Tuesday, August 11, 2009

WALL-E --- Well Worth another Watch


For all of you who were a little put off by WALL-E and the blatant global warming/Al Gore/ anti consumerism/anti capitalism propaganda, here's a reason to give it another chance.
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WALL-E and I have become fast friends as that is Reed's new favorite movie. I am glad for the break from Thomas the Tank Engine and his other (very obnoxious) train movies. The songs from them are still stuck in my head.... So I appreciate the songs from Helly Dolly replacing them. But I digress.
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After watching WALL-E for the billionth time, maybe I have been indoctrinated enough to find merit in its message. Here is my attempt to sway you.
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Lately the subjects of survival, self reliance, preparedness and such have been nagging at me. I recently prepared my (and Reed's) 72 hour kit. (And one of these days I'll get to that post.) Before you ask, "What in the world does WALL-E have to do with this?" let me explain.
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For a long time, we as a society have been acting very similar to those people on the Axiom. Everything was handed to them. Everything was automated. They need not lift a finger or get up from their shuttle seats. They had no concept of the world surrounding them because they were too busy looking at the computer screen continuously in front of them. Because they didn't need to do anything for themselves, they became unable to do anything for themselves.
While the Axiom is a gross exaggeration of what can happen, we can see this slow decline in ourselves if we take a moment to look.
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--- How many of us rely on the drive thru to provide dinner?
--- How many of us rely on the Safeway bakery to provide bread?
--- How many of us rely on the ATM machine to pop out cash 24 hours a day?
--- How many of us rely on the Credit Card to make up for a negative bank account?
--- How many of us rely on the Mobil station to have gas at a moments notice?
--- How many of us rely on the 24 hour Walmart to have any basics we need all the time?
--- How many of us rely on our car for short trips to close by destinations?
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Ok, ok, you get it... And yes, I am as guilty as the next person. And its ok that you answered yes
to all of the questions. BUT and this is a big BUT... DO YOU HAVE A BACK UP PLAN?
More importantly, do you have the skill set required to survive should all of the above disappear?
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I'm not getting all doomsday on you, but this something that prophets, government leaders, and others have warned us about.
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One of the most emphasized problems with this (our) society in WALL-E is the effect our "have it now, have it easy, no work involved" society has on us physically. All the people on the Axiom are severly overweight and unable to perform simple actions for themselves (including walking.)
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Now we all know that I am not the poster child for successful weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. This is another one of those things that have been nagging at me lately. More for Reed than any other reason. But if you need a little motivation or a new perspective to give you a push in the "healthier lifestyle" direction, read what a fellow blogger had to say.
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Maintaining a higher level of Physical Fitness will increase your ability to survive the worst possible conditions. Unfortunately, many Americans are overweight and almost never engage in physical activity. When the balloon goes up and SHTF (shit hits the fan), your body may be the biggest asset you have during the crunch. Vehicles brake down and run out of gas but a well tuned fighting machine that is properly hydrated, nourished, and trained to endure the extremes will never fail you.... (survivetheworst.blogspot.com)
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When things get tough (and I do mean when, not if) we will all be better off if we are starting from a good place physically, temporally, spiritually, mentally. This is the time to prepare. This is the time to start placing emergency plans. This is the time to begin increasing your skill set. This is the time to start paying attention to what is going on locally and federally. Soon, tomorrow will be too late. Now I'm not saying that you need to live on a farm and grow all you eat and never participate in the perks of urban living. Im just reminding you (and me) to keep it in proper perspective and not live completely reliant on it.

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