Men Who Stare At Goats

I have always enjoyed this movie. The idea of creating the perfect warrior through enlightened ways of experiencing and thinking sort of takes one to "The Karate Kid" or "Crouching Lion Hidden Dragon" kinds of ideas, along with "The Art of War" an ancient book on War by Sun Tsu. So, in some ways it is a very idealistic way to create the ideal warrior with Samurai or Eastern Master kinds of qualities interfaced with the free thought and actions of a westerner. So, it is both disciplined, horrific and incredibly funny done in this context as a movie. You can stream it on Netflix if you are interested to your computer or flatscreen if you have a PS3 or Oui or other internet connected device into your flatscreen TV.

Much of the training that George Clooney receives during the 1980s reminds me of many of the people I knew from about 1969 until the present day practicing Eastern meditation techniques, group hugs, dancing, hot tubs, and the like. However, all of the people I knew weren't usually trying to become warriors they were just trying to become enlightened so everyone in the world including themselves didn't have to suffer so much. However, I can also see in this movie a sort of Shamanic path to warriorhood much like an Eastern or even a native American path to warrior state where one is a part of all life and empowered by everything in the universe to do whatever it takes to be an advocate for all life or just to be a warrior to protect your family and tribe through whatever comes.

It also ties into much of what my father taught me growing up to be a woodsman and never get lost in any forest or wherever I was ever. To always look for landmarks always as I was hiking or driving or whatever I was doing. To always be present in every moment wherever I was on planet earth but always be more than that in every moment as well and aware of people's thoughts, actions, body stances, whatever, so that I could always survive in every way wherever I was on earth and be a force to be reckoned with in every situation wherever I was. I think it was about being the "always potentially ruthless person" that one needs to be to always be able to survive anything in any situation and to be able to keep your family well and alive no matter what no matter where no matter when.

However, in regard to "Men Who Stare at Goats" sometimes it is great to laugh about all this in a movie that really makes fun of itself in a very useful Zen kind of way.