Hunter S. Thompson Documentary Pays Tribute to the Gonzo Journalist

In one of my first posts I talked about CineVegas and I recommended seeing Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson. Apparently I was on the right track, because the documentary has been receiving rave reviews from critics.

 

Narrated by none other than Johnny Depp, the movie chronicles the life of Thompson by tracking his writings and it examines his role in the development of modern journalism. This may be one of the first films based on Thompson’s life that focuses less on his drug use and more on his role as a writer.

 

According to the film’s director Alex Gibney, Thompson was more than just a spectacle. “Everybody had forgotten about why they were interested in him to begin with,” said Gibney in a recent Reuters article. “What a great writer he was and particularly what a great political writer he was.”

Apparently Gibney tried to shoot the film after Thompson’s funeral, but he couldn’t get any of his friends to talk until Depp stepped in and vouched for him.

Come As You Are

The only Zen you’ll find on the top of mountains is the Zen you bring with you.

Robert Pirsig: Author of Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Repair

 

No matter where you go, there you are. Although this might seem like an ancient riddle and a very confusing concept, this is another of life’s intriguing laws that once learned can help you navigate its swirling waters. Modern society has us programmed to look outside ourselves to find happiness and unfortunately, this has us “Looking for love in all the wrong places.”

 

No matter how much you acquire in life, you can’t escape who you are. No material item or secluded getaway will ever free you from yourself. If you’re looking to find beauty and peace, then you must first be able to appreciate the beauty and peace that is inside of you.

 

On the other hand, if you are determined to feel bad, nothing is going to look appealing to you. If you are determined to be mad, nothing will put out the raging fire inside of you. In the end, it is you and you alone that hold the key to determining how you see and interact with the world.

 

This is when taking personal responsibility for your existence comes in. You have to be willing to look at your thoughts and actions and relentlessly assess how they are affecting your life. If you want happiness, start taking steps to make that happen.

 

If this means going for a walk, take a walk. If this means doing something kind to help a love one, then do it. Don’t do it because you are expected to, do it because it feels good and you want to continue that honest feeling of happiness. If you keep repeating these positive thoughts and actions, your body and mind will program itself to make these things available in everything that you do.  It works the same way with negative thoughts and habits. If you immerse yourself in negative things, negative people, and negative attitudes, that is what you will feel and experience.

 

According to the movie, The Secret, our powers of manifestation is what brings our realities to life. Similar sentiments come from hip hop lyricist KRS-1, who once dropped rhymes about how we should be careful about what we think about, because what we think, we attract.

 

In other words, the way we think directly affects what we see and experience. With this in mind, logic suggests that we can change not only the way we feel, but also the way we live our lives if we are willing to accept responsibility for our thoughts and actions. If we follow this principal, logic also suggests that we are completely responsible for the way we live our lives.

 

Although at first this may sound like a lot of work and very difficult, following these principals actually frees us from the work of living outside of our code. A man who doesn’t lie and doesn’t steal is a man who can return a full wallet he finds at the airport because it is not his. He does not care about the money. He feels a responsibility to do the right thing and this is what moves him. This man is wealthy in so many ways, because he doesn’t worry about the mitigating circumstances. He just does what he knows is right. This is true freedom.

 

Taking responsibility for your thoughts and actions will lead you to want you want. By living your Tao, also known as following the middle path, you will free your mind and soul from things that would otherwise keep you from real happiness. You want the best, then believe you are worthy of receiving the best and take daily steps to make that happen. If you want good health, then take care of your body as the temple that it is. If you want to be wealthy, then take stock in what matters to you and then align your thoughts and actions to make it happen and last but certainly not least, if you want peace, then look at what you are doing to achieve it.

 

Remember that you are what you think you are!   

T.I. Tries to Become a Role Model

According to a recent article by Associated Press writer Jonathan Landrum Jr., rapper T.I. has sought the guidance of civil rights activist and former mayor of Atlanta, Andrew Young.

 

Once a “right-hand man” for Martin Luther King Jr., Young has hope that the young rapper can help stem the tide of violence by teaching others about social responsibility and by offering ways to become a leader in the community.

 

“He’s bright enough, sensitive enough, vulnerable enough and intellectual enough that he might be able to help the society deal with the problem of violence,” said Young.

 

I see only one problem with this. T.I. just pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge and he is going to do a year in jail. He still has a lot to prove to be considered a role model. I hope he can continue this path toward making a difference in the lives of others, but first, he needs to focus on changing himself, so that he can speak from the heart.

 

I understand that T.I. has been working to teach kids the pitfalls of guns, gangs, and violence and I applaud that. I just hope when he’s done doing his time that he can truly become a person that can help stop violence in our society. He’s got the star power and street credibility to make people listen and if he truly means what he says, he’ll step up to the plate.