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Earlier today I came across an animated short by Robert Löebel titled “WIND.” It’s very popular, having many many awards. “WIND” starts very simply, with a man struggling to walk against an intense wind. He trudges along, step by step, the wind howling in his ears.
The barren landscape gives way to a bartender behind a bar. Two other customers, already sitting on stools, await their next drink. It appears there are no buildings in this reality. No respite from the aggressive weather. Everything happens outside, amid the constant wind.
What follows are numerous situations in which humans have adapted to this windy world. How they pour a drink, how they shower, how they keep hats on their heads.
I found myself chuckling at the absurd and highly inventive imagery. But throughout the film, I had a feeling I couldn’t describe. A kind of knowing, like I personally understood what these characters were going through.
Then, during the final climactic scene (I won’t spoil it for you), it hit me. We humans have this uncanny ability to make life difficult for ourselves. We work so hard. We fight all the time. We fight time, we fight the uncertainty of life, we fight each other. Never realizing we have a choice. We can turn the wind off. Simply because roaring wind is all we’ve ever known, it doesn’t mean there isn’t another way. It doesn’t mean a quiet place doesn’t exist somewhere inside us.
Sometimes we continue to choose suffering, simply because it’s familiar. It’s easier to know what to expect, than to take the risk of trying something new. We put all these obstacles in front of ourselves, and then complain and wonder why life is so hard. The answer is easy: It doesn’t have to be hard.
That is what art does, it reminds us of who we are. It makes us look at the world differently. Thank you Robert Löebel, for making us laugh and think at the same time. Now if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go turn off some of the wind in my life.
*Warning* The following video contains animated male genitalia… yes, a cartoon penis. But don’t worry, it’s for comedic purposes only. Very tasteful and non-gratuitous. Well, maybe a little gratuitous.
Ana Lugo is a writer and cook who lives and eats in Buffalo, NY. She actually does like long walks, also chili fries and laughing hysterically. You can catch her at her ill-updated blog, or her ill-updated twitter. She should really work on her Social Media skills... Hit her up, she'd love to hear from you!
[VIDEO BELOW]
Earlier today I came across an animated short by Robert Löebel titled “WIND.” It’s very popular, having many many awards. “WIND” starts very simply, with a man struggling to walk against an intense wind. He trudges along, step by step, the wind howling in his ears.
The barren landscape gives way to a bartender behind a bar. Two other customers, already sitting on stools, await their next drink. It appears there are no buildings in this reality. No respite from the aggressive weather. Everything happens outside, amid the constant wind.
What follows are numerous situations in which humans have adapted to this windy world. How they pour a drink, how they shower, how they keep hats on their heads.
I found myself chuckling at the absurd and highly inventive imagery. But throughout the film, I had a feeling I couldn’t describe. A kind of knowing, like I personally understood what these characters were going through.
Then, during the final climactic scene (I won’t spoil it for you), it hit me. We humans have this uncanny ability to make life difficult for ourselves. We work so hard. We fight all the time. We fight time, we fight the uncertainty of life, we fight each other. Never realizing we have a choice. We can turn the wind off. Simply because roaring wind is all we’ve ever known, it doesn’t mean there isn’t another way. It doesn’t mean a quiet place doesn’t exist somewhere inside us.
Sometimes we continue to choose suffering, simply because it’s familiar. It’s easier to know what to expect, than to take the risk of trying something new. We put all these obstacles in front of ourselves, and then complain and wonder why life is so hard. The answer is easy: It doesn’t have to be hard.
That is what art does, it reminds us of who we are. It makes us look at the world differently. Thank you Robert Löebel, for making us laugh and think at the same time. Now if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go turn off some of the wind in my life.
*Warning* The following video contains animated male genitalia… yes, a cartoon penis. But don’t worry, it’s for comedic purposes only. Very tasteful and non-gratuitous. Well, maybe a little gratuitous.
Ana Lugo
@AnaMarieLugo
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