Spaceship, Take Me Far Away

The moon's luster pales by comparison

     Koyaaniqatsi- a state of life that calls for another way of living

     We, the human race, have stepped far beyond our boundaries. We have transformed from a people  living in unison with nature to the complex and crooked society that I stand before today. I ask myself the question: is it necessary? What have we truly gained through our manipulation of the physical world? Are we happier? Do we satisfy needs that we previous could not satisfy? Or have we simply created a society of consumerism and falsities.




   
     The film begins slowly, in reverence of nature. Beautiful skies, waterfalls and shadows that linger on the peak of the mountains before fading with the setting sun. Suddenly, we see a transition. The music changes abruptly, proceeding at an increasingly faster rate. There are explosions, black smoke, electric wires, oil. Then comes the mushroom cloud, the desolation of all we previously had. The end of our previous life and the beginning of a new one. There are skyscrapers, cars, manufacturing plants, cigarettes, war. The shadows no longer exist on pristine mountains, rather, they drift across towering skyscrapers. People below occupy their time with video games, movies, bowling, malls and food. Never is it truly dark, the light of the city is ever prevalent. The crowds, oh the crowds, how they crowd. They push past each other, pieces of a giant conglomeration rather than individuals. These crowds, oh how they buy. They buy, they buy, they buy, and when they're finished, they buy some more. They fill their lives with material meaning. Substantial displays of wealth. There is no end. Until one day it simply is too much. The day that it is too late.

The cave paintings on the wall. They are reminders of a civilization come and gone. Meaningless depictions of skyscrapers on the walls. What really is their grandeur?

Spaceship, take me far away. Far away from the pain and the suffering. The consumerism, the smog, the falsities. Take me to a place where I can start over. A return to beginnings.

Koyaaniqatsi