In this episode Dara is reckoning with the elusive nature of grace. According to the major religions, and Judaism specifically, it is 'a free gift of love' from the Almighty. But if not given by God, from where else might it come? Is it something that we can bestow on ourselves? What conditions need to be in place for that to happen? Is it possible it might come from the award-winning TV show The Pitt?

Part of the pathway to grace may involve the total leaving behind of the self. Difficult to achieve most of the time when it involves others, almost impossible when it involves oneself. But there's something about entering a flow state than seems to bring it more into reach. And speaking of flow, what is flowing in the deepest, defining part of ourselves?

Time and space are part of the conversation too. If we allow ourselves to be slaves to the tyranny of time, it is unlikely we will access anything resembling inner calm or presence of mind. So much potential resides in the directions we point ourselves and the pathways we are interested in uncovering. Also, if we can't see ourselves, how can we find ourselves?

Dandelion heads, karate kicks and Irish gangsters are also in the mix.

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In this episode, Dara keeps it in low gear as he attempts to conserve energy and resist the temptation to force anything. Most of all, he is determined to be uninteresting and anything but entertaining. He knows his credo and he's sticking to it!

A conversation with a friend has him thinking about happiness. Happy states and happy places. The dream of the perfect getaway seems to never lose its appeal, but Dara finds himself arguing for the internal oasis. The self-evident reality is that no matter where we go, we always bring ourselves with us, so shouldn't we be more concerned with creating the conditions in our daily lives that remove the desperate need for escape?

What is this relationship we have with desire, appetite, and yearning? How do those sensations relate to lack and abundance? And are we more thrilled by the chase than the capture? And what comes first - a state of being or a state of mind? Dara wonders if far less sexy concepts like balance, alignment and regulation might be part of the solution. But what exactly do spunky young cowboys have to do with all of this?

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In this episode, Dara is responding to three films he recently watched that all touched on themes of the expression of the individual, sovereign identity, iterations of 20th century masculinity, and the concept of success and failure implicit in those performances.

Starting with two documentaries, one covering the life and career of Broadway performer and choreographer Maurice Hines, once of the dance duo The Hines Brothers with younger sibling Gregory, the other doing the same for Carl Lewis, the outstanding athlete of his generation who refused to conform to the behavioural expectations of 80s America, especially as a young, beautiful black man. Each of Hines and Lewis walked their own path with a single-minded focus and application, and each embodied distinctly unconventional modes of black masculinity for which the former found the perfect ecosystem, but for which the latter was relentlessly ridiculed.

Paul Thomas Anderson's 2012 film The Master - informed substantially by the life of L. Ron Hubbard - is also discussed in relation to the struggle for selfhood of the American male, captured in two indelible performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman as men compulsively drawn to each other by a mutual and oppositional fascination. Brittle, sensual, flawed and explosive - they are more alike than they might realise. But ultimately, there is no consummation. Which makes their characters, fictional though they are, far less successful than the subjects of the aforementioned documentaries.

Also covered: Sidney Poitier's electric moment, Francis Ford Coppola's failure to do what Ryan Coogler has done so well, a history of Black cinema, and an existential concept of happiness.

The Slate article on L. Ron Hubbard and The Master: https://slate.com/culture/2012/09/the-master-and-scientology-just-how-much-of-lancaster-dodd-comes-from-l-ron-hubbard.html

Website: https://theclearout.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/

YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast

Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.