of the moment:
Modern myths
“There is something money can’t buy.
For everything else there’s MasterCard.”
The recurring slogan of the less than one-minute MasterCard commercials is a concise statement of the “basic experience” of modernity. The needs of a cash-based economy do not meet every man’s needs. There is something “more” that we need, but which is also inseparable from the “security” that can be bought with money. We need the “money”, the socio-economic environment of modernity, but this is not enough for the “completeness”
of human life.
In Thomas Hylland Eriksen’s Tyranny of the Moment: Fast and Slow Time in the Infor-mation Age the time usage of modernity is characterized by the “fast and momentary” that replaces the former “relatively slow and linear” (ERIKSEN 2001: 104). In a “fast and momen-tary” world, therefore, “moment” is of key importance: “It is not because of the phenomenal global success of Nestlé’s main coffee product that the term instant is a key concept for an attempt to understand the present age. The moment, or instant, is ephemeral, superficial and intense. When the moment (or even the next moment) dominates our being in time, we no longer have space for building blocks that can only be used for one or a few config-urations with other blocks. Everything must be interchangeable with everything else now.
The entry ticket must be cheap, the initial investment modest. Swift changes and unlimited flexibility are main assets. In the last instance, everything that is left is a single, overfilled, compressed, eternal moment. Supposing this point is reached some time in the future, and both past and future are fully erased, we would definitely have reached an absolute limit
(recall Virilio: ‘There are no delays anymore’). It is difficult to imagine this happening – there are many universal human experiences that only make sense as duration. However, in several fields, the tendency towards extreme compression of time is evident: some of them perhaps unexpected, such as consumption, work and the very formation of personal identity.” (ERIKSEN 2001: 119)
According to Eriksen, “the tyranny of the moment” is a social experience in modernity that, in addition to “consumption”, “work” and social interactions, defines “personal iden-tity” as well as the “intimate sphere” of the individual. (ERIKSEN 2001: 131)
The quoted anthropologist describes the culture of modernity in the presence of three contemporaneous components. In this context, societies of modernity can only be described and analyzed with economic (capitalism), political (modern democracy) and ideological (individualism) aspects. After the First World War – in the words of Eriksen – “modernity has become dominant” and has enabled “the global flow of people, goods, ideas, and ideas”
to become more and more intensive. (ERIKSEN 2010: 310)
If we accept Eriksen’s views above, the question arises as to what ethos these socio- economic-political and ideological processes are creating. If in modernity the accelerated time is dominated by both social practice and individual lifestyle, and if we really live under the “domination” of the moment, what ideas of mythological ideology legitimize this for us? Do we really live in the “tyranny of moment”? If so, why do we accept this reign?
Or maybe we do not perceive the moment merely as “tyranny” or “symbol of tyrannical domination”?
After all, Eriksen himself at the end of his book, when he shares with his readers his
“protection of slowness” solutions, suggests that one should, among other things, make himself aware of the following: “I live in the present moment whenever it suits me, and refuse to be interrupted by the next moment.” (ERIKSEN 2001: 157)
From the foregoing it may appear that in modernity “we cannot do anything else” but
“seize” the moment, because moments of reality what surrounds us, that is social reality.
But can you find “true life” in those moments? What does “true life” mean in modernity and does it have some “permanent-content”? Are there time-concepts such as “eternity”
and “outside of time” in contrast to “the tyranny of the moment”? And if so, what are the bases of these concepts? Is there a mythological system of modernity that sets the founda-tion, holds it together, and explains the reality of social experiences and ideologies of modernity, and thus ensures its continuity? How can you describe everything that you can’t buy for money – as it is phrased in the MasterCard advertisements – and what makes sense of being in modernity and maintaining modernity? How can we recognize these values and find out how we can live with and by them?
“Mythology explains itself and everything in the world. Not because it was invented for explanation, but because by its very nature it is also its feature to give an explanation”
– writes Károly Kerényi. (KERÉNYI 1984: 267)
From the perspective of anthropology of religion, myths are stories that “the ones who pass them on and those received them, consider them to be the narratives of reality.” (BOWIE 2006: 267–269, SEGAL 2004: 3–6)
For a group, the myths express the absolute truth. (HAVILAND 1990: 387–389) Therefore, myths are not just “mosaic pieces” of a culture, but they do permeate the culture, as they are present in the everyday life, in the seemingly tiny moments of life, so – for many anthropologists of religion at least – to understand a culture, “mythology is the magnet”.
(BOGLÁR 1995: 89)
In connection with the above, a deeper understanding of the cultural components and ideology of modernity can be contributed to the analysis of mythical stories that are accepted by those recipients of myths who consider them to be real stories and stories of reality.
Of course, it is not easy to talk about these stories in general, because the diversity of the recipients and the individual readings make the meaning of these stories multitoned. Not to mention that neither the cultures of modernity form a homogeneous group.
At the same time, it is worth considering the intercultural narratives that have become massively consumed in the cultures of modernity and which have influenced the way of thinking and the ethos of local communities.
In addition, it is worth studying in more detail the stories that address the issues surface in modernity; those readings about the reality of modernity, ontological and anthropolog-ical issues that are also have reached, or are reaching the majority of people living in modernity.
Therefore, in my writing, I analyze primarily works of great success, in which at least one of the aspects mentioned above is present. Watching movies, the experience of the cinema is also the kind of event in the cultural practice of modernity, in which the ritual
“condensed” time that allows the experience of myths can be found. (ELIADE 2006: 38) A movie, viewed in the cinema with company or even alone, creates the opportunity for auto-communication, to identify with the reality of the film and its characters. Thus, the narrative of the film, during the ritual of watching the movie, becomes the story of total reality, and the summarized and conveyed meanings in it thus live on, may live in the consciousness, attitudes and cultural practices of the recipient.
The reality summarized and presented by the films can create and maintain motivations for the viewer that influence and thus determine his decisions, values and actions alike.
(GEERTZ 2001: 81–85)
The analysis of the stories of the films can be justified by the consideration of the eco-nomic (and sometimes political) components of modernity. Whether a large-scale, high-budget film is a financial downfall or a reward for filmmakers does make a difference.
If the film does not properly “deliver” “reality”, if it is unable to influence the viewers, then financial gain is lost. At the same time, if it “moves” the masses, if it is able to present
“reality” or something “real”, if it can create the possibility of transformation and identifi-cation, it can make hundreds of thousands of movie viewers persistent consumers.
I still intend my analysis to be only a thought-experiment, which can promote the pos-sibility of thinking together about modernity, our current cultural experiences.
The purpose of my writing is to glimpse into the narratives that speak to us in the language of modernity about what to do with our lives and how to look for the “true life”, a “happy permanence” in the “world of moments.”
Immortality, the state and place of eternal life and happiness can be found in most cultures. (ELIADE 2006: 90)
Eden, as the “original state,” where there is no temporality and where one can experience the eternity of “true life”, without dying, sickness, and experiencing everyday problems, is one of the decisive objects of myths. According to Eliade, “at the beginning of humanity’s religious history, as well as at the end, we find the same desire for Paradise”. (ELIADE 2006: 107)
Without addressing the question of whether mankind’s “history of religion” really came to an end, the question may arise: does desire for Eden live on in modernity? How do modern myths depict and describe to us Paradise and the experience of Eden? Does it manifest and, if so, the concept of eternity in the “culture of moments”?
In the movie The Beach, the protagonist feels he has found the Garden of Eden. With the help of a secret map, today’s tourist-traveler gets to a wonderful exotic island of Southeast Asia, where in the commune everyone can enjoy the independence from social norms and structures, and the pleasures of the Nature of Eden.
Using Victor Turner’s communitas theory to describe: a group, “break-away” from modernity and independent of social structures, created the communitas, an Edenic micro- society of mutual equality in a “threshold- or boundary-state” of liminality. (TURNER 1997)
It is worthwhile to examine the characteristics of this Edenic micro-society: one can freely establish sexual relationships, grow and use marijuana, frolick in the sea, enjoy the sun and each other’s company.
In principle, everyone in the group is equal, the leading role means a manager-type status. At the same time – as Turner also describes – in this kind of “Edenic commune”
structuring inevitably starts to take place, not to mention the fractures between people, and the recognition that nature does not always offer its friendliest side to man.
In the film, all this is culminating in the tragedy of one of the young men, who, after a shark has ripped off his leg, gets excluded by the community, because his suffering becomes unbearable to them. There are more and more problems built into the story, suggesting that a human community (whatever the circumstances are) cannot live in the “Garden of Eden”.
“Human existence” does not allow the constant experience of Eden. However, at the end of the film, the protagonist, when the commune – after a series of tragic events – got expelled from the Beach, recalls the events, and summarizes the film’s message:
“And as for me, I still believe in Paradise. But I learned that you should not look for it at all costs. No matter where you go, if for a moment you feel it was worth to go there, it was worth it. Once you experience that moment, you will remember it forever.”
According to the summary of the film, it is true that the Edenic state cannot be expe-rienced by a community in the long run (not even in the “Edenic environment” of the world), but this is not what matters. Paradise exists, in the “moment” in which the experi-ence of Eden has become possible. If this “moment” is realized, then this moment becomes eternal, no matter what happens after the “moment” passes. Eden, according to this, is experiencing the eternity of the moment. In the moment, the fullness of “true life” unfolds and becomes experienceable.
This narrative feeds on, and at the same time modifies, the Eden images and ideas of cultures and historical ages from which the modern myths derive. In modernity, of course, survival of these can also be observed, but emerges also a narrative that consistently talks differently about the possible experience of Eden.
Just think of the shamans or the icons that provide a clear pattern of access to Eden. Either the shaman’s journey or an icon is “window” to the “real-eternal” world through which Eden manifests itself to us. Religious works (including films retelling religious myths from Brother Sun, Sister Moon to the Little Buddha) also show us the image of the Edenic state.
At the same time, the motif of searching for Eden is still present in modernity.
We cannot find Eden in our own “modern”, “civilized” world, so we can only find it “some-where else”, “outside”. We can also find the cultural-historical and ethnological background of this reading when we think of the ideas of “Island-Gardens of Eden” that live from ancient myths. The film, The Beach is also linked to this mythological narrative, but puts the emphasis on something else: no matter where you go, no matter where you are looking for it, Eden can be “experienced” only for moments. However, if you can “experience” the
“moment”, you are really experiencing the eternal Eden.
As it has been depicted by Renoir in his painting, Bal du Moulin de la Galette: the feet of dancing, chatting, living the “true life” couples are walking in the sky, dancing on the clouds.
The painter has depicted one of the most significant mythical meanings of modernity in his painting: Eden is within us.
To experience it, however, depends on man. Eden can be experienced only if one can recognize and realize the eternity of the moment.
In Woody Allen’s movie, Manhattan, the protagonist (after he left his young lover and realized what a mistake it was) lies on a couch and thinks about what makes worth living:
“Groucho Marx, for one... and then the second movement of the Jupiter Symphony.
Louis Armstrong, the Potato Head Blues. Swedish films, of course. Sentimental Education from Flaubert. Then Marlon Brando. Frank Sinatra. Cézanne – those fantastic apples and pears. The crabs at Sun Wo’s.” (cf. ALLEN-BJÖRKMAN 2010:
164–165)
They are not just single “instant” moments, but momentums referring to the accumulated beauty of moments in life: movies, actors, books, music, paintings, “apples”, “pears”, and
“crabs” – these eternal experiences revealed in the passing moment are the “meaning of life.”
According to this, Eden may not be permanently experienced in life, but it can be glimpsed at even if only temporarily, thus can be experienced in modernity, too.
Eden that can be experienced through everyday life is perhaps most vividly presented by the Wim Wenders’ film, Wings of Desire. At the beginning of the movie (after listening in to several people’s everyday thoughts and problems), we can hear the conversation of two angels sitting in a modernity’s rushing, built-on-moments-symbol of car, describing to each other their latest experiences gathered among people.
After their descriptions, one of them ponder over the differences between angelic and human existence. Let us recall part of the movie, and the related dialogue:
Looking at it from the angelic, “spiritual” world (which, from the human point of view, is the world of Edenic realm), it is precisely the temporary nature, fragility, and contradiction of human existence that becomes the holder of “true life” for the conversing angels.
For them, a lunch, a neckline, feeding a cat, or stretching the toes under the table worth incomparably more than the monotony “enthusiasm for the spirit”. In this light the evil, the lie or the savage are also inspiring, because those are all part of “true life”.
The viewer can listen into the conversation of angels:
“How good transcendence is, to prove from day to day to eternity what is purely spiritual in men. “Sometimes I get fed up with my transcendent existence. I don’t want to always hover above. I’d rather feel a weight within that would end this boundlessness and tie me to earth.”
I’d like to say for every step or windstorm: now, now, and now, and now, and no, as always, forever and ever. Sit in the main square at the card-table, say hello or just nod.
“Each time we took part in something, it was pretending. Wrestling, allowing a hip to be put out, pretending catching a fish in pretense. We have pretended to be sitting at tables drinking and eating. Only pretense. Having roasted lambs and wine served. Out there, in the desert tents. Only pretending.”
“I don’t want to have a child or plant a tree, but it would be nice to come home after a long day to feed the cat like Philip Marlowe. To have fever. Fingers stained black by reading the newspaper. To be excited not only by spiritual things, but by a meal.
By a neckline, by an ear. To lie, through one’s teeth. Being able to feel your bones moving along while walking. At least to guess instead of always knowing everything. To be able to say, “‘Ah’, ‘oh’, and ‘hey’, instead of: ‘Yes, Amen’”.
“Yes. To be able to enthuse for evil. To draw all the demons from the pedestrians that pass. And finally plunge into the world. To become a savage.”
“Or to feel how it is to take off your shoes under the table... and move your toes, barefoot, like that.”
“Stay alone. Let things happen. Keep being serious. We can only become savages in as much as we keep being serious.” Do nothing but watch, gather, justify, strengthen, protect, to be transcendent, excluded, and to remain a concept only.”
In the City of Angels, Hollywood’s adaptation of the Wings of Desire, a similar conversa-tion is taking place between two angels, one of whom (the protagonist) lost his beloved soon after he, for his love, gave up his angelic existence in exchange for the life of a human:
“This is life. You are alive now, and one day you will die. How is it, anyway?”
“What?”
“The touch.”
“Wonderful.”
“If you knew this was going to happen, would you have done it?”
“A whiff from the scent of her hair. A single kiss of her lips. A brief touch of her hand is worth more than the entire eternity without it.”
The theme of love plays a central role in both, the Wings of Desire and the City of Angels.
It is interesting that the female protagonists of the films (the trapeze-artist of the Wings of Desire, and the doctor of the City of Angels) occupy an “intermediate place” between
“heaven and earth”. (KRAUSS 2005: 114)
Both female protagonists, the trapeze-artist in the Wings of Desire (who is able to visit the angelic world in a dream), as well as the doctor in the City of Angels (the one who
Both female protagonists, the trapeze-artist in the Wings of Desire (who is able to visit the angelic world in a dream), as well as the doctor in the City of Angels (the one who