My entire family weeped throughout the movie "Up"

[Encephalon]

Does internal energy practice make you more vulnerable to emotional intensity? I noticed this watching the movie "Up." My 12 yr old was sniffling uncontrollably on my left, my wife to the right, and as my ego got in the way of any conspicuous sobbing, the energy of grief and remorse that the writers so skillfully illicited from the audience was overwhelming. I felt wave after wave of energy, mostly from the tailbone to the throat. It occured to me that if any chi kung master could learn how to open up the energy channels by paying attention to the physical manifestation of the grieving response, chi Kung would sweep the planet, since the vast majority of mortals, as screwed up as they are, do suffer tremendous grief and shame, whether they acknowledge it or not.

 

Anyway, go see the movie. If you're middle aged and don't weep, there's something wrong with you. There are powerful themes related to unfulfilled dreams and the agony of dying with regrets. According to Dan Reid in "The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing" (1994:356) one of the main reasons for longevity practices is to live long enough to get your act together mentally and spiritually so you don't find yourself on your deathbed weeping over a foolish and meaningless life. Apparently, the ancient Chinese took the midlife crisis very seriously.

[DaoChild]

I'm not sure if energetic practices increase emotional vulnerability.

 

But I do know that emotions are one of the main leading factors in energetic blockages / problems. Tranquility / stillness being the baseline 'emotion'.

[Inedible]

Personally I enjoy throwing up more than crying.

[orb]

Personally I enjoy throwing up more than crying.

 

 

Well that explains your post name...

[Siliconvalley1]

Well that explains your post name...

 

ROFL

[Zhuo Ming-Dao]

I have latent empathic abilities which become much more pronounced after doing energy work, so when people are being emotional around me pick it up and reflect those emotions outward. This happens a lot at movie theaters because there are so many people emanating the same emotional state at the same time. I have learned techniques to defend myself, because while I don't mind picking up stray emotions, I do not like feeling other people's physical pain all the time.

[Vajrahridaya]

I have latent empathic abilities which become much more pronounced after doing energy work, so when people are being emotional around me pick it up and reflect those emotions outward. This happens a lot at movie theaters because there are so many people emanating the same emotional state at the same time. I have learned techniques to defend myself, because while I don't mind picking up stray emotions, I do not like feeling other people's physical pain all the time.

 

I can completely empathize with you. I use mantra to protect myself from other's thoughts and feelings around me. I just repeat it in layers within my body and ground through it.

 

I stopped going to movies for a while because of this. But, I'm good now for the most part, I've acclimatized over the years.

 

It is nice to be able to feel so deeply though, especially when it's good feelings. Huge love sobs are the best!

[Aetherous]

I get the same way during movies, whether with others or alone. Funny how movies can be more affecting than real life sometimes. My view is that it's best not to analyze or try to protect yourself when emotions arise. They are your own and not other people's.

Edited June 25, 2009 by Scotty

[Vajrahridaya]

I get the same way during movies, whether with others or alone. Funny how movies can be more affecting than real life sometimes. My view is that it's best not to analyze or try to protect yourself when emotions arise. They are your own and not other people's.

 

It's not the movie so much as the crowded theater and all the people around. I have to disagree that it's always one's own feelings. Empathic powers are a real phenomena and can be used for healing.

[Aetherous]

Maybe you're right. Or it could be that being around others tends to open us up more to our own feelings. Eh who knows? I don't.

[leokaaat]

I personally loved the movie and especially kevin haha "kevins a girl?"

[Bum Grasshopper]

It teaches a valuable life lesson. Life will bring you many wonderful things. Life will take away many wonderful things. It is all part of life. Enjoy it while you can.

[Taiji Bum]

Yeah, that movie was brutal. My girlfriend and I both got the sniffles during it. I am middle aged and it really hit me hard but atleast I have lived out my dreams mostly and been around the world a few times. My GF and I both agree it was the best movie we've seen all year.

 

I think the trick with not stopping an energy flow is transmuting it. Embrace the grief to energize your resolve to do something you have been wanting to do for years or something like that.

[Owledge]

I just read some comments on the IMDB and thought that it might be pretty enlightening to read the most negative comments, too. Some of them mention a horrible case of false promotion, and I can deduct from that someting that bugs me, too, and I can only make assumptions here, but I'm fed up with superficially thrown-together movie ingredients. I really enjoy subtlely and when things simply fit together NATURALLY and - without exaggeration - when I watch a movie that quickly switches between or mixes deepest sadness and hilarious joking, it seems sick and perverted to me and gives me a really ugly feeling. Hard to explain, but maybe these powerful emotions and situations should be treated with respect. I see a mix like that in a movie and wonder what the film maker must have been thinking.

 

Again, I haven't seen "Up", but for several years now I see a trend in the movie business like in the rest of society: For a blockbuster movie that makes big bucks, you have to have some humor, some grief, some drama, some horror, et cetera. Don't forget to throw in some of those! They make money!

 

I think it's quite obvious when this intention was not at work in a movie. It's like I can sense the self-confidence and character strength of the film maker. I really love movies that feel honest and natural! And maybe where this kind of movie is not available, narrow-genre ones are still better than 'OptiMix'.

 

 

I'm very curious about your thoughts about this and how accurate you think my analysis is.