Groundhog Day Blog #2

Groundhog Day Movie Poster

In the movie "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray, the main character, Phil, gets caught up living the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over again. In the movie Phil is a very sarcastic and narcissistic anchorman for his local news station. For lack of a better word, he is an asshole. Throughout the movie however, he slowly works his way to being a better human being. He goes through a Buddhist-like experience and in the end, becomes enlightened.
According to Buddhism, life is full of pain, grief, and suffering. The reason we experience these terrible things is because we present ourselves with false ideas and realities. Hence when someone dies, we feel grief, because subconsciously we never thought of life without them, and what it would be like when they are gone. For Phil, his false reality became Groundhog Day. He refused to believe that he was stuck in this day for the rest of his life and as a result, he felt grief and suffering.
That is not the end of the Noble Truths however. According to Buddhism, once we accept what reality truly is, we reach nirvana. That is exactly what Phil did. Although some people believe he only relived the same day for a few weeks and others believe he was there for years, in the end he went through all stages of grief and finally accepted his reality. He used his time to master skills and help others, causing him to truly be happy. In the end, this results in him finally win the heart of his "crush"/ co-worker, Rita. BEing with Rita in the end and escaping the cycle of Groundhog day, was a metaphor of Phil finally reaching nirvana in life.

Groundhog Day Blog #1

Stage - Anger
Event - When Phil smashes the alarm clock
Explanation – Breaking things and/or violence is typically a sign of anger because people being controlled by their anger often make choices that they will regret and wouldn’t have made if they were in a calm and rational state of mind

Stage - Denial
Event - When Phil is confused waking up in the morning and thinks he dreamt the whole first day.
Explanation – Phil tries to make up a logical excuse for why this illogical thing is happening to him. He doesn't believe that he is reliving the same day over and over again.

Stage - Bargaining
Event - When Phil tries to save the old homeless man's life repeatedly.
Explanation – Phil believes that maybe if he uses his time doing good deeds, he will be freed from the madness of Groundhog Day. To him he is making a deal with god. Saving the homeless man would be his ticket to a normal life in his eyes.

Stage - Depression
Event - When Phil tries to kill himself in various ways.
Explanation – Phil trying to kill himself shows that he has given up on life. He doesn't see an end to his misery and Groundhog Day and thinks that taking his own life may be the answer. Suicide can result from major depression.

Stage - Acceptance
Event - When Phil uses his time to master various skills.
Explanation – Phil accepts that he is stuck in Groundhog day forever and instead of letting it make him miserable and depressed, he decides to take advantage of the day. He masters ice sculpting, the piano, and works to bring others joy in the process.

Platos Cave

Plato's allegory of the cave represents the possibilities of what life can be for us. To me, being imprisoned in a cave is like getting stuck in an everyday rut. The only difference is that our reality is our every day routines, rather than shadows on the wall. People sometimes fail to realize that there is a whole world around us, not just our town, city, etc. I often here people say, "I can't wait to get out of Lowell" and to me they sound ridiculous. They are in the cave. No one is holding you against your will to stay in this nice town, if you want to leave that badly, then leave. Its a prime example of someone imprisoning themself in their own cave.

Immanuel Kant Blog

Immanuel Kant believed that the highest good was that someone who completes their moral duty, ought to be rewarded. A great example of this is a show I watch called Bait Car. In the show, police leave an unlocked car on the side of the road, and see if anyone attempts to steal it. If they do, they are arrested. If they do the right thing and alert authorities about the running, unlocked car, they are rewarded with not being arrested, and a small amount of cash. Although sadly, most people fail this "test," the few that do, are rewarded for completing their moral duty.

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Kierkegaard Blog

A great example of the contrasting views of the ethical stage and the aesthetic stage is the movie Star Trek. In the movie, Captain Kurk plays by a set of his own rules. He very rarey follows the correct procedures that he is supposed to take and just does whatever he pleases to get the job done. Although he does not follow what he is supposed to do, he is Star Fleet's greatest Captain that they have ever had. He operates aesthetically, but his results benefit everyone.

Spock on the other hand is one of Star Fleet's greatest thinkers of all time. He always follows the rules (in fact, he created most of the rules) and enforces others to use them as well. He believes that if everyone follows the rules and procedures, Star Fleet is unstoppable. Spock operates on more of an ethical level, and gets good results, just as Captain Kurk does.

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Aristotle's Character types



Virtuous: Batman

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Batman works tirelessly to protect the city of Gotham from evil. On his dangerous missions and battles, Batman never even considers doing the wrong thing. The Joker, The Riddler, Mr. Freeze, etc. could not entice him with evil even if they tried. Batman always does what is right because that is what he wants to do, and believes needs to be done.




Continent: Catwoman (Anne Hathaway Version)

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In The Dark Knight Rises, Catwoman is a burglar who always gets the better of Batman. At the end of the movie, Batman needs her help clearing an exit path to save the people of Gotham. Once she does this, she has the option of leaving Gotham not knowing if it will be safe and ensuring her own safety, or to go back and risk her life to help Batman fight. She wrestles with the decision for a little bit, but in the end makes the right decision and helps Batman.



Incontinent: Michael Scott

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In an episode of the tv show, The Office, one of the main characters, Michael Scott, gets a girlfriend. All of his co-workers are suspicious of the woman and decide to do a little investigating. Upon investigation, they find that Michael's girlfriend is actually married. Michael painfully chooses to keep dating the woman, even though he knows it is wrong.



Vicious: The Joker

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In the Batman series, the Joker is Batman's arch enemy. He is always looking for different ways to wreak havoc and destroy Gotham. His motives are all unjustified. He knows that things that he does are wrong, and happily does them anyways. He actually believes some of his evil actions are for the Greater Good. "Some men just want to watch the world burn."


















Harry Potter House

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If I were to attend Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, the sorting hat would place me in Gryffindor. If I had to describe myself in two words it would be chivalrous and brave. Almost every day of my life I display these qualities. My bravery is shown through my athletic activities. During hockey, I risk breaking my jaw, or losing my teeth by wearing a visor to better my vision, and play better for my team. I display my chivalrous actions with the various woman that i take on dates after my games. I am always a gentleman, and if one thing is certain, I know how to treat a lady.

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