The Art of Peace and Googly Eyes
A24's "Everything Everywhere All At Once" Can Literally Be Found EVERYWHERE
I, for some reason, found myself in Reno, NV and stumbled upon the quaint little bookstore called Sundance Books and Music, on, lo and behold, California Ave.
In all honesty, I love bookstores. The smell of thousands of pages, vintage or new; the steady creak of a floorboard or a book’s spine as new people tread unknown waters; the quiet silence that is one part reverence and one part nostalgia just tinging the air with vigor.
This store was exactly what I expected and more. Imagine if you took someone’s mini-mansion (not big enough to be Wayne Manor, but bigger than your average house and infinitely bigger than a NY shoebox apartment) and just absolutely stuffed it floor to ceiling with books.
Every room was shelved and topped off with novels and paperbacks and fantasy adventures. There were even tables and comfortable chairs sprinkled throughout to give it a bit of diversity where you can grab a book and go on a ride.
This is where I found Morihei Ueshiba’s pocketbook on “The Art of Peace.”
Honestly, I really liked the size of the book. I can literally put it in my back pocket, and though now it’s slightly curved to the circumference of my ass, it was a fun little thing to carry around with me and pop out when I was waiting in line for my curly fries like some misunderstood hipster.
It was a quick read, less than a half hour of runtime but chockfull of quotable pieces and meaningful wisdom Ueshiba was trying to share with the world.
He invokes the art of peace, similarly to Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” but in no way a parody or a comparison to this ancient Chinese text. In terms of methodology and tact they are similar, but Ueshiba’s collected sayings is less about living with the pretense of war hanging above oneself at all times and how to become the best warrior, but about creating and spearheading peace in its lieu and resorting to violence as a reaction instead of the first action.
He preaches a lifestyle and reflection to create nonviolence in one’s actions. Everything starts with us, and he doesn’t just mean battles or ambushes or wars. It’s about our life and how we are balanced within ourselves and how that translates to the world.
The art of peace does not rely on weapons or brute force to succeed; instead we put ourselves in tune with the universe, maintain peace in our own realms, nurture life, and prevent death and destruction. The true meaning of the term samurai is one who serves and adheres to the power of love (45).
-Ueshiba
Evelyn from EEAAO is basically a samurai. Hard send.
She has to unlearn the destruction and abuse she has been brought up in and lived through and make that difference, for herself, but especially for her daughter who is struggling metaphorically and literally in America.
Evelyn tries to Kung-Fu her way through the problems that arise as Joy takes control of more and more things, but what she needs is not a fist but an open hand; what saves Joy isn’t a fight to the death but the loving embrace of her mother.
Move like a beam of light:
Fly like lightning,
Strike like thunder,
Whirl in circles around
A stable center (70).
-Ueshiba
There were several scenes that popped into my head when I read this Ueshiba quote. There are so many fight sequences in EEAAO that is absolutely fluid and beautiful. The fight choreography is amazing, and I tip my hat off to Andy and Brian Le on this film for creating something classic and believable.
Since Evelyn is channeling a version of herself that is a master Martial Artist, you can definitely see that in her flowing and powerful movements. She embodies the nature she is training in and that shines through in every fight sequence. The whirl of the background elements, the snappy impact of each collision echoing this strength.
The way she fights is very in line with the Japanese martial art of Aikido, and to further extrapolate, in line with Airbending from The Last Airbender. It is reactionary and beautiful despite the blood and sweat flying off each character.
This stable center is present throughout the movie, but is more apparent, and even accepted by Evelyn near the end of the movie because her stability is her family, in Waymond and in Joy, and that is what she is fighting for and with.
They become her rock.
If your heart is large enough to envelop your adversaries, you can see right through them and avoid their attacks. And once you envelop them, you will be able to guide them along a path indicated to you by heaven and earth (80).
-Ueshiba
Being kind. Loving thy neighbor. Choosing the path of least violence to resolve your problems.
Evelyn manages to do this in the universes that she borrows from and creates better, perhaps happier endings for each of them.
In one instance, she is lovers with Deidre and reconciles her negatives feelings about gay people because of that.
In another, she helps her chef competitor get his raccoon back (you had to have been there).
In all of them, she has to choose love and understanding and that brings us to a more fulfilling and wholesome ending than anything Hollywood could have thrown at us.
Left and right,
Avoid all
Cuts and parries.
Seize your opponents’ minds
And scatter them all (102)!
-Ueshiba
Needless to say, Evelyn’s mind was scrambled eggs by the middle of the second act, a cracked pot with one too many holes in it, as Waymond says.
Being able to overcome that and further change how the multiverse game was being played is a testament to how powerful Evelyn becomes, but how well she understands this balancing act between universes and uses that to her advantage.
Especially in the final fight scene at the IRS staircase, where she resolves all the traumas in each character’s minds and gently tosses them over the banister. She is one with the universe she was fighting to control and is now going with the flow— and that allows her to transcend their problems to find her solution.
Each and every master, regardless of the era or place, heard the call and attained harmony with heaven and earth. There are many paths leading to the top of Mout Fuji, but there is only one summit— love (42).
-Ueshiba
There are many branching universes echoing in Evelyn’s ear and demanding her attention.
The one she chooses is that with her family, happy, content, maybe a little awkward, but all there.
What a choice: to be anything, to be anyone, to be anywhere, and to choose your loved ones above all else.
A24: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once Pt. 1: A Multiverse of Madness If I Ever Saw One
A24: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once Pt. 2: Some Things Hit You In the Face Metaphorically and Literally
A24: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once Pt. 3: Failing Until it Becomes Success
I was unfamiliar with Ueshiba’s The Art of Peace, until now, thank you. I'll add it to my long, long list of books I want to read and own. Your description of Sundance made me smile, I'd love to read (or bookstore hop) a directory of your favorite book stores!