2nd Final Solo Blog post: Philip Seymour Hoffman on Happiness

Philip Seymour Hoffman on Happiness

In this interview, world renown actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman and well known English Philosopher, Simon Critchley, discuss what experiences of Happiness Hoffman has had in his own life.
Watch the video and reconvene here afterwards. It should take around 5 minutes...................................
Now that we've returned, let's discuss some of Hoffman's thoughts. He starts by discussing the idea of of moderation, and the struggle he has had in his own life with this, something many Americans can relate to. The idea of finding a pleasure and then hugging it into suffocation. Be it food, an activity, relationships, philosophers for the past 2,000 years have discussed the idea of moderation. In eastern thought, including Zen and Taoism, balance is at the forefront of thought. In Zen thinking, they understand this balance to not only be one of the mind but of the body as well for one is not without the other. When one is balanced, it should feel as though we are not just breathing into our chest or into our abdomen, we breathe into our heels. This idea for me brings a fantastic image to mind. In Taoism, the idea of Yin and Yang a constant pull and push without one completely overcoming the other leads to a balance. For we cannot have this, without that. We cannot have here, without there. Likewise understanding balance in this way, may seem simplistic to some, however, is it no simple. There is a famous quote from a Zen master in which he states, "When hungry, eat. When tired, sleep." That may sound simple, and something that most people we know practice, however, it is not. Among other concepts, lack of balance and moderation is a major contributing factor.
        I will only briefly touch upon the moments in the interview when Hoffman discusses being happy with his children only for some time, until he starts to think about his own childhood, and then sees it reflected in his children's upbringings. Referencing my last blog post, it is Hoffman's tendency to stray from the present moment that brings about his unhappiness. However, I am fully aware that simply reading and discussing these are ideas is not nearly the same as practicing them in every day life,  As he does not mention the present moment during his discussion, it must be mentioned here.
     Hoffman's discussion with Simon Critchley is a remarkable one, shedding some light on the wonderful actor's inner dialogue. To quote another great actor, Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.
~ Meryl Streep

 Hoffman mentioned the troubled characters he played, and the remarkable amount of similarities between him and the character. While he may not have been able to find balance with in his own life, the incredible balance he brought in front of the camera will be remembered for decades to come.