Final Reflective Letter
Jon Headlee
Without a doubt, this course has been the most challenging in my brief college career. Even though I am technically a first year student, my work in high school has allowed me to skip ahead of the typical path. The journey through this semester has been wild to say the least. I began this course with hardly any ideas, and by the time the course was over, I could hardly figure out how to contain my ideas within the allotted space. Despite the hardships I faced writing this paper, I can definitely say that taking this course was worth my while.
My paper began as a search for why Star Wars has become so popular, but I quickly found out that the topic was too little in scope or importance to be of any use. I was also afraid of coming up with just a regurgitated report, rather than an informative research paper. So, I changed directions and analyzed myth, specifically the hero myth. Researching the hero myth, I found out that the hero myth was the base myth for the occult. I was also heavily influenced by Joseph Campbell’s essay, “The Occult in Myth and Literature”. Through my research on hero myths and the occult, I started making connections between the power of the hero myth within sci-fi films, like Star Wars, the Matrix, and Donnie Darko. These connections led me to my next thesis, “the return of the hero in sci-fi cult films”.
Unfortunately, this thesis, while interesting, was too broad, so I eventually narrowed it down to the return of the hero in Star Wars. This still, however, was not satisfying, and I began to intensify my research in the vast amount of occult-related material. It was here that I discovered Gnosticism, and came across a very important website, “The Occult Investigator”. The introduction of Gnosticism radically changed my viewpoints on many different topics, including my own personal religious beliefs. Though painful at first, I began to understand more and more about the occult and the mistruths (or flat out lies) of my Christian heritage. Tim Boucher’s website was very helpful in giving me a basis and educated viewpoint on various occult-related topics. Reading many of Boucher’s articles allowed me to make further connections, connections which would expand my ideas greatly.
The increased knowledge and philosophical thought that I researched and logically deduced came with a heavy price. Since I was doing most of my occult research for my English paper, the connections I was making were all being related to my topic. Thus, my topic quickly grew out of control. When I finally decided to sit down and write out my ideas, it took me nearly two weeks. After writing over 50 pages of material, I forced myself to stop, but the damage was already done. My paper had become too long, had consumed too much of my time, and I missed the opportunity to participate in the large group workshop, which made revision very, very difficult. I was also caught emotionally. I wanted to get all of my new thoughts and ideas (some of them very, very radical) out onto paper, but it was impossible to do so in any short fashion. I eventually came to a compromise. I decided to focus my paper on one aspect of my growing philosophy, and then spend the summer writing a book (an idea I plan to follow through with).
This focused attempt led me to my current paper. The paper, however has consumed my time, a fact that has cost me quite a few hours of good sleep. Despite the loss of sleep, I never hated writing it. I love philosophy. The only thing I disliked was page limits placed upon the assignment. Without any limits, my paper would have become a 400 page philosophical dissertation. Nevertheless, this course and my paper have been worth my time and effort.
I’m glad I took this course, despite the fact that it swallowed my time and forced me to drop another course. I have learned a great deal in a short amount of time, and I have discovered an area of research that I truly love. I actually enjoyed spend late nights (or all-nighters) in the library reading and researching. This course has truly allowed me to find what I enjoy most.
Despite not being able to participate in the group workshops, there were quite a few influences on my paper. Sally, for one, was a huge help in focusing me on various aspects throughout the entire semester. Without her, I probably would have written an unsatisfying report on nothing. Instead, her prodding and questioning showed me various ways to think outside the proverbial box. It was those initial pokes and prods that launched me on my present course. My small group members also impacted the outcome of my paper. If it hadn’t been for them, I might have never considered writing about Star Wars. Instead, I probably would have written about drug legalization or some similar used and abused topic. Lastly, my mother has had a pretty significant impact on my paper. It was her philosophical questioning that stimulated new ides in my mind (even if she didn’t agree with them). She also supported me and recommended that I write a philosophical manifesto of sorts, which was encouraging considering the fact that she is a published historical fiction author.
I also recognize that there were some downsides to this course, or at least my completion of it. I did not fully learn how to exert control over my paper, and I am willing to bet that there are errors in the way my paper is constructed. I understand these limitations. In spite of these limitations, I feel that I gained enough control to lead the reader through my ideas. I also feel that my ideas have much more power than any amount of control. As such, I merely tried to guide the raging bull, the rampant flow of ideas, the endless stream of consciousness, instead of trying to completely control them. Did I succeed? I think so, but I also understand that decision ultimately lies in the minds of my readers.
Overall, this semester, and specifically, this course, has been one wild ride after another. In the end, though, I feel confident that I will arrive safely to my desired destination, publication. It may take more than just this summer to do all the necessary writing and research, but if this course has taught me anything, it would have to be patience. Patience is definitely a virtue. I’m confident that I’ll be able to put together a compelling series of essays (or one massive idea) to fill a book. I’m also confident that my ideas will get published, eventually. My hope is that my ideas, the ideas created through this course, will one day change the world, for the better.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Open Letter to Obama - Changes Pt. 3 - Paying it Forward
[Taking a break from our regularly scheduled program]
Mr. President, Facebook, and MySpace:
You may or may not know who I am. You may or may not care. Doesn't matter. What matters is the words and the actions that follow them up. I've been guilty of not following through on many things I've said. I've been guilty of not working hard enough for the things I believe in. I've been guilty of breaking laws - laws that are old and outdated, and are only used to support the burgeoning capitalistic plutocracy, of which you are just the balls-less front for. I've been guilty of not giving credit where credit is due. I've been accused of being sexist, racist, and a creep. That changes now.
I didn't vote for you, Barack - in fact, I didn't vote for anyone because the system is broken, and politicians are just puppet slaves to the all-seeing dollar. You've done nothing of REAL VALUE to fix it, the economy, or anything else. I see you're fighting to get rid of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Good, that's a start. Maybe the military would open up to not shooting and killing innocents if they didn't have to lie to themselves.
The next thing you need to do is legalize cannabis and hemp. But you know this. What you may not know is that the same amendment that granted you the ability to vote, the same amendment that corporations used to become the power mongers in this country (the 14th Amendment) is the same amendment which was never consulted in the first place when The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was pushed through under false pretenses. Those pretenses?
It was said that marijuana was worse than heroin or opium. Having done all three (opium twice and pure heroin once), I can tell you that idea is poppycock. Marijuana use, in moderation (even better when it is kept sacred), stimulates brain activity, openness and creativity. Heroin and Opium make you a vegetable. Why is marijuana (a healing drug) and hemp (an all purpose fiber that can change the world and boost our sagging economy) illegal? At this point, the only thing I can think of is an alliance between darker elements (shades of ethos not skin) of the government (ATF and DEA), powerful corporations (like the ones building private prisons and killing us like the Pharmaceutical Industry, Altria, and DuPont), and the mafia/gangs/drug dealers, etc. Why don't you clean that up? Are you afraid of having a target on your head? Don't worry, I've been there, and I'm not afraid of death - you should stop idolizing Lincoln, because we all know how that ended, and we don't want that for you, we want you to be the face of a new America.
Now, allow me to present my case in laymen's terms:
Premise 1: Capitalism was created by Adam Smith.
Premise 2: Adam Smith was influenced by the ideas of another John, Mr. Locke.
Premise 3: Locke's idea of ownership was based on work - you own what you work for.
Premise 4 (14th Amendment's Due Process clause): prohibits state and local governments from depriving persons (individual and corporate) of life, liberty, or property.
What does this mean? It means that if you own land, and you work to grow hemp or marijuana, then the DEA is violating OUR RIGHTS to do with our property what we choose. The US does not own this land. The US is tenants of a land stolen from others. And we've been really bad at taking care of business. Why?
Because of that very same amendment, corporations became considered the same as people, given the same rights and granted the same power. That's not right, and you know it. It means that anyone who's a part of these corporations actually has double power (their vote/taxes and the monetary contributions of their company). Or triple power if they're part of the mob, too. It also means that corporations become more powerful than even politicians at times - how many are stuffing your pockets? To be perfectly blunt, it's disgusting. I was raised to believe in democracy, but all I see is a facade for aristocracy, plutocracy, and selfishness.
Now, you may be seeing conspiracies all around you, but let me show you a real one. If you don't legalize in this country, then the country WILL turn against you. If you don't act like the boss, then people will take power into their own hands. If you don't end this, then we will force your hand. We'll build an economy without you. We'll build the underworld if you can't build a world we want to live in.
Did you see The Dark Knight? I did. I watched it a lot when everyone thought I was going crazy, mostly because I was obsessed with the Joker (I had a secret crush on Heath, but I also wanted to be him, the actor not the Joker). What happened when Gotham went after the entire underworld? It created chaos. If you don't legalize marijuana and hemp, then you may have to build more prisons (by the way, about 67% of prisons are full of non-violent offenders, if that isn't passive aggressive, then I don't know what is).
Did you see V for Vendetta? Instead of using a mask, grow a V-garden, grow so much hemp and weed that the government has no choice but to submit to the WILL of its people. If you want a revolution, revolutionize yourself, and start doing.
My father once ask me, what do you want your Legacy to be? Well with TRON: Legacy days away, I ask you, Mr. Obama, what do you want your Legacy to be? The people are tired. The people are poor. Whispers of revolution have been churning since Bush, and now people are serious. They're seeing the truth about corporations and they're saying NO! Legalizing hemp and marijuana (combined with tax benefits for small co-ops and high taxes on large corporations) would stimulate the economy, give people an alternative to cigarettes and alcohol, and that money would be put back into the system, preferably the education system (which has an ass-backwards view on drug use and actually subconsciously creates drug abusers - D.A.R.E. is a subconscious challenge to do drugs).
So what are you afraid of? Religion? Guess what, I'd rather see a religion where communion is a safety meeting (aka, smoking weed) or communal dinner (with cannabis butter on the side), rather than alcohol and something that perpetuates child abuse (the broken PC in this equation is Protestant/Catholicism). Spare the rod; smoke a joint.
Who knows, maybe if you shared a blunt with the Hamas, Palestinians, and Israelis we might see a new age of peace in Jerusalem. But it's up to you. It's up to you to grow some balls and listen to your people. It's up to you to be The Chief. It's up to you to bring REAL CHANGE.
And really, isn't that why you won in the first place?
Follow me @MrHeadlee on Twitter if you like, retweet if you agree. I'm going to get back to working with those who want to work with me - working with video and green screens. I'm not an egomaniac, I'm just an ego that is tired of dealing with maniacs (I never became a drug dealer, but this economy nearly drove me to become one).
Now, the media may think I'm crazy, but that's just because I don't trust them (Hollywood stole "King Arthur" from my mom's book, "Dawnflight" - it's why she used a pseudonym for "Liberty"). Hey media, if you want to earn my trust, make sure you give me credit, but you're at Liberty to use/edit it. Oh, and I write to my own tune with my own face in my own space. What do you do? I want to know. Send me an email at jon@mrheadlee.com if you work in the TV/Film industry with your rates.
Preston and RVA, thank you and I'm sorry.
"Eye of the Tiger" just came on as I'm writing this, sober. The year of the tiger is nearly over, but Barack, this is your chance to do something we all want to see. Good luck and good night, Mr. President.
Feel free to comment, just don't expect a response - I'm a little busy ;-)
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Mr. President, Facebook, and MySpace:
You may or may not know who I am. You may or may not care. Doesn't matter. What matters is the words and the actions that follow them up. I've been guilty of not following through on many things I've said. I've been guilty of not working hard enough for the things I believe in. I've been guilty of breaking laws - laws that are old and outdated, and are only used to support the burgeoning capitalistic plutocracy, of which you are just the balls-less front for. I've been guilty of not giving credit where credit is due. I've been accused of being sexist, racist, and a creep. That changes now.
I didn't vote for you, Barack - in fact, I didn't vote for anyone because the system is broken, and politicians are just puppet slaves to the all-seeing dollar. You've done nothing of REAL VALUE to fix it, the economy, or anything else. I see you're fighting to get rid of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Good, that's a start. Maybe the military would open up to not shooting and killing innocents if they didn't have to lie to themselves.
The next thing you need to do is legalize cannabis and hemp. But you know this. What you may not know is that the same amendment that granted you the ability to vote, the same amendment that corporations used to become the power mongers in this country (the 14th Amendment) is the same amendment which was never consulted in the first place when The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was pushed through under false pretenses. Those pretenses?
It was said that marijuana was worse than heroin or opium. Having done all three (opium twice and pure heroin once), I can tell you that idea is poppycock. Marijuana use, in moderation (even better when it is kept sacred), stimulates brain activity, openness and creativity. Heroin and Opium make you a vegetable. Why is marijuana (a healing drug) and hemp (an all purpose fiber that can change the world and boost our sagging economy) illegal? At this point, the only thing I can think of is an alliance between darker elements (shades of ethos not skin) of the government (ATF and DEA), powerful corporations (like the ones building private prisons and killing us like the Pharmaceutical Industry, Altria, and DuPont), and the mafia/gangs/drug dealers, etc. Why don't you clean that up? Are you afraid of having a target on your head? Don't worry, I've been there, and I'm not afraid of death - you should stop idolizing Lincoln, because we all know how that ended, and we don't want that for you, we want you to be the face of a new America.
Now, allow me to present my case in laymen's terms:
Premise 1: Capitalism was created by Adam Smith.
Premise 2: Adam Smith was influenced by the ideas of another John, Mr. Locke.
Premise 3: Locke's idea of ownership was based on work - you own what you work for.
Premise 4 (14th Amendment's Due Process clause): prohibits state and local governments from depriving persons (individual and corporate) of life, liberty, or property.
What does this mean? It means that if you own land, and you work to grow hemp or marijuana, then the DEA is violating OUR RIGHTS to do with our property what we choose. The US does not own this land. The US is tenants of a land stolen from others. And we've been really bad at taking care of business. Why?
Because of that very same amendment, corporations became considered the same as people, given the same rights and granted the same power. That's not right, and you know it. It means that anyone who's a part of these corporations actually has double power (their vote/taxes and the monetary contributions of their company). Or triple power if they're part of the mob, too. It also means that corporations become more powerful than even politicians at times - how many are stuffing your pockets? To be perfectly blunt, it's disgusting. I was raised to believe in democracy, but all I see is a facade for aristocracy, plutocracy, and selfishness.
Now, you may be seeing conspiracies all around you, but let me show you a real one. If you don't legalize in this country, then the country WILL turn against you. If you don't act like the boss, then people will take power into their own hands. If you don't end this, then we will force your hand. We'll build an economy without you. We'll build the underworld if you can't build a world we want to live in.
Did you see The Dark Knight? I did. I watched it a lot when everyone thought I was going crazy, mostly because I was obsessed with the Joker (I had a secret crush on Heath, but I also wanted to be him, the actor not the Joker). What happened when Gotham went after the entire underworld? It created chaos. If you don't legalize marijuana and hemp, then you may have to build more prisons (by the way, about 67% of prisons are full of non-violent offenders, if that isn't passive aggressive, then I don't know what is).
Did you see V for Vendetta? Instead of using a mask, grow a V-garden, grow so much hemp and weed that the government has no choice but to submit to the WILL of its people. If you want a revolution, revolutionize yourself, and start doing.
My father once ask me, what do you want your Legacy to be? Well with TRON: Legacy days away, I ask you, Mr. Obama, what do you want your Legacy to be? The people are tired. The people are poor. Whispers of revolution have been churning since Bush, and now people are serious. They're seeing the truth about corporations and they're saying NO! Legalizing hemp and marijuana (combined with tax benefits for small co-ops and high taxes on large corporations) would stimulate the economy, give people an alternative to cigarettes and alcohol, and that money would be put back into the system, preferably the education system (which has an ass-backwards view on drug use and actually subconsciously creates drug abusers - D.A.R.E. is a subconscious challenge to do drugs).
So what are you afraid of? Religion? Guess what, I'd rather see a religion where communion is a safety meeting (aka, smoking weed) or communal dinner (with cannabis butter on the side), rather than alcohol and something that perpetuates child abuse (the broken PC in this equation is Protestant/Catholicism). Spare the rod; smoke a joint.
Who knows, maybe if you shared a blunt with the Hamas, Palestinians, and Israelis we might see a new age of peace in Jerusalem. But it's up to you. It's up to you to grow some balls and listen to your people. It's up to you to be The Chief. It's up to you to bring REAL CHANGE.
And really, isn't that why you won in the first place?
Follow me @MrHeadlee on Twitter if you like, retweet if you agree. I'm going to get back to working with those who want to work with me - working with video and green screens. I'm not an egomaniac, I'm just an ego that is tired of dealing with maniacs (I never became a drug dealer, but this economy nearly drove me to become one).
Now, the media may think I'm crazy, but that's just because I don't trust them (Hollywood stole "King Arthur" from my mom's book, "Dawnflight" - it's why she used a pseudonym for "Liberty"). Hey media, if you want to earn my trust, make sure you give me credit, but you're at Liberty to use/edit it. Oh, and I write to my own tune with my own face in my own space. What do you do? I want to know. Send me an email at jon@mrheadlee.com if you work in the TV/Film industry with your rates.
Preston and RVA, thank you and I'm sorry.
"Eye of the Tiger" just came on as I'm writing this, sober. The year of the tiger is nearly over, but Barack, this is your chance to do something we all want to see. Good luck and good night, Mr. President.
Feel free to comment, just don't expect a response - I'm a little busy ;-)
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
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