The Descendants and Cynicism

With the Golden Globes announcing their nominations this week, I have to say that the best actor category is a true "who's who" of Hollywood. I'm always skeptical of the nominations because it seems like awards are too political. Seeing the perennial George Clooney nomination, made me wonder if his new role in The Descendants was any good. I'll have to admit, that I enjoyed the movie very much.

The Descendants is a story about a Hawaiian family that can trace its history back to the last King of Hawaii (hence the title) told in the perspective of the head of the family, George's character. The movie opens with his wife in the hospital after a boating accident. You come to find that she had an affair with some local realtor. And, while his wife is in the hospital, he and his two daughters seek more information about this dude. At the same time, the family, along with a generation of cousins, are practically being forced to sell family property on Kauai... a huge tract of virgin Hawaiian land that would yield a very large sum of money for all family members....

One thing that Clooney's character reminded me of is the idea of cynicism and its place in society. How easy is it to be a cynic? You don't get the promotion you think you deserve... CYNICAL! You're late to work, it's raining, and a car splashes a puddle on you... time to be CYNICAL! You get dumped... why not hate the world and be CYNICAL! (just examples... not a meditation on my current life) It's become the norm to blame other people or at least take out frustration on other people for negative situations we, as people, find ourselves in. Doesn't it suck how the better road is usually the tougher path to take?

So where am I in the world of cynicism? Full disclosure... I love a good rage. The problem with being a person who is expressive with emotions is that sometimes... emotions get the best of me. Both good and bad emotions can come out full throttle. I'd like to say that I turn most of my negative emotions on myself... what could I have done differently, where did I go wrong. You can call bull shit on that, anyone who's reading this.

I'll end this post with this quote... "If you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." - Conan O'Brien in his farewell speech. Something to work on, something to be cognizant of... and go see The Descendants. It's worth a trip to the theater.