Ted: Martin, what did he do? If anything could be said it would be that Andy let himself get caught up with his desires. Phaedrus: Those are foolish desires; they mean next to nothing, it was for pleasures sake only, nothing more. Ted: Oh I bet there was more, if you know what I mean, it just doesn’t happen once, not with a woman like Celia, it will only be more and more. Phaedrus: But that is not important, not at all, Martin is the loser here. Celia shall lose as well, but not as badly as Martin. Ted: Sure Martin’s losing, but Celia, I think that she did all right for herself, for she got what she wanted. Phaedrus: She did not get what she wanted. And because of that very fact Martin shall never get what she was giving. Ted: Why all the talk about Martin, he has his chance, he passed on it and Andy stepped right in, a shame really if you ask me. Martin seemed like a nice guy but didn’t come across as being that social, he should have been grateful for what he could get. Phaedrus: You perplex me with this talk of what one can get, as if the physical involvement with someone is the most important thing to have. I see no reason for your emphasis upon it. Ted: No reason, have you ever had it, or even felt it, that feeling inside, when you are in a state of total bliss, time stands still, you forget who you are, where you are and for just one moment you feel like the only two people in existence. Phaedrus: Yes, love, exactly what I am saying, know you are beginning to make sense. Ted: Love, no, no, not love, Sex, you know, sex, the act of coitus, two people throwing inhibitions aside and indulging in the ultimate act of affection. Phaedrus: No I do not understand, love is the ultimate goal, it is love to which I am referring. Love is what Celia was offering Martin. Martin felt it, perhaps he was unaware of what it was or how it felt, but he knew deep down that he was the loved one and that Celia was the lover. That she felt strong enough to do anything, even things she would not normally do in order to express her love. Martin simply pushed it away; he shunned the very thing that would bring him happiness, and virtue and all of the best in life. Ted: I just think that he pushed away any chance of getting laid, and for that I brand him a fool, it’s not everyday somebody gets an offer like that. Phaedrus: Why such a dependence upon the physical and not the emotional. I presume that you are afraid of it as well, is that right Ted? Have you ever been in love? Ted: In love, of course, tons of times, I have been in love more times than I can remember. Phaedrus: More times than you can remember, I have never heard of such audacity. No one can be in love as often as that. Were you in love, true love? Ted: What the hell does that mean, true love? I don’t know, so I slept with some women, and then I talked with them and I spent time with them, they made me happy for a while, but it never lasted long. Maybe it was just me, I don’t know. Phaedrus: Love is not that, love is the most beautiful of all the gods. To be in love, and to be the loved one, to know that you would do anything for the affection of that one person, that they would do the same for you, they would give their life to be with you or to honor the way they felt. The act in which all good things follow, that is love Ted, nothing more and certainly nothing less. That is what that film was about. Martin did not know how to handle Celia’s love, perhaps he was afraid of it, and so it removed it from his life. As for Andy, he did not receive Celia’s love, for it had been growing in her for Martin, not him. Andy was the recipient of the outlet of Celia’s frustration with Martin and his rejection of her love. Ted: That thought never crossed my mind, I just thought it odd that he turned her away when he knew that she was all over him, he didn’t have to see to know that. Phaedrus: Not lust Ted, love, and the one thing that the gods truly intended for us all. The beautiful way that two people know each other and find harmony through one another. Find it Ted, if you haven’t yet. Only that love, that feeling will make you happy. Ted: I wish it were that easy, to open up your door one day and find that someone. Yet I haven’t been looking, maybe I have never looked. Phaedrus: I am afraid that I must be on my way; I must head back on the path that brought me here. To you Ted I bid you farewell and I wish you luck and happiness and I encourage you to look beyond your ambitions to find the one thing that you lack. Ted: Goodbye and thank you for some of that philosophy. I used to only think of it as useless chatter. Ted: Yeah, a philosophy, maybe that is what I need, a philosophy. I need love. I need a wife. Research Papers on Phaedrus’ First Flick - Theology EssayWhere Wild and West MeetQuebec and CanadaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoMind TravelBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementCapital PunishmentAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeEffects of Television Violence on Children

Star Trek Essays - Star Trek, Bajoran, Pavel Chekov, Free Essays

Star Trek Essays - Star Trek, Bajoran, Pavel Chekov, Free Essays Star Trek INTRODUCTION: Television programs provide one of the most popular forms of entertainment today. From The Simpsons to The X-Files, television shows amuse, shock, sadden, and excite us by turns. Television does more, however, than simply entertain. Television shows are cultural products, and as such, they reflect, reinforce, and challenge cultural ideas. It acts as a mirror and a model for society. In examining and understanding those cultural messages and popular appeal of certain television shows, we should understand something about the society that has created and sustained them. Arguably, Star Trek is one of the most popular television shows ever produced. Today Star Trek includes four television series and nine motion pictures . Like some of the other television shows, Star Trek has been subject to the vagaries of producers and writers so it is difficult to generalize about the intent of the authors of Star Trek or the viewpoint of the readers. Yet, it is also clear that Star Trek has at various times been reflective, informative, and critical about the culture -American culture- that produced it. Star Trek has addressed a wide variety of issues, including war, capitalism, individualism, technology, race, gender, prejudice, religion, etc. The list can be extended to many other issues but here I will focus on race, gender, prejudice and religion only. As portrayed on television such issues are representations of socio-cultural perspectives on broad human concerns. For taking a closer look to those issues, in the continuing parts I will give some examples fro m a number of Star Trek episodes that had written in different times. RELIGION: The portrayal and treatment of religion in the Star Trek television series and films provides an important cultural commentary on the place of religion in society. Although no single coherent approach to religion appears in Star Trek, the series is nevertheless variously reflective of, informed by, and critical of societal attitudes toward religion. The portrayal and treatment of religion in much of the Star Trek franchise is negative: religion is often presented as superstitious, outdated, and irrational. An underlying and consistent theme of the Star Trek series is the presentation of rational scientific humanism as an alternative to religious faith. A newer theme, notably found in episodes from the Deep Space Nine and the Voyager series, explores the potentially positive value of religion. Since the viability and popularity of Star Trek have spanned such a long period of time, it is inevitable that the series would begin to diverge from original assumptions in response to changing cultural attitudes. The recent potentially positive portrayal of religion within Star Trek both reflects and reinforces a particular cultural change. Gene Roddenberry was Star Treks creator and executive producer. While he was alive and continued to have a direct hand in the production of the show, religion as a theme was rarely treated. When it was -I believe- the portrayal of religion reflected Roddenberrys own distrust of an antipathy toward organized religion. In Star Trek, organized religion tends to be portrayed as the product of a pre-rational age, antithetical to science and reason, and God is depicted as a category mistake -an advanced alien form- from mistaken for a god. However after his death, and particularly evident in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, religion as a theme far more often tends to be treated in a more sophisticated and sympathetic manner2. The setting of Deep Space Nine is a Federation space station situated next to the planet Bajor. The people of Bajor are united by their common religious faith guided by a religious oligarchy. Invisible spiritual guides called the Prophets directed them. The two hour premiere episode of Deep Space Nine: Emissary featured than -Commander Siskos encounter with the Prophets, one that led both to his emotional healing and to his identification as a Bajorans long-awaited spiritual Emissary. This introductory episode so explicitly involving a spiritual motif set a compelling tone for the exploration of religious themes in this series. On Deep Space Nine religious faith is treated as more than simply the product of superstition and the suspension of rationality depicted in the earlier series. On the other hand, certain episodes, like Shakaar, deal with the Bajoran

Ethical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ethical analysis - Essay Example Even though practitioners are expected to keep the confidentiality of patient information, Richard’s case demonstrates a need to disclose the test results to his spouse. It is argued that, medical situations in which more harm would result from keeping patient information private justify breaching of the obligation of confidentiality (Cornock 18). Richard who has been away in Botswana for four moths contracted HIV and it is necessary that his wife knows the status of her husband so that she would be protected from contracting the virus. For this reason, I would contact the wife and disclose the results. However, the disclosure of Richard’s condition to his wife has to be done in the most appropriate and professional manner. This means that I will first try to counsel the husband as to why the wife needs to be informed about his condition. To protect the health of others from cross transmission of infections, practitioners are obliged to provide relevant information to the parties who are at risk of contacting a disease or infection (Kipnis 7). The decision to inform the wife is reached for the sake of her health. The wife would be informed in two ways. I would persuade the husband to inform the wife by himself and subscribe counseling sessions for the couple. It is possible that Richard could refuse this because he seems adamant to keep this information private. Therefore, I will contact the wife and arrange for a consultation and counseling session with her. During the meeting with Richard’s wife, I would inform her about the health condition of the husband in the most straightforward manner. This will be followed by a counseling session in which I will advice her that she and the husband would live positively regardless of his positive HIV status. My duty of care is towards the whole family. If the wife is informed about her husband’s condition, she would take measures of protecting herself from being infected by her husband. In this case, I