July 20, 2003
v The quest of a scientist for
other civilisations is the theme.
v One theme that is well
expressed by this film is the entrenched irrationality of people at all levels.
Those who
believe and those who do not believe are equally irrational.
v Public opinion that is
highly valued is depicted here in its purest form: It is incapable of knowing
its subject. It is insistent on its opinion.
v These are themes as old as
our civilisation.
v The film would not have been
half successful if the technology part were removed. Popularity is for the
technology and speaks about the character of popularity. Truth and
popularity rarely go together. If they do, it is by coincidence.
v The scientist in Dr. Ellie
Arroway that constantly asks for proof is unable to offer proof for her rare
physical experience. Proof belongs to the physical plane; all life is NOT confined to the physical.
v Authority always has a
substantial dose of falsehood. In times of crisis, as a rule, it is always the
falsehood that wins, though not ultimately.
v Any trailblazer is deserted
by life early. Ellie loses her mother and father.
v Every seeker is being
watched by good angels is a theme well portrayed. Those aids come to Ellie as
Life Responses – they precipitate into reality when she exhausts her efforts.
v Falsehood usurping truth can
never succeed is seen in the life of Dr. Drumlin. When he takes over her
accomplishment, the world around her is silent. It is a silent conspiracy or
conspiracy of silence. The society at large rarely comes to the rescue of
Truth.
v The Positive and Negative
are two sides of life apparently opposite, really complementary. Sri Aurobindo
often implies that the negative is greater or more powerful than the positive.
In accomplishing Ellie's mission, the billionaire S.R. Hadden lives up to that
principle.
v The blind man in the story,
Kent, is a symbolic representation of human blindness, even when one espouses Truth
and seeks it all one's life.
v In the West, individual
Truthfulness is commendably high.
It is the core of scientific
research.
In Ellie, it is at its
height.
The Truth that is partial is
ineffective socially because of its being NOT a whole.
Hence, Ellie's Truth often
stumbles.
Even when it physically
succeeds, it is a social failure.
Had it been whole, i.e. the
Mind that is the part is either supported by the emotions or the Spirit, it
would have become a social success.
In 'The Matrix' Neo's
failure is made up by the love of Trinity.
The WHOLE is neither Mind nor the
emotions. Even the Spirit is only a part. But when the partial Mind is
supported by another part the vital – emotions – its character of being partial
is lessened and its effectivity rises.
v The real WHOLE is the Spirit in the Being,
the Psychic Being, the evolving Spirit. All others are parts.
v Rachel Constantine, the black
lady officer in the White House who discovers that Ellie actually traveled for
18 hours, in conjunction with Michael
Kitz, the National Security Advisor, suppress that fact and lets people believe
that Ellie traveled for only one second. Even in a society where Individuals
are extremely personally TRUTHFUL, in times of crucial decisions, ONLY falsehood will prevail. Individuals wedded to TRUTH are not enough to serve TRUTH or make the collective
consciousness serve TRUTH.
v Hence the extreme importance
of Truth.
v The September 11 attack on
World Trade Centre by the abominable terrorist gang has its 'rationale' in that
they were the negative instruments of a positive service to humanity. They are
really at war with the organised hypocrisy of international diplomacy. Neither USA nor Europe will be able to
eradicate terrorism without giving up this poison in the soul of the nation.