Catching the Big Fish is a blend of thoughts and themes, sometimes random like a stream of consciousness, or — the analogy he personally prefers for creativity — casting a hook into a bottomless sea. The book melds biography, film analysis, philosophy and spirituality with a heart-on-sleeve sincerity, while incorporating a narrative of the author’s passion for charting the world of dreams and ideas and rendering them unto action.
Few probably realise that this famously reclusive director is putting his own money into establishing meditation centres around the world, or that he has founded the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and Peace to further his meditative ideals.
Like a rare sighting of the Loch Ness Monster, any public appearance of one of the greatest American directors of modern cinema is compulsory viewing, or reading in this case, and whether or not you are ready to tread the same waters, Catching the Big Fish is worth at least a dip.
Article comments
1 - GL Hauptfleisch
Nice review, well expressed.
2 - John Gillespie
Thanks a lot. Glad you enjoyed it.
3 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
4 - John Gillespie
Cheers Natalie. Nice blog you have there.
5 - sushil_yadav
In response to your post on David Lynch, meditation, happiness and spirituality I want to post a part from my article which examines the impact of speed, consumerism and industrialization on our minds and environment. Please read.
The link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues.
The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked. Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature.
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.
Subject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel.
Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet.
Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking.
If there are no gaps there is no emotion.
Today people are thinking all the time and are mistaking thought (words/ language) for emotion.
When society switches-over from physical work (agriculture) to mental work (scientific/ industrial/ financial/ fast visuals/ fast words ) the speed of thinking keeps on accelerating and the gaps between thinking go on decreasing.
There comes a time when there are almost no gaps.
People become incapable of experiencing/ tolerating gaps.
Emotion ends.
Man becomes machine.
A society that speeds up mentally experiences every mental slowing-down as Depression/Anxiety.
A (travelling)society that speeds up physically experiences every physical slowing-down as Depression/Anxiety.
A society that entertains itself daily experiences every non-entertaining moment as Depression/Anxiety.
Fast visuals/ words make slow emotions extinct.
Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys emotional circuits.
A fast (large) society cannot feel pain/remorse/empathy.
A fast (large) society will always be cruel to Animals/ Trees/ Air/ Water/ Land and to Itself.
To read the complete article please follow either of these links: PlanetSave
TheHolisticWheel
sushil_yadav
6 - John Gillespie
Thanks for your thoughts Sushil, or emotions should I say? I like to think that modernity and spirituality aren't diametrically opposed, and like David Lynch there are many who are attempting to prove that age-old practises like meditation can be combined with the many positive benefits that modern technology has brought us. Extremes in all things are bad"technological or metaphysical, and I for one try to lead a life that blends the inner with the outer"a middle path between two worlds if you will.
7 - Bente
Hi John,
David Lynch is hosting a special weekend in May, which your readers might be interested in.
If you'd like to have a graphic for your site, it's available.
We suggest that the graphic contain a link to David Lynch Weekend
Thank you and all the best.
Bente Loevhaug
Project Manager, David Lynch Weekend