Why are movies so popular as a medium?

In addition to being entertained on some level, the viewer gets to stop thinking and start feeling for about 120 minutes; you could call the experience a form of mass hypnosis.

And when a film rises to the level of art, then we have a meditation—which, contrary to the popular notion, is about total participation in the present moment, not relaxation. 

We are primarily visual and auditory creatures; watching and listening are easier than reading, which is a fact not a comparison. 

All of life’s minor inequities pale when you give thanks to all who defended your right to explore freedom; the consequences of liberty should not be taken for granted.

Light a candle of commemoration; then take five uninterrupted minutes to evaluate your priorities.

You are on sacred ground when you know where you stand.

Of course, well-being and right action are the blessings of a conscious mind.

Let us add to this the most valuable of currencies: Time.

How are you spending your most treasured legal and tender? Are you a spendthrift trying to keep up on the wasteful pursuit of an external identity; or, are you a leader who knows where he stands and when enough is enough. The road to great art is about economy, not indulgence.

The ATM to your soul is never broken or closed. 

In the John Sayles film, Silver City, we see how inept and corrupt men can rise to power.

Many would argue that the real power in this country (or any for that matter) lies with money. Cash buys favors, and favors get unqualified candidates to win elections.

But, we should not get dismayed or lose our focus. True power lies in character, and, as the master had said: character answers all questions.

Do not sell yourself down that river and we will all breath pure air in a free society governed by good people. 

To succeed in a healthy way, choosing a model worthy of your commitment is essential.

The operative word here is model, an exemplary model that you can live up to and be proud of.

Each age has had a model, or archetype that represented the zeitgeist of the times—from the hero, the saint, the martyr, the knight, the renaissance man, the explorer, the gentleman, the mystic, to more recent media-spawned phenomena in the guise of the film or rock star who is more admired than the humanitarian; and, to further reveal (split infinitive notwithstanding) society’s conceit, the cult-worship of youth and surface appearance has become mainstream idolatry.

This is the climate of prevailing values in which you must persevere.