What inspires you?

When you were a kid, what inspired you?
What you are now, what inspires you?
What you are later, what do you think will inspire you?


I remember, as a child, I was introduced into classical music mostly.
Tchaikovsky's 1812 and Beethoven's 5th was about the first classical experience I can remember where I made an effort to remember.

I seem to remember growing up on a lot more access to Beethoven. Aside from the 5th and 9th symphonies, there was more.
There was the Emperor's, the random numbers outside the norm.

1812 stood out a lot, because it was the only Tchaikovsky I really cared to remember.
Beethoven had a lot, he had too much.
I couldn't remember which ones I heard first from his symphonies. But, I know if it wasn't 5 and 9, it was very close to those ones.
Almost as if I was presented to them in succession.

It's an odd thing to look that far back into the past, considering I don't remember that much.
But, the first sound of music, I remember.
Much like Christian Bale's character in "Equilibrium".
It was nearly as tragic as his character. The tear falling due to the lack of culture for so many years.
Granted, I was just over 10 years old, I may have been introduced to Beethoven or Bach or even Tchaikovsky well before I was 10, but my memory is poor.
My memory would only allow me to assign an abritrary number.

Which, in reality, is less-than-inspiring.

Come, 2005, with Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins".
The idea that a super hero is more than a public figure and a t-shirt (1995's "Se7en"), really stuck with me.
To be a super hero, you had to commit to something far greater than you and your closest ones can ever be.
Ra's al Ghul proved that in just the few scenes he had with Bruce Wayne. The betrayal only emphasized Wayne's intentions of being something more than just a name like Ra's al Ghul (who only lived in reputation).

Literally, every CN film after BB, I've come out a different person.
The Dark Knight, hero's are a misnomer and a construct of those who need it where the Justice System fails (Harvey Dent). And that pure chaose (Joker) is a valid response where the general public cannot act.
TDKR, where everyone fails, the last resort is the one person who represents both sides. Bane represented TLoS and also the free-thinking society of Gotham that doesn't have to answer to the corruption of their police force as established in the first film.

Through Christopher Nolan, everything is like Greek stage-play: Tragic.
Nothing is comedic. It's all tragic.
Just so we can associate ourselves and humanize the film on some level.

Me, being ever so eager to break away from this notion, cannot deny Nolan his intentions.

After Inception, I saw strangers in a fucked up light that they were just mere projectoins and mean nothing.
After TDKR, I feel everything just needs an explosion to emphasise the drawn-out exaggeration of importance they need: people only care about sports when their 'favorite' team wins.

When it comes to Nolan, I am now fully aware it will, entirely, change my perspective on life.
Not just my own, but those I interact with, wether intentionaly or unintentionaly.
Trust me, that every action I perform has some sentient force behind it and emotes some Walking Dead emotion as to whether or not I did the right thing or am just acting on an angry emotion that I so passionately feel.

To summarize:
The past: classical music
The present: Christopher Nolan.
The future: ???

I have no idea what will affect me in the future.

I somehow feel that if I were to see Interstellar right now in theaters, I would not leave if it meant my life.
The mere notion that life on Earth is no longer an option is a scary realization, that seeing the movie would push me over the edge that strangers_as_projections would seem more like a fantasy that a few fun pills couldn't fix.

Quite literally, I'm quite scared of the future.
We're nearing the end of "natural resources".
We're reaching the apex of technological advancements that it seems every industry and home product is merely delaying the progress just to give us a few more years, that reaching 40 just seems futile as there's not much more in our future.

I was raised in the 80's.
Blade Runner was my year of birth: 1982.
Bleak, grimm, and dark.
Once you reach the apex of a story arc, there's only direction to head towards: down.

We're doing so much with 3D, HFR, and even just blu-ray formats, it's perplexing to believe there's much more than just mere smoke & mirrors after the gimmicks wearoff.



What inspires me for the future?
Let's re-summerize:

The past: classical music
The present: Christopher Nolan.
The future: ???

I'm really hoping one of you youngsters will post something inspiring.
I'm so caught up in the past and present, the future seems so bleak and dismal to me.
Blade Runner would not be so classic as it is if there wasn't a hint of predictability in it.



I don't show a humanized side enough, so...

DO NOT REPEAT THIS OR YOU WILL BE GREATED BY A TERMINATOR FROM THE PAST!!!

Wow, this is a deep topic! :D

Not quite sure exactly what you mean, but here's my �00.02.

I too was brought up extensively on classical music. Years ago, my mother would take me and my two sisters to numerous concerts and recitals. Sometimes a couple a week. The composers who made the biggest impact on me were probably the likes of Holst, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky. My favourite pieces of classical music are The Planets, Elgar's cello concerto, and also, perhaps my all-time favourite, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by French composer Paul Dukas. Also, Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen has to be at the top of the list for violin favourites. I'm currently learning the 3rd movement. I also enjoy some of the symphonies by composers such as Beethoven and Mahler.

My passion for film scores came out of my passion for film. I think it was the realisation that without the score, a movie is nothing. The fact that such strong stories could be told by music was a huge discovery for me. That's why I listen to film scores 99.99% of the time, and 99% of the music on my iPod is film scores. Film music just means so much more to me than your average piano sonata by Mozart or Liszt, nice though those are, because it's actually telling a story and conveying specific emotions. It has a direction. It has true meaning. I can escape into the world of the film through the music of such composers as Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Randy Newman, Thomas Newman, David Newman, John Powell, and Alan Silvestri to name just a few.

As for the future? Well, as far as I can see, I'll never stop listening to film music, so I guess whatever movies come out in the future will be the scores that inspire me!

On a different note, music aside...

You say you are "quite literally quite scared of the future"?

Well, I wouldn't be able to truthfully talk about what inspires me without mentioning the greatest individual who has inspired me throughout my life and who gives me a certain hope for the future - Jesus.

Because of Him, I can lead a wonderfully fulfilling life, despite be laughed at for my faith by some, and have the confidence that before God I am forgiven for the wrong I've done. Because of Jesus, I can know a true relationship with my Creator God and have a certain hope for what the future holds. God has told us about what is going to happen in the future in the Bible, and everything that is currently happening in the word is simply confirming what I read in the Bible.

I am confident that I will be taken to be with God along with all other true believers at the rapture (yes, I believe in the rapture!). After that, three and half years will go by on Earth where the Antichrist will come to power over a one-world government. He will make a peace agreement/treaty in the middle east with Israel, which he will then brake, starting the next three and a half years of tribulation before Jesus returns to Earth to finally sort everything out.

From what has been happening in recent years, the rapture seems more likely to happen sooner rather than later. The Bible predicts under-the-skin microchips for payment methods, nuclear warfare, etc. It's such a huge subject, there's no way I could mention even half of the incredible things the Bible predicts.

But the best thing for someone who is afraid of the future to do would be to simply check it out. Read the Bible and see for yourself. If Jesus really is who He says He is, then it's worth it. It's worth it for eternity. I know it to be true because I've taken that step of faith and found it be true. I'd encourage you to check it out. There are so many false Christians out there, and so many false versions and cults of Christianity that it puts people off finding out more about Jesus and the Bible. It's not about a religion at all. It's about your relationship with God. I'd highly recommend reading the gospel of John with a truly open mind. If it's true, it will change your life.

I only mention all this because I care about you and all the other people out there who are afraid of the future. I want you and them to know that it's possible to have hope, even when it looks like hope is impossible. All you need to do is come to God in all honesty and ask Him to forgive you and save you from the consequences of this world's sin. God promises this: "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Also, Jesus said: "Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

I saw this thread when I checked my emails this morning. Afterwards, I then read a chapter of the book of Proverbs (I read a chapter a day, so today was chapter 11, being the 11th December) and I actually thought of you when I read verse 4: "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death." Without being righteous, we have no hope for the future. The Bible tells us that none of us are righteous, so none of us have hope on our own. But because Jesus paid the price for our sin, we can be righteous in the eyes of God because the fine for our sin has been paid. In a real sense, righteousness really does deliver us from death and gives us hope.

So I don't know when I'm going to die, or if I'll be taken first, but I know that whenever that day comes I will be safe in the hands of my Father God. As Jesus said in John chapter 10: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

I hope you find this useful, and not in any way offensive. :)

i am affected by new stuff every day of course.
i can feel it like a constant journey, sometimes being tested to my limits.

and as always, the good stuff is always kind of complicated ;)

...my father introduced me to science fiction as well as to the thought of reincarnation. i will be grateful for both always.
so, what influenced me, indeed, was star trek: until today.
My first supervisor (and not a bad one) was Spock.

The first book I read, was a science fiction novel my father gave me.
later i read DUNE, which again inspired me and still does.

I remember one of my heroines in the 80ties (I was past 20) was Ellen Ripley (played by magical Sigourney Weaver), and she still is, kind of.
I admired the fact that she was afraid and was still able to act despite her fears.

SciFi is a kind of home for me, as flexible bounderies and being able to go past those from time to time always meant a lot to me.

@spark:

Once you reach the apex of a story arc, there's only direction to head towards: down.
for a while, yes. until things move up again, for another apex ;)
in my experience, the only thing you can be sure of is surprises.

so, what did influence me?
past: Star Trek, 12 angry men (fonda), stranger in a strange world by robert heinlein.

present: Star Trek, 12 angry men, stranger in a strange world.
AND scores (music) that helps me keep balance, soothing music often enough, melodic, harmonic, new age like, composers like portman, kaczmarek, preisner, amar, isham, and yes, sorry, some zimmer too. Classical music like Bachs instrumental works.
books, always.

Communication and the desire to understand what makes people behave the way they do, find languages, images, ways to communicate so people understand what i want to express.

the desire to be fair and respectful. to myself and others.
i hope i will always be curious and interested enough to be open for ideas that are different from my own, and treat those with respect.

i have no idea where i will end up.
i hope wherever that is, that my beloved husband will be there too (for as long as he wants)
And I hope when looking into the mirror i will feel ok with what I see more often than not feel ok with what i see.

i hope someday i will be inspired enough to actually publish what i sometimes write.

future: we will see.