Situational Enaction

Why are action movies so engrossing? Particularly ones like Tenet or the John Wick trilogy? They’re non-stop, Hamilton-style. Every situation demanding either action or total surrender and these heroes are not about to surrender. The Zhuangzi recommends the same for we who do not inhabit action movies, as do other compelling philosophies. Be as one with the natural universe, like water. What does it mean to be of action when the situation does not seem to call for action? A reframe of the situation and creative spontaneity. Listen to the situation. Ask what it demands from an action hero such as yourself. The situation is pointing a gun at you and demanding that you give up the secrets, and you have your foot on a little sand that can be kicked into that situation’s face while you roll and break that situation’s knee with your shoulder. In other words, you’re sitting in your house, hearing the house say vacuum my floors or hearing your clothes say put me in the washing machine or hearing your heart say let me scribble somewhere other hearts can connect with me. So don’t surrender to inaction and concomitant annihilation. It doesn’t necessarily have to be action in TikTok length scenes, either. The action can be breathing, intentionally and with awareness, dozens and dozens of times. Anything that takes the situation and converts it into action without waiting to see exactly what the emotions have to say about that. Those treacherous fiends are not to be trusted.