Movie Review: "I Am"

I watched the movie  "I Am"  last night.  I heard a bit of buzz about this movie but I wasn't really all that inspired to watch another movie on improving my life. I've seen a lot of the "spiritual/change your life" movies and I sort of felt "over that" a bit.  I guess I was wrong. 

This isn't a 'guru gets discovered by Hollywood" phenomenon. This movie isn't about marketing something. It won't give you secrets on how to change your life, make more money and surround yourself with abundance.  It might make you change the way you think about all that.

Tom Shadyac (today's picture is Tom Shadyac taken from the "I Am" website http://www.iamthedoc.com/) is a famous movie director.  He's brought the Jim Carry "Ace Ventura" movies to life. Most of his movie are funny, totally goofy, and purely meant to entertain. Shadyac was "living the good life" in terms of fame and fortune.  He had a transformation.

In Shadyac's case it was quite literally a knock to the head that put him into a whole different zone. In a post concussion depression and with the means to do pretty much anything he wanted to, he started searching for what was lacking.  What he found was what is present. He claims that while searching for what was wrong with the world, he found what was right.

This movie is a documentary of Shadyac's journey and conversations with some of the world's spiritual, and scientific leaders.  The cast of characters is wide and impressive. This is not some grainy, low budget, shaky camera production. This is done by a true professional with style and mass appeal . This is someone who knows what he is doing and the subject matter comes from his heart.

There is a lot of science in this movie and it's explained in a way that is easy to understand and can't really be argued.  Shadyac interviews scientists who explain the evidence that proves we are surrounded by electromagnetic fields that provide collective connections between everything. We do feel the pain and suffering of others and of all things in nature.  There is information on the Vagus Nerve http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/02/vagus-nerve-and-7-chakras.html  and how we react to our surrondings and those in it.  Science is starting to catch up with intuition.

There is so much in this movie.  I'm sure everyone sees and hears something different from it and perhaps it's meant to be watched a couple of times to fully appreciate.  One of the ideas that really stuck for me was the research that shows humans aren't hardwired for aggression, war and competition.  Quite the opposite. We are programmed for cooperation, sharing and working together to make a difference.  So are animals. So is all of nature.

Nature only takes what it needs.  We humans, a part of the nature collective, have mis-stepped on that a bit. Just a bit! We're fighting and hoarding, and trying to get more stuff, all in a misplaced effort to "find ourselves" and satisfy our emotions. We keep piling on the layers in an effort to the "pad the core" and in doing so, we've lost our central message.

There's a part in the movie that explains the 51% rule in nature.  When a herd of deer is in the wild they have to balance grazing time with heading to the water hole time.  They need to do this a a group or they would be vulnerable to attack.  They don't move to the water when the biggest guy says so.  They don't choose the timing based on the sickest, or when the youngest feel the need. They don't do it when some rebel decides it might be a cool adventure.  When individuals in the herd start to want water they raise their head and look to the watering hole. At the moment the 51% of the herd raises her head and looks to the water hole the entire herd starts to move towards. It isn't a particular individual deer that makes the decision.  It might be a different one each time. But when 51% agree it's time, the whole herd shifts. They don't talk about this, vote on this or argue this. They feel it. It's instinctual and protective in nature. 

Maybe this shift towards a kinder, gentler, more peaceful, and at the same time exciting, world is about humans reaching the 51% mark. If that's the case, one person really can change the world. That also means we all change the world. Both a great shift and the power of one mean the same in terms of transformation. Maybe all the talk about 2012 and great change is a prediction that we are close to 51%? Hmm...

This movie will make you think.  More importantly it will make you feel. For more information on the movie, the foundation and the continued efforts, check out the website http://www.iamthedoc.com/

In the meantime, maybe it's worth lifting your head and gazing at that watering hole?