Alternate Reality in Films - A Timeline

 The movie experience is about creating an alternate world or reality. More importantly, this world is the creation of the main character, and the subtle realization that this main character is the creator of the world they inhabit. The creator has guides: physical, mental and spiritual, and there is always a sense of uncertainty of what is real and what is not, even (or sometimes especially) at the end. Moreover, there is a religious experience worked into the story line. The main character is searching for something or seeking enlightenment or needs to restore her faith. Here is a list of movies that directly entertain the alternate reality concept introduced by the Wizard of Oz.

1939 - The Wizard of Oz - Essentially a dream sequence caused by a blow to the head during a tornado strike in Kansas during the turn of the 20th century. Or a young girl from the Midwest is magically transported to a colorful land dominated by wizards and witches until this same girl demolishes it all. Dorothy discovers the truth that what she seeks is where she lives, but she only realizes that after she has gone far away from her familiar surroundings. As this movie is the template for all movies, you'll these themes rather consistently throughout most films.
1946 - It's A Wonderful Life - It is George Bailey's suggestion "I wish I was never born" that creates an alternate reality where his absence dramatically changes the lives of everyone he knows. George learns to appreciate his life for what it is. He discovers his world literally falls apart when he is removed from it.
1982 - Tron - Software engineer Kevin Flynn is transported into a digital world where Programs resemble their human creators. We understand that the two worlds are connected, as events that happen in the digital world affect the real world and vice versa. Tron follows the the Yellow Flick Road ethos that stipulates it takes an outside influence to change the conditions, mostly for the better.
1990 - Flatliners explores the near death experience, as four talented medical students conduct experiments to determine if there is consciousness during clinical death. Total Recall discusses the idea of implanted memories, a favorite topic of writer Philip K. Dick, who wrote the short story "We can Remember it For You Wholesale" on which this movie is based, and "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" which was the basis for the 1982 film Bladerunner. If something feels real, does that make it real? These films suggest that memories of any variation have the capacity to infiltrate our reality. The epiphany here is that closure is necessary in order to put these renegade memories to rest.
1997 - The Devil's Advocate - Kevin Lomax is a talented attorney tempted by the devil with a wonderful life, but at the cost of his principles. Of course, Kevin has been ignoring principles for quite some time, and doesn't realize what he is giving up until it is too late. It is revealed at the end of the film that most of the movie is a dream sequence, but the existence of Lucifer is still established as real.
1999 - The Matrix, eXistenZ, The Thirteenth Floor - All three of these films discuss virtual reality, with the idea that it is difficult to differentiate between the real world and an artificially created world. In fact, the argument is that since the brain cannot tell the difference, then intrinsically there is no difference.
2003 - Big Fish - A large portion of this film is told in flashback by the main character, who is known for his tall tales. It is revealed at the end of the story that much of his stories are based in truth.
2009 - Avatar - this film involves mental linking of one mind into another body. This transference has the effect of rendering the host body inert when the link takes place. It is discovered during the film that the link can be made permanent through a spiritual ritual. Coraline is very much in the spirit of the Wizard of Oz, using the idea of a mirror universe. However, it is revealed that this mirror universe is actually a pocket universe that requires spiritual energy to survive.
2010 - Inception - entering the dream state is not only dangerous, but it is also confusing. At one point, many of the characters in this film are deeply layered, existing in a dream within a dream within a dream. Oddly enough, a group of individuals enter one person's dream, and in turn enter someone else's dream.

Many of these films often suggest that the lines between what's real and what's isn't has become blurred, as some aspect, object or person is noticed by the characters in both places. Several of the thriller, sci-fi or action adventure genre films use this technique to end their films on an ambivalent bent to keep the audiences second guessing.

Spirituality and the Classroom

 Spirituality and the classroom
 
The American educational system has evolved to emphasize a stringent control of student creativity and spirit. Anything that is misunderstood is repressed. Students of African-American descent are especially repressed, because it seems that there are several students who are unable to control themselves within the confines of the classroom.
 
As a result, we literally force students into submitting to an institutionalized system. This breaking of the spirit is a form of corporal punishment. If we are not allowed to discipline children through physical means, and psychological manipulation is also under scrutiny, should we also be concerned about the spiritual health of the student? I believe it is imperative to find a way to nurture not only the physical and mental growth of our children, but we must find ways of developing their spiritual growth as well.

Certain students have a natural spiritual connection that is triggered through social interaction with others, isolationism, music, and dancing. Every student has a unique, diverse and intricate cultural, social, and psychological background, further complicated by family dynamics, siblings and economics. It is so easy to say that there are good kids and bad kids, without investigating the underlying roots of behavior. As a result of forcing children into a cookie-cutter mentality – standing in lines, routines and structure, absolute silence, assigned seating – some students are pigeon-holed into patterns of anti-social, aggressive or disruptive behavior. The European model of institutionalized education is not 100% effective; there will always be a few kids who will buck against the system, because the system is inadequate to those student's needs. 

There are some precedents to this. The separation of church and state have done a great deal to harm the educational potential of American children throughout the 20th and now the 21st century. There is a fundamental misunderstanding within the United States on how to educate our children. The problem lies not in our children, nor in the quality or work ethic of our pedagogues and administrators. The problem is inherent in the American culture itself. Our unique amalgam of diverse cultures, especially in urban centers, has led to a complete failure to establish an effective educational system that caters to the needs of our children and our nation.

The extraction of spirituality out of the classroom has contributed greatly to every problem we see in education: Classroom management, Low test scores, lack of motivation and eventual low graduation rates are attached to the lack of spirituality within schools. Frankly, it is bizarre. Our country was established on the principles of personal and religious freedom, and yet in the public schools, there is very little focus on spiritual life. As a result other activities have evolved to replace the traditional spiritual exercises. Why are Step teams and sports and dance programs so popular? Because there is an unspoken spirituality attached to those programs not found in Reading, Writing and Rhetoric.

Allowing students a spiritual outlet of sorts within the school would go a long way to maintaining both an individual stability in each student and reinforcing the structural integrity of the school's soul – that school pride that often differentiates a struggling school from a thriving school. A paradigm shift needs to occur in order for such an integration to be sucessful. While specific suggestions, such as instituting moments of silence or extracurricular clubs, address the problem on a surface level, research on other avenues of spiritual development must be implemented. Besides, a return to spirituality in our educational system may also combat the increasing spectre of cynicism and hopelessness that pervades the commentary of teachers, administrators and most importantly, our students.


Antonio Jacobs 
January, 2012