100 Days on a Fulbright: Day 91: Wim Wenders and Laurie Anderson

Today, HFBK's 250 Year Anniversary Celebrations kicked off with Laurie Anderson's film Heart of a Dog. She was there, introduced by Wim Wender's who said: "A film is about what you invest, and if you invest a lot of love, that’s what you get out of it." Owen and I were feeling that recently during our studio production for the Korean hackathon. Sounds cheesy but it's absolutely so true.

Also true: Laurie Anderson's thoughts on death, the focus of this film. Released in 2015, the film was created as she mourned the death of her husband Lou Reed in October 2013. There is no mention of him until the end, but during the film she walks us through her mother and their dog's death. A Buddhist, she explains that the Buddhist do not cry when someone is dying, it confused the dead. As my aunt on the other side of the Atlantic is dying, I find this comforting, especially since I cry so easily. More here and here: From a Buddhist viewpoint, that kind of situation is one that’s just going to set off your attachment and make it incredibly difficult to leave. If somebody’s dying and their relatives are in there crying and crying, “How am I going to live without you? I love you so much!” Doing these things invokes a person’s clinging and attachment, making it very difficult for them to die peacefully. The mind is agitated, making it more likely for negative karma to arise.

That makes so much sense. So impressed by Anderson and Wenders. Both seem to be filled with kindness and compassion.