Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
What Nietzsche Could Teach You: The Eternal Return In Groundhog Day
I recently ordered a book which dedicates a chapter to Groundhog Day; the book is titled "Movies and the Meaning of Life". It is a book I highly recommend for the Groundhog Day chapter alone, but it also touches on other favorites such as Waking Life, Life Is Beautiful, The Shawshank Redemption, and Kill Bill.
The last chapter touches on how Nietzsche's 1882 book The Gay Science took a look at one of the same themes present in Groundhog Day. I will quote from the selection that Friedrich wrote to show how similar they in fact are;
What if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: "This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence, even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust!"
This is a enlightening concept; Christianity with a linear view of time says it is the future when we are in heaven that gives value to the present. This seems to be life denying and corrupts our view of our time here on earth. This alternative presented in The Gay Science, we rather than moving on to a better or worse place after death, we would relive our life over and over again, exactly as we had before. This concept is known as the eternal return.
Phil Conners experiences this, although instead of a lifetime, it is one day. Both in Groundhog Day and The Gay Science you begin to start asking similar questions after reflection. What if you learned there was no afterlife or no tomorrow, and that you were doomed to live this life over and over again, exactly as you have this time? How would this affect the way you live your life? For me it compels me to choose to integrate myself, past, present and future into something worthwhile.
-From Chicago, It's Kyle Sweeney
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Happy Groundhog Day
Well it's Groundhog Day, again, and that must mean my life is all things Groundhog. Whether it be watching the movie almost everyday in the past few days, going to visit Woodstock, the place the movie was filmed for the second time, or winning a Groundhog Day trivia contest; I feel like Groundhog Day is becoming more and more like Christmas for me. There is a big build up until the actual day itself, with a party on the day of the best holiday. There was a button I received in Woodstock that said Celebrate Groundhog Month… and I am making it my duty to celebrate it all month long (maybe following MLK day, to Valentine’s Day, that time should be known as Groundhog Time).
The new part that I think adds to the meaning of Groundhog Day is making Groundhog Day resolutions. New Year’s resolutions have usually been broken by this point of the year and gives everyone a second chance to improve themselves and their lives. I have had a chance to reflect and will really aim to incorporate these ideas, plans, and find a way to live everyday more like Phil Connors did his last day. As the quote said I don’t want to be like the town drunks, stuck in the same place, where nothing I did ever mattered. Life is beautiful and exciting, and wasting even one day is one day too much. Make today the best day of your life, a cynical man stuck in his least favorite town on his least favorite day made it the best day of his life, and we can do the same! We might not get as many chances, which should motivate all of us that much more to live it to the fullest.
The new part that I think adds to the meaning of Groundhog Day is making Groundhog Day resolutions. New Year’s resolutions have usually been broken by this point of the year and gives everyone a second chance to improve themselves and their lives. I have had a chance to reflect and will really aim to incorporate these ideas, plans, and find a way to live everyday more like Phil Connors did his last day. As the quote said I don’t want to be like the town drunks, stuck in the same place, where nothing I did ever mattered. Life is beautiful and exciting, and wasting even one day is one day too much. Make today the best day of your life, a cynical man stuck in his least favorite town on his least favorite day made it the best day of his life, and we can do the same! We might not get as many chances, which should motivate all of us that much more to live it to the fullest.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Stuck
Groundhog Day is a special movie because you can keep coming back to it when you are stuck in those ruts and feeling numb to the world. Although cliche, people are creatures habit, and the more we think things change, the more things do in fact stay the same. We get into the same habits, make the same promises, react the same way to situations, always say this will be the time we change and this will be the turning point.
While we neatly see in 100 minutes the transformation of Phil Connors from a selfish and egotistical person seeking a life of pleasure to a generous and caring person who cultivates moral and intellectual virtues- our lives are not so simple. We have plenty of excuses not to change, not to make that step, and we fill our lives with unimportant and obscure activities in order to avoid the realities which are occurring around us. We do have those wake up calls, but it only is a matter of time before we forget those calls to greatness. While Phil is stuck in the same place and he sees his attitude and life change, we are free to go anywhere we want but see our attitudes and lives stay the same. Of course factors in our life change, friends, events, age, what we know, but our attitudes and habits seem to remain unchangeable.
I continue to use the word "we", but perhaps "I" is more appropriate, as I can't guarantee this is true for everyone, but it seems to be typical in my experience. Corporate America can do that, same desk, same people, same problems, same time, same route home, same everything. While my experience has been limited so far, I can't imagine working at the same desk for decades doing the same thing. Perhaps it is just the inner George Bailey talking, saying I'm going to "See the World", and not wanting to work in that shabby little office known as the Bailey Building and Loan.
Although it seems we are reliving the same day over and over, change is achievable even if it is abbreviated. The trick seems to be turning our temporary desire to improving ourselves to the "good Phil" into a constant desire for improvement.
Quote of the day
Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same and nothing you did mattered?
Ralph: That about sums it up for me
This quote is VERY funny, but also gives the viewer an opportunity to see it is not just Phil Conners that experiences this feeling, but all of us do.
While we neatly see in 100 minutes the transformation of Phil Connors from a selfish and egotistical person seeking a life of pleasure to a generous and caring person who cultivates moral and intellectual virtues- our lives are not so simple. We have plenty of excuses not to change, not to make that step, and we fill our lives with unimportant and obscure activities in order to avoid the realities which are occurring around us. We do have those wake up calls, but it only is a matter of time before we forget those calls to greatness. While Phil is stuck in the same place and he sees his attitude and life change, we are free to go anywhere we want but see our attitudes and lives stay the same. Of course factors in our life change, friends, events, age, what we know, but our attitudes and habits seem to remain unchangeable.
I continue to use the word "we", but perhaps "I" is more appropriate, as I can't guarantee this is true for everyone, but it seems to be typical in my experience. Corporate America can do that, same desk, same people, same problems, same time, same route home, same everything. While my experience has been limited so far, I can't imagine working at the same desk for decades doing the same thing. Perhaps it is just the inner George Bailey talking, saying I'm going to "See the World", and not wanting to work in that shabby little office known as the Bailey Building and Loan.
Although it seems we are reliving the same day over and over, change is achievable even if it is abbreviated. The trick seems to be turning our temporary desire to improving ourselves to the "good Phil" into a constant desire for improvement.
Quote of the day
Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same and nothing you did mattered?
Ralph: That about sums it up for me
This quote is VERY funny, but also gives the viewer an opportunity to see it is not just Phil Conners that experiences this feeling, but all of us do.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Why?
Why decidate a blog to one movie? Simply, I am passionate about it. There are many applications of this movie in a variety of fields; philosophy, art, filmaking, music, religion, economics, and improving your life. I find inspiration from this movie and have reflections on the movie on a daily basis. Instead of keeping a Groundhog Day Diary, it may be easy to express my thoughts on a blog.
I will be looking to look for applications in our daily lives, connections to philosophical ideas, reviewing soundtrack, Groundhog Day books, comparing the film to other classic movies, discuss favorite quotes, February 2nd celebrations around the country, and everything else relating to the movie and holiday.
I will be looking to look for applications in our daily lives, connections to philosophical ideas, reviewing soundtrack, Groundhog Day books, comparing the film to other classic movies, discuss favorite quotes, February 2nd celebrations around the country, and everything else relating to the movie and holiday.
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