Tom Shadyac I Am Reflection

I AM Reflection

The film I Am, directed by Tom Shadyac, shows its viewers how everyone and everything in our quantum universe is connected and how one thing affects a different person, species, or non-living thing. The documentary also shows how America has changed the world’s viewing of being cooperative and a democracy to becoming a competition and a kingdom. America is known for its intense megalomaniac qualities and fascination of celebrities, who could be famous because of sports, money, and actors, therefore making people think “if I work hard enough” they could become just like their idolized stars. Shadyac begins the film by posing two questions, “What’s wrong with the world?” and “What’s right with the world?” to journalists, authors, theorists, and religious leaders.

I thought before I watched this movie

that the alpha deer lead the pack fearlessly and he made all the decisions for the pack, however, this movie explained that if a more than the majority of the deer look at a specific watering hole they all go as a group. Not only deer, but most animals that travel in groups send signals to each other on what they want to do before they take action. America, and now the rest of the world, wants the population to individualize and strive to do what’s best for the consumer to make themselves the brightest. However, Shadyac explains that even though he was successful and made himself a bright star, he did not become fulfilled or happy from all his materialistic possessions. The “American Dream” led him to believe that if he had a thousand times more stuff than what he had originally, he would become a thousand times happier, although this was not the case.
One scientist explained in the documentary that the vagus nerve fibers are what makes someone teary or emotional, which I was unaware of before this movie.

The scientist goes on to explain on how we are hard wired to help someone in need because he get a sense of ecstasy or elation from it. However, it takes large groups of people to form together when they see an issue in our society before they act on it, an example of this is segregation. Someone asked the Dalai Lama what the best mediation was and he replied thoughts on a problem then an action. At the end of the movie, Shadyac recited an answer to, “what’s wrong with the world?” from G.K. Chesterton and he replied, “I am.” The documentary relates to chronic illness because people are expressing gluttony every day, not just on food but on medication, which starts polypharmacy. Chronic illness, that is preventative, is stemmed from taking an excess of our resources, and Shadyac explains that animals do not have that because they do not take more than what they need. If we could refocus our competition society into a community society we would be better off emotionally, physically, and

psychologically.