The Beautiful and Terrifying Portrait.

This link has two videos embedded in it. The first one is short, two minutes and eleven seconds. It shows some beautiful, scenic views of the earth. But, it also captures how the planet is in danger because of the exploitative ways we humans are living. The first clip  is almost like a long trailer for the second, "Home" by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. I haven't seen "Home" yet, but it seems as if it's filmed in a style similar to "Koyaanisquatsi: Life Out of Balance".
I saw "Koyaanisquatsi" in my "Religion and Social Issues" class my freshman year of college. At the time, I was too naive to appreciate what the movie has to offer. There's no dialogue, no characters, and it lacks a conventional plot. It's a bunch of scenes from all over the earth (natural and man-made) set to a soundtrack by Philip Glass. Years later, my sister gave me the DVD as a birthday gift. Since then, I've been trying to get everyone I know to watch it. (Note: It doesn't go over well at parties.)
This unique documentary is visually-striking and sends a powerful message if you're patient enough to sit through its entirety. It shows how badly our lives are out of balance. We're creating so much turmoil that we're inviting disaster. Be sure to see this movie (as well as the other two in the series; Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi). There's a lot of truth in those films.

Some notes about Koyaanisquatsi.

Definitions

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ko.yaa.nis.katsi (from the Hopi language), n. 1. crazy life. 2. life in turmoil. 3. life disintegrating. 4. life out of balance. 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.

Translation of the Hopi Prophecies Sung in KOYAANISQATSI

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"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the Day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky which could burn the land and boil the oceans."


Back to "Home." The video is one hour and thirty-three minutes. As soon as I'm done dying from my cold, I'll be sure to watch it. I just wanted to make sure that the video was up here for others to watch!