OUT OF OUR ELEMENT with Dan Malossi and Lauren Roedy Vaughn

The Players:

LRV = Lauren Roedy Vaughn

DM = Dan Malossi

LRV: We are nearly failing as humans.

D-

I’ll admit I’m prone to grade inflation, which applies here. 

Nonetheless, class, see below for further explanation and to improve this grade before the metaphorical semester ends, and we destroy the world.

In the aggregate, we are a very disappointing species. Very. 

Evidence exists to support this position. I don’t make wild claims without so much as a lick of evidence—which is something some humans and “news” outlets do and is, in and of itself, evidence that makes my point and reflects our collective grade.

I present here evidence of our subpar performance as humans: mass graves, genocides, wars, income inequality, dumb statues of dictators, runaway capitalism, various other isms, subprime and reverse mortgages, advertising, insurance companies, ponzi schemes, Wall Street, for-profit universities, timeshare contracts, overly processed foods, television reboots, poorly made shoes. 

And this list is a mere sampling. A scratching-of-the-surface, if you will. 

But then again…something comes along—it fits right in there—to remind us we can embody more than our darkness…that there are other options. 

Evidence: 

This movie lifted me out of a murky present and plopped me down into an expanded, transcendent place of meaning. I might never get over it.

Hallelujah. 

This movie:

A+

…and Bob Dylan:

A+

…and his music:

A+.

It all celebrates the power of the imagination to reach deep into man and pull out magic—even during, and maybe because of, tumultuous times. 

When used with consciousness, our imaginations make us vessels for greatness, rather than horror. Imagination does not travel in a straight line, nor does it follow a logical progression; it’s messy, complicated, and imperfect, but it’s profound and transformative. Imagination is an infinite realm, a higher place brimming with better possibilities than all our bad, ego-driven choices. 

Imagination is bigger than us, nor does it respond to spreadsheets and profit margins. Imagination doesn’t need us to be unequivocally stellar, just open and awake to it, ready to receive. To heed the call, if you will. 

Imagination is the answer. Imagination is the portal to hope. 
What Bob Dylan and these movie makers allowed to channel through them in A Complete Unknown is the miracle of imagination on display. It is also a reminder of what we’re capable of, and that there are forces beyond the dark available for harnessing—individually and collectively—to save us, perhaps just before the semester ends.