The Master — Why truth is never the truth.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master" is a true masterpiece in every regard except one.

The Master. From IMDB.

I’ll be frank here — I’m a toddler when it comes to Paul Thomas Anderson’s cinematography, whose (supposed) Magnum Opus was 3 years before I was even born (Magnolia, the one Tom Cruise felt human for once). The Master, is in fact the first movie I ever watched from him.

And he has already won my heart. True, my non-critical lens are way too cheap, but not in this case.

The film tackles many themes, like that of alienation, ego death, and dehumanisation. However one feature stood up for me.

The cause of stupidity

I won’t delve too much into the cult aspect of the movie as plenty other reviewers would have covered it well enough. Instead, I’m going to focus further on why our method of beliefs are so flawed — and that we are not ready for the society we live in today.

If Brian Greene mentions we all (might) live in a black hole, we instantly think, at least, there’s this possibility of this being true. Well until you realise that most Black Holes are local to our Universe only. And then you realise we have never truly explored what’s inside the Black hole. So how do we believe in a concept, in a truth if there’s a lack of objectivity in it — one without any sprinkles of subjective bias?

You can never.

Enter Lancaster Dodd.

Lancaster believes (for all the salt his worth for with 3 different degrees) that the Earth is a trillion years old.

But but Lancaster.... Kill me please. From

Lancaster then diverts the argument to his lack of understanding in Scientology.

Mr More was never to be heard again.

But do you know why a hundred people in that mansion believe he’s credible?

The qualifications he possesses. That’s right, a M.D and a PhD transforms you into the epitome of truth. Of course, he was a fake. That’s dodging the point completely.

What people need to know is that qualifications make you an expert of a field, not the reality we live in. Even Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Derek Muller (Verutasium in YouTube) are not able to account for the existence of dark matter despite observing its properties accurately.

Now how do we actually select our beliefs as truth? Now, we realise everything that we cannot see our touch immediately could be a hoax. Well, the only solution lies in you.

This is how Freddie escaped.

Freddie knew that what ever came out of Dodd’s mouth was utter rubbish when he tried applying his rules for life, coupled with some help from Mr More and his editor.

Ask yourself. Society does not always form under the basis of lies. If not, it would collapse as fast as it rose. The experiences along time and the lessons you learnt as a child from your parents, teachers and friends define how we should live a rational, secure life. If they contradict any one of them, you’ll know it’s hocus. For Freddie, he realised from experience it was due to the skepticism observed in the real world.

Unfortunately for you and me now, we can never afford on experiences alone. We live in the age of information, and it’s hard to believe what’s the truth and what’s not. Luckily for you, I have a mini guide:

1. Look for reliable sources. Don’t dig up articles from a blog or even a reputed media house — such websites often condense the information or even weave their narratives that can distort the history at hand. Look out for published research websites (like Springer) or the official associations/organisations involved with your line of research (e.g. in this case, search for the American Psychological Association).
2. Don’t just stop by searching websites that support the viewpoint that prolonged media exposure declines mental health. Search for the opposing sides, too. Usually, these sources also address misconceptions about the current views on these issues.
3. Don’t accept or search for sources that are ten years or older. Often, research would have gone leaps and bounds by then.
4. Look for books about Psychology with reputed authors. Read the Red Book by Carl Jung or read a recent essay from Jordan B. Peterson. From there, narrow your range to an author who is an expert on media and mental health. Often, you can find them by referring to the footnotes in the book by these famous authors, as they would have used them for research.
5. Interviews with experts are another great way of absorbing the facts you need to know. Make sure the publishing house is reputable. If the interview is recorded, ensure the channel it was recorded in is reputed for quality content.

The Master is a visceral masterpiece warning us or the dangers of a opinion riddled world, where the line of facts and agenda become blurry.

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