Watched "the New World" the other night which is the story of Pocahontas shot in a very realistic but dream like way by Terence Malick who made the Thin Red Line.
These stories of first contact between Native people and White men always choke me up.
I just want to yell -"Dont trust em-they will ruin everything".
Which is basically what Colin Farrell as Captain Smith says to Poc.
But she trusts him and almost gets taken to the cleaners but she survives and actually grows to have the supreme satifaction of rejecting Captain Smith years later.
Still in the minds of Native Americans was she a traitor coz without her the first settlers would surely have perished?
In the film they seem to have a perfect life. Hunting, fishing ,hanging out, smoking peace pipes. It looks ideal esp. compared to the white trash settlers who argue and spout the gospels as they cheat each other.
It is a wonderful film if you like long, love stories and frolicking in the fields.
There is a bit of carnage but probably not enough to interest the lads.
You see I want to go back to pre-Columbus America or pre-Cook Australia.
For a visit at least.
I want to work out whether they were happier than us.
Whether they smiled more than us.
Laugh more than us.
Argued less.
All those barrometers of well being.
Whether they were depressed and over-ate.
Whether they couldn't get up in the morning.
Or killed each other as much.
Or worked as hard.
Coz our modern life is a wonderful gift but to what can I compare my modern life.
I'm looking for a scientific control so we can acertain if it's all been worth it.
Progress and it's relentless march.
Does it play the tune you hum along to?
2 comments:
Hmmm...reminds me of some words from a song I once heard...'and they call this carnival progress????' :)
A very thoughtful post. I guess I've always assumed that spiritually those in the era you described were light years ahead of us now. And sometimes it's easy to think of how "easy" we have it now. So I can understand the challenge inside yourself you describe, who was better off, all around?
Man, sounds like a good lyrical topic to me......do you have any music for it?!?! ;)
I think I once mentioned here how embarrassed I still feel about the missionaries traveling the world, trying to convert native "heathens". I just think that's the height of arrogance.
One thought that often crosses my mind is to wonder what it'll all be like in 100 years. Think of it, a century ago we hardly had the automobile. Now it's seems to be such a technological world. But what if this is only the first second of the first minute of the first hour of the first day on the "technological clock"? We can't even begin to fathom it, for that is the nature of it, it is the unknown.
I hope it's all a bright future, but I fear for the nature of humanity at times.
Peace,
Tony
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