To refer to the wise words of Uncle Iroh from ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender: “Sometimes life is like a dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end, but if you keep moving, you will get to that better place.” I haven’t yet seen ‘True Detective’, but your video has certainly incentivized me to! (And I think it might be something that some of my other family members could get into as well.) It sounds to me like the character of Rust parallels Batman in some ways, as both do seem to be strong examples of antitheses to nihilism. (So in that respect, I suppose it’s not too surprising that he’s a character whom you connect so strongly with.) Both have suffered such severe personal losses (of family in both cases) that they have used as a primary motivator to channel their actions and help the world around them, rather than sitting and stewing over the feeling that neither of them will never be truly happy at their center. “A lot of people use “nihilism” as an excuse for not care about anything…and the closer we get to truth, the further we move away from meaning.” Truer words have never been spoken. You remark how Rust, as he’s experiencing all this pain and is going through existentialism, has suffered a spiritual death. But in my opinion, it doesn’t sound at all like he’s lost his sense of spirituality, if he believes that there is a force in the universe greater than himself that motivates him to keep doing the right thing (even if he doesn’t consider that force as akin to a “God”). In fact, I think that’s a major defining difference between “spirituality” and mere “piety” that a lot of Jehovah’s witnesses and people with Messiah complexes abide by. If one uses “being a Christian” as a defining factor for living by good practices and principals, it seems like their letting their identity be defined by their peers, rather than carving out their own (especially if they let Christian practices be their primary motivation). So in that sense, Rust’s mindset, while not ideal, is rather liberating in its own way. Which I feel is a good transition comparing Rust to Marty, who is completely motivated by a sense of duty to family, faith and career. We know that love for those closest to you (living or dead) is a powerful thing, but if it’s what determines your actions, who knows what that could drive you to do? If you are set on doing anything to try to hold onto whatever you are so strongly attached to that you still have in the world, maybe it could drive you to make some grave mistakes before you even realize it! (Like the classic villain motif of using a hero’s loved one(s) as leverage against them, to get them to do the villain’s bidding.) If you have become so attached to something that it’s the driving force behind all the decisions you make, then in essence, it seems to me that what you’re acting out of fear of losing something, more than anything. And Rust’s mindset can be liberating in that way, knowing that he himself has nothing left to lose, but still refuses to walk away from what others may be at risk of losing. So every cloud has its silver lining, but clouds being clouds all roll by and reveal the sun and the sky.
Uncle Iroh always has valuable wisdom to impart upon us. It's exciting to hear that you're interested in giving True Detective a watch. Personally I think the first viewing is the most rewarding. Let me know you're thoughts on it if you watch it! Rust and Batman do share certain similarities at the core of their character. The most important being exactly what you said, a worldview that is largely informed by pain and loss, but one that motivates them to act in (seeming) opposition to what they believe. Even if it's at the expense of their own fulfillment. That's a good observation and one that I will keep in mind. You make an interesting point with this third paragraph. In hindsight it's something I wish I touched on in the video. I completely agree that an embrace of existential nihilism can have one of two effects on people. I do think it can result in a serious depression for some, the aforementioned philosophical crisis of meaning, but for others nihilism can be incredibly liberating. If one believes that nothing matters because of the finality of our life, hypothetically that grants you the freedom to take certain chances. Of course, I'm not condoning reckless behavior. I'm just trying to illustrate the thesis of your argument because I do think it's a valuable perspective. There is absolutely a difference between spirituality and theism. I won't pretend I have a definitive answer for this, but I agree with you. This topic is something that interests me quite a bit as I do believe that spirituality can be helpful in our lives. It's interesting that you bring up the idea of "being a Christian," because that is something Marty echoes in True Detective. Part of his identity is absolutely forged by traditional Christian values as opposed to self-inquiry. Your final point is a good observation of Marty's character as well as the problem with living by "socially normal" values. A lot of Marty's actions are impulsive due to his love for his family. Yet he also does things that contradict the very thing he claims to love the most. An under appreciated aspect of True Detective is the way it explores the relationships between men and women. (Maggie, Marty's wife, is easily the second strongest character in the show in my opinion.) This may in fact be a significant motivator for Rust. He's not the stereotypical "married to the job" detective. He is obsessive about the case, and a large part of that may be due to the fact that he believes he has nothing to lose. But he still has the cognizance to acknowledge that most people don't share his values, so he chooses to fight for them.
I have not seen “True Detective” myself, but your analysis here makes it sound like a very intriguing show. Regarding your contrast between Rust and Marty’s behavior at points, I wonder if this Gospel parable could sum it up. It appears that Rust could be likened to the son who works in the vineyard despite initially saying no to his father, while Marty’s behavior could sometimes be likened to the son who refuses to work in the vineyard despite initially saying yes to his father (though perhaps not always, seeing how Marty does still apparently help take down the Yellow King at the end of Season 1).
This is an incredibly apropos example in my opinion. Religion is another running theme throughout season 1 of True Detective as a big contrast between Rust and Marty is their theistic beliefs. I'm not familiar with the specific example you mentioned but I think it still works. I won't get into the details but suffice it to say that although Marty does help Rust, it's only after Marty encounters serious obstacles of his own. True Detective is an incredible season of television. I would definitely recommend it if it's something you think you might be interested in.
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To refer to the wise words of Uncle Iroh from ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender: “Sometimes life is like a dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end, but if you keep moving, you will get to that better place.”
I haven’t yet seen ‘True Detective’, but your video has certainly incentivized me to! (And I think it might be something that some of my other family members could get into as well.)
It sounds to me like the character of Rust parallels Batman in some ways, as both do seem to be strong examples of antitheses to nihilism. (So in that respect, I suppose it’s not too surprising that he’s a character whom you connect so strongly with.) Both have suffered such severe personal losses (of family in both cases) that they have used as a primary motivator to channel their actions and help the world around them, rather than sitting and stewing over the feeling that neither of them will never be truly happy at their center.
“A lot of people use “nihilism” as an excuse for not care about anything…and the closer we get to truth, the further we move away from meaning.” Truer words have never been spoken. You remark how Rust, as he’s experiencing all this pain and is going through existentialism, has suffered a spiritual death. But in my opinion, it doesn’t sound at all like he’s lost his sense of spirituality, if he believes that there is a force in the universe greater than himself that motivates him to keep doing the right thing (even if he doesn’t consider that force as akin to a “God”).
In fact, I think that’s a major defining difference between “spirituality” and mere “piety” that a lot of Jehovah’s witnesses and people with Messiah complexes abide by. If one uses “being a Christian” as a defining factor for living by good practices and principals, it seems like their letting their identity be defined by their peers, rather than carving out their own (especially if they let Christian practices be their primary motivation).
So in that sense, Rust’s mindset, while not ideal, is rather liberating in its own way.
Which I feel is a good transition comparing Rust to Marty, who is completely motivated by a sense of duty to family, faith and career. We know that love for those closest to you (living or dead) is a powerful thing, but if it’s what determines your actions, who knows what that could drive you to do? If you are set on doing anything to try to hold onto whatever you are so strongly attached to that you still have in the world, maybe it could drive you to make some grave mistakes before you even realize it! (Like the classic villain motif of using a hero’s loved one(s) as leverage against them, to get them to do the villain’s bidding.)
If you have become so attached to something that it’s the driving force behind all the decisions you make, then in essence, it seems to me that what you’re acting out of fear of losing something, more than anything.
And Rust’s mindset can be liberating in that way, knowing that he himself has nothing left to lose, but still refuses to walk away from what others may be at risk of losing.
So every cloud has its silver lining, but clouds being clouds all roll by and reveal the sun and the sky.
Uncle Iroh always has valuable wisdom to impart upon us. It's exciting to hear that you're interested in giving True Detective a watch. Personally I think the first viewing is the most rewarding. Let me know you're thoughts on it if you watch it!
Rust and Batman do share certain similarities at the core of their character. The most important being exactly what you said, a worldview that is largely informed by pain and loss, but one that motivates them to act in (seeming) opposition to what they believe. Even if it's at the expense of their own fulfillment. That's a good observation and one that I will keep in mind.
You make an interesting point with this third paragraph. In hindsight it's something I wish I touched on in the video. I completely agree that an embrace of existential nihilism can have one of two effects on people. I do think it can result in a serious depression for some, the aforementioned philosophical crisis of meaning, but for others nihilism can be incredibly liberating. If one believes that nothing matters because of the finality of our life, hypothetically that grants you the freedom to take certain chances. Of course, I'm not condoning reckless behavior. I'm just trying to illustrate the thesis of your argument because I do think it's a valuable perspective.
There is absolutely a difference between spirituality and theism. I won't pretend I have a definitive answer for this, but I agree with you. This topic is something that interests me quite a bit as I do believe that spirituality can be helpful in our lives. It's interesting that you bring up the idea of "being a Christian," because that is something Marty echoes in True Detective. Part of his identity is absolutely forged by traditional Christian values as opposed to self-inquiry.
Your final point is a good observation of Marty's character as well as the problem with living by "socially normal" values. A lot of Marty's actions are impulsive due to his love for his family. Yet he also does things that contradict the very thing he claims to love the most. An under appreciated aspect of True Detective is the way it explores the relationships between men and women. (Maggie, Marty's wife, is easily the second strongest character in the show in my opinion.) This may in fact be a significant motivator for Rust. He's not the stereotypical "married to the job" detective. He is obsessive about the case, and a large part of that may be due to the fact that he believes he has nothing to lose. But he still has the cognizance to acknowledge that most people don't share his values, so he chooses to fight for them.
I have not seen “True Detective” myself, but your analysis here makes it sound like a very intriguing show. Regarding your contrast between Rust and Marty’s behavior at points, I wonder if this Gospel parable could sum it up. It appears that Rust could be likened to the son who works in the vineyard despite initially saying no to his father, while Marty’s behavior could sometimes be likened to the son who refuses to work in the vineyard despite initially saying yes to his father (though perhaps not always, seeing how Marty does still apparently help take down the Yellow King at the end of Season 1).
This is an incredibly apropos example in my opinion. Religion is another running theme throughout season 1 of True Detective as a big contrast between Rust and Marty is their theistic beliefs. I'm not familiar with the specific example you mentioned but I think it still works. I won't get into the details but suffice it to say that although Marty does help Rust, it's only after Marty encounters serious obstacles of his own.
True Detective is an incredible season of television. I would definitely recommend it if it's something you think you might be interested in.