and it sounds to me as if Morgen has not only made the film he set out to make, but by sticking to his own vision, he's been more faithful to the energy, chaos & creativity of the 1960s than many of my own generation, especially those who want their memories preserved in amber -- Official Amber, at that.

He's right -- there are plenty of historical documentaries out there, many of them excellent. So why retread that ground? His idea about making the spirit of those times immediate & vital & contemporary is exactly what we dmanded of art when we were younger. I cherish most of what the 1960s created, but that doesn't mean I want it to be a yoke & burden for subsequent generations. Inspiration, yes! But not dogma carved in stone.

I look forward to seeing this film, and I hope it does get people to thinking, to questioning themselves & what they can do with their lives, just as Morgen intended in making it. I'll happily drink toasts to the past ... but insist that future generations live there? No thanks!

Let the 1960s become inspiring myth, one with the Beats & the Surrealists & the Transcendentalists & the Romantics.... It's only living myth that truly stays forever young -- otherwise it just becomes fossilized oppression.

The slogan from the 1960s that remains with me?

All Power To The Imagination!

It's not that the gods aren't referenced in "Age of Bronze," simply that they don't literally appear, taking sides & playing a part in the lives of the characters. But the characters do believe in, fear, worship, and attempt to placate the gods in the course of the story. Religion is present. Just not the gods themselves, physically interacting with the mortals.

The series is just as wonderful as Wolk says it is, by the way.

So this is what passes for intelligent, in-depth writing these days? The self-congratulatory braying of another perpetually adolescent frat boy?

Yeah, I know, it's so much easier to spout idiotic opinions rather than actually having to think. Who needs a brain when you've got a rude, obnoxious, loud mouth?

The country & culture are both being run by pathetic child-men like Strausbaugh. And what a splendid job they've made of it, too! God forbid they should strive for sophistication, or knowledge, or nuance, or introspection, or wisdom -- you know, those archaic things that used to define actual grown-up adults?

Even if the LW is trying to conceal his bleak vision of the future from his daughter, she's surely picking up on it. What lesson for life is she taking away from that? How is that preparing her for the future, whatever it might bring? Is he in fact subjecting her right now to the doom he fears will overtake her one day, psychologically speaking?

Previous posters are quite right: a possible, even probable future is never a 100% certainty. You just don't know what might be discovered or created -- not only technologically, but culturally, changing the course of society. You can anticipate the worst while still working & hoping for something better. If you don't, you're already living the stark, empty wasteland you see coming -- it's already inside of you.

Hope is no guarantee of a happier future, but without it, you're dead right now.

That's it exactly! You've followed all the scripts, hit all the milestones that our culture says you should hit, satisfied the demands of parents, family, schooling, social obligations ...

So now what?

That's what something within you is asking, LW.

And it's time to start finding out.

It's not so much the meaning of life in general, as the meaning of *your* life, that you need to discover. Or perhaps create for yourself.

It's worth looking for, LW.

I appreciate your opening up this way. Even when I've disagreed with some of your answers, they've always made me think, and look at the problem from a new perspective.

LW (and Cary), ignore the vehemently negative repsones posted here today. I've never understood the attitude that once you've reach a certain level of comfort & security, you're no longer allowed to suffer emotionally, psychologically, existentially. Might as well say you're no longer allowed to be human.

LW, this does sound like midlife ... but just because it's identifiable & all too common, doesn't make it any less pressing. Previous posters are right -- if you've got any creative yearnings, pursue them. Explore them. You're exploring yourself, the deeper parts of your psyche that are in need of recognition & nourishment. Read. Immerse yourself in music & art. Watch some thoughtful films.

And do some creative work of your own. It doesn't have to be "good" -- that's hardly the point. But express what's urgently struggling to be expressed, somewhere deep within you.

A book I've found useful is Jugnian writer James Hollis' "The Middle Passage." It may not work for you, but you might check it out. If it's not for you, explore other options. Remember, there's no One Magical Formula That Fits All. And there's no guarantee of happiness ... after all, what's that old Zen line? "Now that you are perfectly enlightened, you may expect to be just as miserable as before."

But maybe happiness isn't as important as deeper meaning, anyway. Maybe this particular journey does matter more than the destination.

And don't think of it as being selfish, either. We're not suggesting you devote every iota of energy to self-exploration at the expense of the rest of your life & everyone in it. But those in your life will definitely benefit if you deepen & expand the meaning of your own life.

Best of luck to you!