Dancing in Moonlight

Pro2 Day 78: Dancing in Moonlight

My submission for this week’s @wildcat topic on Communication and Individuals

Put Yourself Second

How do we communicate uncertainty better?

Recently I read a book named Crucial Conversations: though a bit dry in some spots, it is undoubltedly my most valued possession and I highly recommend anyone who hasn’t read this to purchase it from your local bookstore (NOT AMAZON, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE). The book covers a LOT of ground and several key points that will enhance your relationships with others, but my favorite takeway is this: most misunderstandings derive from uncertainty. Humans hate uncertainty, so when we don’t have all the facts for a given situation, our brain just… makes up a story. And without all the facts, it will almost undoubtedly always be wrong. But because we believe its right, is has to be right… right?

Ironic gif, I know :upside_down_face:.

I’ll allow the book to speak for itself, but the key to navigating crucial conversations is to allow the other person to speak in an environment free of judgment or criticism. To open the pool of mutual understanding and expand your mind to see the viewpoints of others. To allow yourself to be wrong, because what you seek is to do right, not be right.

The Soul is Unbound

How do you think about communicating complex ideas?

Showing without telling is a pro-level writing technique where the author creates a scenario that engages the reader to ask questions. Instead of spelling out the answers to the scenario, the authors employs body-language and strong verbage to imply what is happening. And what is the ultimate form of body-language expression?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2PKnJhFsnk

Dancing.

Burn My Dread

What ideas do you want to communicate?

I’m of the belief that there are things such as universal truths. A favorite universal truth of mine is death: it is the ultimate end for all humans, the great equalizer that favors no one. To know that our time is limited should prompt some sense of urgency, yet what I see all around is a severe lack of self-fulfillment. We spin and busy ourselves with tasks that seem of the upmost importance in the moment (myself included), but should we find ourselves on our deathbed tomorrow, would be be happy with how we spent our last day on earth?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxNAwZ-A88w Oh boy, another Persona reference in a wildcat topic! This game series sure must be something!

Persona 3 is a game about the main character dying. No, seriously. Normally I would tag this as a spoiler, but the opening movie of the game writes YOU WILL DIE in about 47 different languages. Or more specifically:

Memento Mori. Remember that you are mortal, remember you will die, remember your death.

It’s even more chilling to realize that the message isn’t directed at you as the main character: it is directed at you, the player of Persona 3, a real-life human who is also a mortal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd1xnZJZZHQ

3 years later, Persona 3 Portable is released. Persona 3 Portable is the remake of Persona 3, now ported to the PS Vita. If Persona 3 asked what does it mean to die, Persona 3 Portable now poses a new question: what does it mean to live?

-To live is… ~to lose whatever has not been chosen -to change ~to gain by loss -to choose something new ~Life is precisely “the finite”

Portable is especially fascinating as it adds a new player character, a female version of the protagonist, which greatly impacts the trajectory of the story witnessed through their perspective. If you watch the opening movie upside down (as this game was released on a hand-held device, that would be easy to do), you would see the story from their perspective. Perhaps living life is vastly differently between males and females? :thinking: :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVZyLjq-bhE&t=6s

Eight years after the release of Persona 3 Portable (eight freaking years!), Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is released. Why moonlight? @bostonblake provides one possible answer: [quote=”bostonblake, post:230, topic:26637”] To honor the Moon, honor the most primal part of your subconscious self, the part of concerned with survival. Start by noticing that you ARE HERE. You are in this world at this time. You deserve to be here now. And there is a reason for you to be here. What do you need in order to thrive here today?

The moon invites us to look into the shadows. The moon is a reflection of light and and spends much time obscured by Earth’s shadow. By her light, we can navigate the dark. Sit with yourself and ask what you might notice if you were fully present. Be still and listen for answers. [/quote]

Why dancing? Tying up the questions of what does meant to die from Persona 3 and what does it mean to live from Persona 3 Portable, Dancing in Moonlight offers one absolution: life is short, so enjoy it.

Don’t need no words We’ll dance the night away together Passing hours Embrace the feeling forever It’s all ours Till the gradient sky signals closure

Come on don’t be shy now Won’t you take my hand?

No Mass Destruction Needed

Where is the mental divide between the themes of protagonists in the media we consume and how we carry ourselves in our daily lives? Can we leverage virtual reality to bridge these gaps?

I’ll bite the bullet here and say that my original intent of this question was in reference to Western Power Fantasy media. Think of superhero movies, think of all the happy-go-lucky gun-toting bombastic-alpha men, think of how the happy-ending to a film is always guaranteed. What does this do to the consumer of such media? We fall into such a hallugenetic sense of fantasy that we turn away from the things that scare us. The things that make us uncertain. Inconvenient universal truths that we cannot defy. Eastern media takes a different approach to their common media themes. Think of the Battle Royale movie, a fight-to-the-death massacre which is actually a social commentary on the cutthroat nature of entering the corporate adult life in Japan. Think Parasite, the 2020 Oscar’s (not me :joy:) award winner film portraying Korean class inequality leading to violence and brutal deaths. If the West likes to pretend that we can’t die, the East loves to brood in the futility of being alive.

What about a nice middleground? As an El Salvadoran, I’ve never really had an affinity for either type of media. We almost feel like the middle country of Latin America, blending the cultures of our neighbors to form our own identity. To not be forced to adhere to any side gives us the freedom to really blaze our own answers. And the answer we chose can be found in this dance and its accompanying lyrics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUxFducYXyk

Life is short. Life is hard. But as long as keep our head held up high and believe in something greater than ourselves, everything will turn out alright.

(I’m honestly flabbergasted there was not a single reference to God or Dios in this song.That’s like, 75% of the culture of being El Salvadoran.)

The Bridge Between Worlds

Following up on the theme that El Salvadorans belong to neither extreme encampment of thought, I myself want to dig deeper. Time and time again I have stated the audience I want to serve are emerging adults around my age who feel like like they can do so much more with their lives, but don’t know how to start. My dream… is to leverage virtual reality to create a spark of possibility inside of my audience. To be able to try and live a life not so different from their own, in space that is free of judgement and full of open-minded possibilities. Especially in a place where we can dance the night away together.

@michellebasey @sabweld @mariasokolowska @susanmclachlan @philkastelic @wildcat @dragon @homeroom11