Oblivion

Thoughts after watching. Like many thought-provoking films of this genre, it works like a brain teaser. Good cinematic for such show is a plus but the idea behind the scripts is a real feast for the mind. Comparing to films like Cloud Atlas, Inception, Avatar and Matrix, it is more straight forward and easier to understand. It is more to Matrix in the sense that you have "reality" as a system to govern mankind, and some hero trying to go against this reality.

This story is about how a technician is posted to the "post-war" Earth to repair security drones, keeping the resource extractor safe. But after a few mishap in his mission as well as the recurring memory that has hunted him constantly, he decided to trust the scavengers (was instructed to him as enemy aliens) to seek the real truth. Eventually he found the fabricated truth and reason to his lost memories, turn his back against the real alien and sacrifice himself.

Something struck me yet not to my surprise was when Jack (lead) confronts the alien and the alien says that he is the creator and he is the God. In sociology, religion is called social institution or a social construct that functions to allow social interactions and harmony. We can well believe that any particular religion in its original state is pure and altruistic. But how about the one that continues that belief and propagates it.

As history repeats itself, religion are made reason to revolt and conquest. And religion are used to assimilate the conquered country, forcing out the native belief and culture. Max Weber commented in his work call , The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Captialism, adopted the idea of predestination and that God salvation is not for everyone. But for those that avoid damnation based on God's predetermination. People were anxious to know if they are chosen by God and thus work to prove they are. That motivates the development of Capitalism.

Religion as an opium for the worker. Work of Karl Marx suggested that religious idea are passed down to organize the working class, to help the worker justify their role of a worker. It soothes and dulls their senses to the pain and alienation from their task chores. It mentioned that Kingdom of God are for the less endowed with wealth and those who are richer are harder to enter the Kingdom of God. Interested may read up on Calvinism.

There are also those that after empire conquest, seeks out to erase the former religion by bombing its temples and historical size, and destroying the holy text. Some missionary assimilates the native culture through modern education. This film "Schooling the World" talks about what happens in Ladakh where schools headed by missionaries made the kids leave their family to board in school, learn English and educate them on western ideas and religion. But after graduation, a lot of these kids find it hard to go back to their native village, creating social problems. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLSIgZWNR9M They actually lost their means of survival in their community.

In the movie, the alien sort to use warnings/threats to keep these technician from certain sector of Earth, saying that they are radioactive zone. Passing it will get vaporized. The alien also used "sexuality" as a way to comfort the technician, giving them more comfort and less reason to cross their "comfort zone". The female counterpart work like a constant reminder that they should obey directives passed down to fulfill the role of an effective team. Not so much about using sexuality but we are often bind by labels of roles passed down from the social system to keep us in check. Those not willing to comply are labeled as deviants. Some "rare deviants that became successful, gets rewarded and the endowment (recognition as well) given by society again trap these deviant in his new band (hierarchical ) of labels and attachments.

Personal growth can happen even if one subscribe to what society has for them. In fact it is so much more comfortable as long as it keeps their curiosity in check. Going at odds with norms of society creates more pain and struggle but growth is much more if that individual is persistent enough to let growth happen. Yet, no matter one seeks to go along or against, growth happens only when they are mindful of their situation/ circumstances and their inner thoughts. In the movie, if the male protagonist does not seek out his "dream", life will just go by mechanically.

Maybe, hardships and knocks of life are truth reminders that we still feel pain and not some creations out to fulfill certain pre-designed plans. Questioning our belief system is a good way yet one should also questions their logical inductions made by them as they are also belief systems build on those they destroyed formerly...

I am not a atheist as being an atheist are just another belief system.