Wilson volleyball. Filling a need.

[Magicjax]

I hope the thought I'm writing about comes out how I intend it to. I recently rewatched the movie castaway with Tom Hanks and a thought occurred to me.

In his isolation he brought an object to life. By putting a face on a volleyball with his own blood and giving it a name. Provided him with a source of comfort and a release from his loneliness. At first I'm sure his mind knew he wasn't speaking to a real personality. It was similar to a child talking to a doll in make believe. But as time went on Wilson became a real personality. One that he not only talked to but also talks back and in his mind has real conversations with.

Now I can go on and on about how great of an acting job Tom and the director did in bringing this volleyball to life to the point that even we could get teary eyed when Wilson got lost at sea. But this isn't a movie review. I'm describing a thought I have at how this aspect of the movie is very similar to a religious figure. It touches in what I think is one of the key aspects that religion fills in our needs and instincts. The fact that we could be so taken in by this personality when it becomes in danger suggests how we all understand that need. Think about this a moment. People cried at a personality that never spoke. Isn't alive. We watched how it was created. Yet it still touched us on an emotional level. That tells a lot about how strong this instinct is in us.

It's an example of how a person can be in total isolation. No contact with any other personality. And could instinctly find a way to fill that isolation by creating another personality out of anything, or out of nothing.

We are a social species. We flourish better in the company of others. We have a need to communicate with others. Not only as individuals but also in our collected societies. One city needs to communicate with other cities. One tribe needs to know about their neighbors. Imagine a couple of thousand years ago when everyone was isolated from most of the world.

I honestly believe this need to break out of isolation played a major roll in the development of the concept of religion itself. A need to break free of the isolation. The isolation of not only loneliness but also the desire for knowledge, companionship, a leader and focus of blame.

I hope I was able to express my line of thinking clearly enough.

Edited March 10, 2012 by Magicjax

[CommunitarianKevin]

That is a fair suggestion. I would argue that there was no need to “break out of isolation” though. People would have been social in their own communities (I am not an anthropology expert but I assume humans have always lived in a community type structure.) I do not see the need to break out as a cause of religious development but I think you do bring up an interesting point about emotional attachments to non-living or even imaginary things. This reminds me of how people have a relationship with God and this relationship they have can bring them strong faith and strong emotions. Just thinking out loud…truth is no one knows how religion came about. Interesting ideas.

[Mr Walker]

I also watched the movie recently, and the same thought occurred to me. But i saw it more as a writer's idea of how humnas need comapny (being social creaures) and so hanks creates wilson not as a religious figure, but as the adult form of an imaginary friend.

I found the movie a bit dark and unreal. It reflected a modern concept that humans need people around them to be happy. This is actually opposite to some historicala realities. persoanlly i can get on fine without humn contact, although i also enjoy it. My wife PREFERS to go weeks or months without other human contact because she is self contained and others interrupt the priorities of her day.

One thing i found is that it depends how self contained a person is. I have all the things I require within me to survive psychologically, if not physically for long periods alone. I have multiple intelligeces and personalities i can call on at will for internal dialogue and debate. I can, at will, live in a number of differnt worlds, and, because i have mastery over the dream world, i can go anywhere and talk to anyone in my dreams, as well as have a full social life within them. So, while i think the movie refected one view, I found it a bit modernistic and negative.

Not all hyumans would mind having a year or two of quiet time, away from the rat race and other people.

Part of Hanks fear/angst was, of course, that his exile was involuntary, and he never knew if he would be rescued, or return to those he loved.

I found the ending uplifting. While Hanks lost his love, the very end showed that life goes on, both for those we leave behind in a period of isolation, and for ourselves when we return from it; and that we can make a new start (or turn) in our life, simply by willing it to be so, an acting on that will.

[+Link of Hyrule]

I'm a couple of days late into this one (sorry, I went away for our annual church camp for the weekend), but as I was reading the point of the opening post and something popped out at me. When people will turn to inanimate objects to personify it perhaps reflects a greater truth about the human condition - God wants a relationship with us and therefore created us to be social beings who would seek those relationships? In short, are we: 1- social beings and therefore created gods and religion to fill a need, or 2- social beings because God created us to have that need and thus seek a relationship with him? I guess the answer depends on whether you believe in a relational creator or not.

On a side note, as I was typing this post, I was reminded by an essay written by the late D.B Knox (one of my favourite theologians) on the doctrine of the Trinity. One of the key themes he kept referring back to was how the very nature of a triune (3-in-1) being is essentially relational, and us being made in the image of God are therefore essentially relational beings. Similar themes to this post, just a different conclusion based on our belief/disbelief in a creator.

~ Regards,

[Meiliken]

Interesting. I find myself unable to keep centered I guess if I'm away from people for too long. I once went on vacation, and literally went nowhere, simply stayed home and watched tv, read, played video games, for 2 weeks. When I came back, it took me almost an hour to understand human speech. While it was all coherent, it sounded garbled. My own voice came out as a croak, though my mind was as sharp as ever. So I now make it a point to think aloud whenever alone for extended periods of time. As much as I dislike people and their stupidity on a general basis, I require their voices. I looked it up and found it is a form of temporary aphasia. Aphasia is a brain disorder where what is in your mind and what is heard or spoken doesn't match up. An example might be where you say, "look at that tree", but what comes out is "what time is it?" All people need to hear input from another human being. If they don't, they are guaranteed to lose sanity, even if it is temporary, though it could become permanent.

[Mr Walker]

Interesting. I find myself unable to keep centered I guess if I'm away from people for too long. I once went on vacation, and literally went nowhere, simply stayed home and watched tv, read, played video games, for 2 weeks. When I came back, it took me almost an hour to understand human speech. While it was all coherent, it sounded garbled. My own voice came out as a croak, though my mind was as sharp as ever. So I now make it a point to think aloud whenever alone for extended periods of time. As much as I dislike people and their stupidity on a general basis, I require their voices. I looked it up and found it is a form of temporary aphasia. Aphasia is a brain disorder where what is in your mind and what is heard or spoken doesn't match up. An example might be where you say, "look at that tree", but what comes out is "what time is it?" All people need to hear input from another human being. If they don't, they are guaranteed to lose sanity, even if it is temporary, though it could become permanent.

While i like your story/experince and see its value to you, I disagree with your general presumtion. Not all humans are alike. As i said, my wife prefers having few or no people around her. it allows her to concentrate on what she finds as priorities in her life.

I once stood in as a light house keeper on an offshore island for nearly 3 months. There was no one around except for occasional yachties who dropped in and the monthly supply boat. It didnt worry or concern me at all, and I adpated immediately back into urban society.

I actually enjoyed it, especaily the incredible fishing, skin diving, and lobsters, and used it to develop many of my inner resources. A pereon might go a bit crazy if they believed they needed other human contact in the first place, but if they already believe or know they do not, then isolation holds no perils. I also spent shorter periodsm (up to 4 weeks) quite alonem exploring the ausrtralian outback. I loved the isolation and the abilty to become one with nature/the environment, and to tune in my mind to self and environment, without the distractions of others.

One of the best jobs I ever had involved working totally alone over the summer holidays (4-6) weeks, caretaking a large high school, and maintaining its gardens, awns etc. Hardly anyone ever turned up, and I spent 8 hours every day as the sole occupier of twenty acres of grounds and over a hundred buldings, only accountable to myself and working alone. It was fantastic.

[Magicjax]

I also watched the movie recently, and the same thought occurred to me. But i saw it more as a writer's idea of how humnas need comapny (being social creaures) and so hanks creates wilson not as a religious figure, but as the adult form of an imaginary friend.

I found the movie a bit dark and unreal. It reflected a modern concept that humans need people around them to be happy. This is actually opposite to some historicala realities. persoanlly i can get on fine without humn contact, although i also enjoy it. My wife PREFERS to go weeks or months without other human contact because she is self contained and others interrupt the priorities of her day.

One thing i found is that it depends how self contained a person is. I have all the things I require within me to survive psychologically, if not physically for long periods alone. I have multiple intelligeces and personalities i can call on at will for internal dialogue and debate. I can, at will, live in a number of differnt worlds, and, because i have mastery over the dream world, i can go anywhere and talk to anyone in my dreams, as well as have a full social life within them. So, while i think the movie refected one view, I found it a bit modernistic and negative.

Not all hyumans would mind having a year or two of quiet time, away from the rat race and other people.

Part of Hanks fear/angst was, of course, that his exile was involuntary, and he never knew if he would be rescued, or return to those he loved.

I found the ending uplifting. While Hanks lost his love, the very end showed that life goes on, both for those we leave behind in a period of isolation, and for ourselves when we return from it; and that we can make a new start (or turn) in our life, simply by willing it to be so, an acting on that will.

I agree that that was the purpose Wilson filled in the movie. Not a religious figure but a way of dealing with the lonliness. But, he could have possibly named Wilson "his god" if that was something he felt he needed. He could have prayed to it, worshipped it. Thanked it for anything that went right and blamed it for anything that went wrong. He could have erected a totem pole and placed Wilson on top and made it a sort of temple.

All these things have been done in the creation of religious figures. None of them existed until someone thought them up. Gave them a name and a story. Sometimes a face and a body. But they all came from the imagination of man. This example of Wilson demonstrates how humans have the copasity to convince themselves that a made up personality. Even one that never speaks or communicates in any way, can be "real" to them. That is until the need for them is no longer required and we can finally see it for what it really is. Be it a volleyball with a face, wood carved into a Totem poll is just a sculpture. A painting of Jesus is just a painting of a face someone made up. Once the need these figures provide are no longer a nessesitt less and less people rely on them.

Evidence of this happened not long ago when we had the market crash problems. It's happening today with the gas prices and natural disasters. There's a reason psychic business and churches tend to flourish during difficult times in a society. A need of comfort and answers to problems that cannot be found cause people to turn to the super natural. Because its the one consistent that cannot be shaken by reason. No matter what's said or done a person has the copasity to lean on religion regardless of whether it's genuin or not. Just like Tom did to Wilson.

Granted. It's a movie and not real life. But the funtimental reasoning behind the creation of the inate personality is possible. Some go another route with imaginary friends and even split personality. "my precious".

And the one who said you'd be just fine if you never spoke to another living thing is someone who obviously never experienced real lonliness. Sometimes we all want some solitude. But there's a big difference when it's not voluntarily.

When I was in my early twenties. I took a drive to my grand parents cottage just to get away. The cottage has no electricity, no phone, pump for water. It was the beginning of spring and I just planned to stay one night. The lake was no longer frozen but there was patches of ice here and there. The next morning my car wouldn't start. I was stuck there for 4 days. All alone. Neighbors weren't there yet. Boats weren't yet in the water. Luckily my uncle showed up a few days later to check on the cottage. I'm so lucky the gas tanks weren't empty. All I had was a small battery operated radio and a radio in my car. But that's no help when you're deaf. I didn't create any personality. But it did get very lonely. I experienced the anger. The frustration. On the 3rd day I cried. Believe me, it's very different when you are alone because you can't do anything about it. Emotions can go in many directions.

Edited March 14, 2012 by Magicjax