What Wall-E Can Teach Us

So the BF and I went to see Wall-E last Friday. I actually liked the movie, but that's not why I am writing. I am writing because not so hidden within its story are thoughts that I believe need to be considered and discussed both on a global community as well as personal basis.

In a previous post entitled Thoughts on Materialism and Happiness I discussed how western culture defines "progress" as inventions that remove all physical stress from our lives. And yet, without such stressors or challenges, we atrophy. And yet with each new gadget we do less. We drive instead of walk, use elevators and even electric knives because the back-and-forth motion is just too much.
Amongst many other messages within the move, Wall-E uses a little hyperbole to show just where we humans are ultimately heading with this philosophy. So as not to spoil it for anyone who hasn't yet seen the movie, I talk any further about the movie. What I do is quote someone else I've read who said,

"Wall-E" contends that real life is hard, real life is struggle, and that we live most meaningfully not by avoiding pain and struggle, but by engaging it creatively, and sharing that struggle in community. It argues that rampant consumerism, technopoly and the exaltation of comfort is causing us to weaken our souls and bodies, and sell out our birthright of political freedom. Nobody is doing this to us; we're doing it to ourselves. It is the endgame of modernity, which began in part with the idea that Nature is the enemy to be subdued -- that man stands outside of Nature, and has nothing to learn about himself from Nature's deep logic.