[15]The Tao of Fight Club

This is one of the profound movies I have seen. Though I had seen it before it hadnt captivated me as much as when I saw it about 18 months ago, and have been addicted to most of the clips read the book many a times since and love discussing about it. Just to make sure, I am not talking about the SuniEl Shetty starring Fight club , but the one starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel.

Regarding this movie people are divided in two categories. The ones that hate the movie and ones that love the movie.

The basic premise of the movie revolves around the philosophy that we are God's unwanted children with no special place and no special attention and this is not the worst thing that can happen but is liberating in a way. It is close to Nietzsche's philosophy of Nihilism. When you see the movie and read the book (Warning:Book is pretty unpleasant at parts) with all the reverence I had for it, it was like your eyes are rubbed in broken glass at first, then you are being punched. The world seems broken. But somehow you keep reading. And after you rub the pulp from your eyes you realize something. The world is not broken. In fact, it is more together than the time you started reading it(stolen lines..but seemed apt here). It sort of embodies a peculiar masculine sort of sadomasochism 'Self improvement isint the answer, self-destruction is'.
Self destruction maybe synonymous to destroying the society created self image which identifies the individual with his position, possessions, indoctrinations and thoughts.

The whole control demolition idea was to nullify the influence of societal control on our actions. This was accomplished by setting up an underground boxing network called the fight club and the violence escalates to attempted bombings. The movie is less acts of fantasized revenge rather elaborate acts of self ruin.'Its only after you have lost everything are you free to do anything'. Palahniuk might have envisioned the resulting individual to be free of criticism or complements of others, who neither considers himself superior or inferior to anybody and fearless of any challenge.

I loved Pitt's powerful casting in the movie as Tyler Durden, his smarts, his nerve which were both a fantasy and delusion, in the end which Tyler turns out to be. I dont know if this would lead to bliss in long term, and I think Tyler should not be taken literally. But there are some nuggets of wisdom that are really cool.

In the last chapter of the book, after the narrator shoots himself there is the following excerpt in heaven which I found awesome.

I've met God across his long walnut desk with his diplomas hanging on the wall behind him, and God asks me, "Why?" Why did I cause so much pain? Didn't I realize that each of us is a sacred, unique snowflake of special unique specialness? Can't I see how we're all manifestations of love? I look at God behind his desk, taking notes on a pad, but God's got this all wrong. We are not special. We are not crap or trash, either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens. And God says, "No, that's not right." Yeah. Well. Whatever. You can't teach God anything. ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, Chapter 30