Reflections on Bernt Capra's Movie "MindWalk"

by: Daniela Möbius

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie for its continuous flow of thought provoking points, woven cleverly into a fascinating conversation between its three diverse main characters. The film’s dialogue seemed to flow effortlessly between poet, physicist, and politician to explore the foundation of our current world situation, which we have inherited through historical developments in science, philosophy, religion and social change. It stresses the importance of waking up from the patterns (of our actions and beliefs) we have become so accustomed to, in order to see the true impact of our actions on our world and in turn ourselves. MindWalk calls out our modern crisis, a “crisis of perception.”

The movie makes a crucial point in bringing together a group of individuals with varied backgrounds and points of view in an in-depth conversation, aimed at understanding one another. This effort of engaging in dialogue/ communication is something that is all too often left unexplored, often times leading to additional problems.

Facts and arguments, backed by hard statistics and science clearly communicate the movie’s message. The message is one that cannot be taken lightly. We are essentially on a self-destructive track if we continue in the way we behave now. A comprehensive array of various important issues was explored, without ever loosing its focus on the larger picture. Each aspect of the conversation was eventually connected back to its impact on the whole. I believe that the ideas of “systems theory,” involving the interconnectedness and interdependence of everything, are essential in changing our society’s current direction into one that may not be so short-sighted.