SOME PEERING-PEEPS INTO THE NETFLIX MOVIE  — B   I   R   D      B   O   X  — 12/31/18

So, last night, I became one of over 45 million viewers “to see” this film. Hardly ever do I choose to watch a horror film or films with bunches of people being killed howsoever. But much seems to have been stirred by this movie — all trying to “unmask” the message it seems to be delivering.  One reviewer saw it three times and wasn’t so sure what was going on. Many lackluster reviews reports are in. So here I go with what I see-saw-sensed. Bear in mind, in what follows, that there are two (at least) fundamental masks operative: one is the self-chosen-suicide-mask of open-eyed denial — refusing to see/save/protect– as if standing in the tracks and watching the train closing-in– it affects the eyes like a pesticide: the second is the survival mask to not be overcome by the hypnotizing absurd of this inflicting pesticidal denial of staying in the tracks as if nothing was bearing-down. The survival mask is to protect/save humanity’s “vision” from being overcome by the suicidal masking of reality. If the first dominates the human “vision” like a pesticide, then there is no turning back. The second must wear a protective mask to prevent the eyes from being effected by pesticidal suicide. This brief interpretation will not attempt to touch all the “tweets” in this Bird Box. (It  all raises the issue of what mask is the viewer of this movie wearing?)

 

The ultimate “bird box” is this human-creature planet all alone in the wilderness of space: the nature, meaning, extent of which — along with the why are we here conundrum — are realities we are blind-to and ignorant-of — regardless of multiple scenarios over time.  The movie ends with the survivor mom and two little kids making it to the School for the Blind, in a remote wilderness — with its flourish of singing-noising birds in its large, beautiful aviary. To get there they journey the wild river-flow of earth-time-consciousness — masked so not to be hypnotized by the manifest horror presence of this suicidal affliction. Then, in spite of masks, moving forward because of realities known to be essential (to this human journey) such as earth’s river waters and birds…and courage/will/vision to face the “survival” challenge.

 

The ultimate horror is the mass suicide of the human race and creature species such a birds. Behind this suicidal reality is our denial( another form of mask) of how we are killing “the birds&planet” and refusal to see-find-take the navigable rivers of earth&thought to covenant  with our earthly home; which, in itself, can be terrorizing as we comprehend being home alone — and prone to let those into our homes-havens-minds, who are our worst enemies (due to our open-eyed-blindness of the suicidal presence in human form). The insanity of this monstrous reality seizes us with increasing presence.  The suicidal-denial-mask is internal —  thinking we are not blind and hypnotized by going ahead as always.  It is this “open-eyed” knowing that the monster reality is growing — and our just looking at it — that is causing the suicidal plague. It comes through the eyes, tearing away the mask that saw it coming, but moved not from its path.

 

The ultimate need of the masks is to not be hypnotized by the denial of this all-pervasive monster. In the early days of humanity the augurs and writers overcame their ignorance of happenings to them on this earth by creating myths and creatures to explain events — the cause of which and future of which and nature of which they could not see. Beyond their creature-cause creations — they would look to the manifestations from other “telling/seeing” forms/lives in the earth itself. One primary thought-belief-exercise was to augur-surmise the future by observing the presencing and flight of birds. Thus the movie syncs today’s auguries from birds (species of which are in rapid decline–recall The Silent Spring)– as  yesteryear connects with today. Today’s bird auguries are, however, not fantastical, but real. Our killing of the birds of this planetary box is an ultimately suicidal signature as all of nature is bonded covenantally. We are hypnotized by our own “ownership” of the earth: as if we were its ultimate good and all was in some divine control beyond/through us.  We must not be blind to the ages of human experience that have told us this is “masked”and unknown. Towards the end of Bird Box, the child “Girl,” when lost, briefly takes off her mask and is unaffected. Reason: as a child she is still innocent and has not been programmed/hypnotized by these suicidal realities. It is not like plagues and horrors of old overtaking any human or species.  No, this reality is beyond myth and natural disaster. It is a human contrivance. It is our humanity today. Not ancient Greece or Rome, but Scientific NOW. Reality denial/blinding is to use “psychic-pesticide” on our “vision” of our earthing-aloneness-selves. . . as our (manifest) destiny. There seems a symbolism of the Bird Box in the concept of the “homing instinct” in birds…and as if carrying these birds and feeling their positive sense of direction…will get the mother and her children to their real home. My House Wrens return to their deck-post bird house every year to raise their family. One senses it was a “homing instinct” that caused mother to seize this meaning of the three birds (as parents and child) and to box them for guiding transport to that destined home of birds&humans in the wilderness.

 

Ultimate Bottom Line: it is species-suicidal to continue masking reality. The movie projects forward to that ultimate horror when the mask has won, suicide prevails, and Spring is going Silent. The Bird Box is vulnerable to annihilation. In the deepest sense of “horror” — humanity will be masked from the future it hoped to see. Some have entered the School for the Blind where the aviary still exists. The children of tomorrow can still be raised with Springs of birds singing. Humanity’s song will continue — once the masks are revealed and removed — the hypnotic pesticides ceased. Therefore, this film is today’s continuance of Rachel Carson’s 1962-SILENT SPRING’s pesticide-vision-thesis . Today there is a “tearing tearing” split twixt those “eye infected pesticidals” who take for granted the see/hear of the birds —  and those who do, in fact,  see and hear the real birds. This “birding/homing” is what saves the mother and the children — and all who make it to The School for the Blind.  There to keep humanity’s survival vision free of masks — while learning to live with what we know-don’t know; see/can’t see.  A final note is that it seems that the pregnancy of the mother to be — is what saved her at the outset of the movie and the other mother as well, who was, later after birth of Girl, forced to look-out the unblinded/unprotected  window to become instantly suicidal. Thus the survival mom (with her “painter’s eye”) had both Girl&Boy, so named like “Birds” as nature’s own. Once safe at home they were named. The movie asks two basic questions –Are we taking our species and planet on a survival or suicidal mission? How best survive?

 

mdok

[PS–Operative maskings of today–so obvious in 2018–include — blatant climate change&denials–plastics/pesticides proliferation–nuclear war machine build-ups–wallings of peoples and nature–nationalism/isolation–supposed political strength through divisiveness–denials of science’s state of this earth warnings — unmaskings of the Catholic Church’s maskings of legions of predator priests –fake news to constantly sway the mind — AI/Internet maskings unlimited, etc. — Indeed, the global advent of today’s technology permits/inspires a plethora of maskings and programming afflictions. — We are supremely charged/challenged to see ourselves and our earth as bonded–no matter who prays or preys or those who neither pray or prey. — “Pesticide” refers to many good to bad agencies that affect/destroy our “vision” and survival resources. The horror presence in this movies’ bleeding-enflamed-torn eyes of the suicidals —  is as if sprayed by a suicidal pesticide that has finally captured the earth. Reminded me of North Koreas massive legions after legions of stomping/strutting legions of soldiers and armaments parading our vulnerable eyes with a “terror” — world ending reality.  Russia is preparing for nuclear war. Reminded me of Silent Spring and the creation of Earth Day. Reminded me of many such as me paddling, often blindly and erratically, these Earth-Earthen-Eartharion waters carrying us wildly to find constructs and poetries that creatively vision and safely build our planet-home future. Even as McDonalds refuses to eliminate plastic straws or stores plastic bags, and the political/greed push to burn coal/pump oil as ever before, etc.  As I write — 2019 begins tomorrow. A year of needy transition-management from day-one (as never before) for the full globally shared workings of our homing, parenting, and painterly instincts to be their best in-with-because-of — this planet is our Bird Box.  It augurs to be a tough — masks off — year.]

THIS — FOLLOWING MY BIRD BOX REVIEW — 1/3/19

On this date in the USA Today, Doyle Rice wrote “Dead and gone forever: Species we lost in 2018.”  I’ll not rewrite this article. Search it all through Bird Life, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Center for Biological Diversity. He documents three songbird species gone: Brazil’s  — Cryptic Treehunter and Alagoas Foliage-gleaner — and Hawaii’s Po’ouli.  He documents a variety of extinct species and going extinct animals — such as Spix’s Macaw, the New Caledonian Lorikeet, the Pernambuco Pygmy-owl, Vaguitas, northern white rhino, and red wolves. Seems we are losing species faster than ever. From island to mainland — the trends are disturbing. — From Carson’s Silent Spring to today’s Bird Box — we continue to perform with maskings of this reality. In today’s world — add to insecticides…”habitat loss and degradation from unsustainable agriculture and logging.”  —- Creating a Silent Spring is species suicidal…for all.  Earth is now in the “midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals,” he writes. We best take-off the blinders and pay-attention. A lot is happening out there. The Monarchs and Fireflies are dwindling, too. In West Virginia — there’s mountain-top-removal and logging and fracking. And current pipeline construction, just a few miles from me, is cutting a deep cleft through these hills. I’ll keep my bird feeders full and shoo the feral cats, which are major causes of bird loss.

mdok