Morla, the Ancient One, Understands.

Morla, the Ancient One, Understands.

this movie is a work of art and is a perfect expression of all of life and existence. (yes, I'm serious.) I'm sure a lot of you have seen it but if you haven't, go rent it or something, really. (if you haven't seen it in awhile, watch it again. hopefully you'll see what I mean.) it's called The Neverending Story.

the scene with Morla is probably my favourite scene in the whole movie. she completely understands everything, she knows all there is to know, and that is...nothing matters, and there is no reason to get upset over anything at all, because everything works out in the end. she is not worried that the princess is dying, because she knows that it doesn't matter. nothing will happen, or something will, either way...existence is. if it's not, then it's not. doesn't matter.

"We're all going to die!"

"Well, at least that would be something."

(you don't have to watch the whole clip, the scene with Morla starts about 5 minutes in)

anyway, discuss. (if you're just going to diss, then GTFO pls)

To be consistent you would remain silent. If nothing matters you would remain in apathy.

We are human beings, we have to live for the time we will stay alive, and while we live we will have to deal with quotidien things. Things only matter as far as our lives are concerned, only as far as we ourselves make them matter, yes. And then we will die. Before that I will live.

YouTube is blocked here, but I believe Morla is from Dark Crystal, no? Oh wait, either that or Neverending Story - one of those puppet movies.

Either way, yah, sometimes when sh*t hits the fan I tend to bring that line of thought in my head and all of a sudden these "big problems" tend to seem meaningless. Yet, one has to know the difference between looking at your PROBLEMS in this manner, and looking at LIFE this way.

I love that movie.

I still maintain the position that the philosophy is a contradiction of itself - and it's made apparent in that very scene.

To die would be something? This is great and sensible, coming from a gigantic turtle who obviously hasn't moved in eons. Anything would be something. Apparently Morla hasn't had very much to do with 'themselves' for very long, and her philosophy is stemming from such a bland existence.

Also, if nothing matters, why would Morla get so irritated at sneezing? She snarled at Atreyu to go away. If nothing really mattered, what would it matter if he stayed there forever, and Morla had to endure an eternity of sneezing? I think she'd get rather agitated, don't you?

You see, the philosophy holds up good, if you plan to be a hermit living on a deserted island by yourself - but it only holds up well for so long. Then you have to eat. Then you have to drink. Sustenance matters. Sleep matters. The sun matters. The only time the philosophy truly holds up, is when one uses it to transcend their own experience by trying to look at existence from a truly "universal" view - in which case, it is true: to the universe, nothing in all of human existence matters. Not a single thing. There is nothing we can or will feasibly ever do that will have such a profound impact as to change the whole of the universe. But, we do not live within relativity of the rest of the universe. We live on Earth. We live within the human population. We live in society.

People try so hard to reach a sort of philosophical 'expansion' so as to think they can truly adhere to the minimalistic views which reduce all of human existence to the speck of dust one would see us as, if one was to look at us through the detachment of a truly universal consciousness. Even the characterization of Morla shows what such a world-view makes of the person adopting it. She's a hermit who's thousands of years old; lives in such apathy that she apparently hasn't moved in God knows how long; and is indeed so lonely that she's taken to talking to herself. Apparently, companionship matters, otherwise she wouldn't have adopted the attribute of having to keep herself company through conversation with herself.

It is an impractical wisdom, when used in the wrong context. It is invaluable, when used in the fashion of 'not sweating the small stuff,' but, as TJ stated, it's nothing short of self-destructive when applied to the whole of human existence.

Again, it's contradictory. Anyone who has a hobby, anyone who has a friend, a brother, a child, a loving parent, a pet, a lover...these people can all tell you that the idea that nothing matters is a crock. The only way 'nothing matters' to a person is if they are willing to give up everything that matters to them. This goes beyond giving up friends/family/hobbies/joys. This gets right down to giving up food/water/sleep/sunlight/exercise/knowledge. Everything.

How far is one willing to go to convince oneself that 'nothing matters?'
Anything short of suicide, to me, is slightly hypocritical.

If nothing matters, then nothing mattering has to be included within that.
ie. not mattering does not matter.
Even suicide doesn't matter, everything and nothing has to fall into 'nothing matters', death doesn't matter, life doesn't matter, 'is as is as isn't'.

Saying 'doesn't matter' does not quite get to the point for the average listener. It does go further than saying nothing, but it's less truthful of what is meant.

Quotidian things have to also be included in not mattering, and that not mattering not mattering itself also.
It comes down to fruitlessness, as we're surrounded by fruit. Whether you pick or don't pick 'doesn't matter', but isn't it a waste thinking about whether to pick the fruit and whether it matters or doesn't?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ClouD

It comes down to fruitlessness, as we're surrounded by fruit. Whether you pick or don't pick 'doesn't matter', but isn't it a waste thinking about whether to pick the fruit and whether it matters or doesn't?

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Yes By God!

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Oneironaut:


there is (as with everything) more than one kind of "nothing matters".

we must be more specific...you're right. I was talking about it in an ultimate sense, as Atreyu is all hysterical about the world ending, Morla knows it doesn't matter. because it's impossible, and, even if it were, we wouldn't know, would we? so either way it does not matter :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rottingteeth

Oneironaut:


there is (as with everything) more than one kind of "nothing matters".

we must be more specific...you're right. I was talking about it in an ultimate sense, as Atreyu is all hysterical about the world ending, Morla knows it doesn't matter. because it's impossible, and, even if it were, we wouldn't know, would we? so either way it does not matter :)

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This being true, it all falls back on exactly what TJ is saying. Knowing that what happens to the world doesn't affect the universe is one thing. What happens to us does not matter to the universe. That is fact. It is undeniable. There is no dispute about that.

What's in dispute (both between Atreyu and Morla, and your views in the "does one deserve what one cannot protect" thread), is whether or not that knowledge affect how you live your life as a human being. I answer that with an emphatic NO.

I'm not trying to paint you as a bad person, but you have attributed your philosophy - as it pertains to that thread - as being one of "well, taking advantage of others to get what I want is ok because (more or less) nothing matters." You were using the paradigm to give reason to egocentrism and the scamming of others. It is basically stepping out of our frame of reference, where things actually do matter, and looking at things from a frame of reference where they don't matter, to give yourself reason to do things in our frame of reference that do matter, but excusing yourself. It is loophole, but it is a farce.

On one hand, you had given yourself reason to commit certain acts, but you have always been quick to say that there were other things you wouldn't do. Well, if you followed that "it doesn't matter" philosophy to a 'T', then you would be able to excuse yourself from anything - even murder. You would have no morals, because nothing would matter. To pick and choose what matters and what doesn't only shows that you, yourself, are aware that the 'nothing matters' paradigm doesn't work from a reference point in which they actually do.