The only movie that's playing in the brain is what we have the ability to see

[dina_mei]

The way our brain is wired up, we only see what we believe is possible. We match patterns that already exist within ourselves through conditioning.

So, a wonderful story that I believe is true

Comments

[blue_aardvark]

Beautiful story! Like how a concept does not exist until a word is coined to describe it, such as "Catch-22" or "jumping the shark" or schadenfreude.

[dina_mei]

Linguistic determinism has a point all right - "the words we possess determine the things that we can know".

What's "jumping the shark" - "a colloquialism used by TV critics and fans to denote that point in a TV show or movie series' history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations, particularly for a show with falling ratings apparently becoming more desperate to draw viewers in"?

[blue_aardvark]

Yes, but it doesn't have to refer only to tv shows or movies. It's a shorthand way of saying that something is past its prime (though at its height of popularity). For example,

After WWI, the British Empire, despite appearing to be at its strongest, had in fact jumped the shark.

An episode of the popular 1980's tv show "Happy Days," a sitcom about 50's suburban life, had its cast travel from their middle American city to exotic Hawaii, where lead character Fozzie had to jump over shark-infested waters on skis for some reason, I think in response to a challenge. Other plot devices include the introduction of a cute child, or (as above) a trip to a far away land, or a dramatic change in fortune (such as winning the lottery).

[dina_mei]

Thank you very much for such a beautiful excursus! English idioms are so amazing :)

[subtlegray]

Are they sure the Shaman wasn't just nearsighted?

[dina_mei]

That I'm in no position to tell, you'll have to ask them :)