When Jim was over several weeks ago, he and I spent some time watching The Bourne Ultimatum, a movie we both really like. We were analysing the movie in the same way that literary buffs analyse Kafka. We were discussing what it was about Matt Damon that made him look so dangerous, a man not to be messed with. Not just in one scene, but in every scene. I said that he moved with an economy of movement which exudes control and precision. The term stuck with me since that time and I’ve been giving it a lot of thought; Economy of Movement. It reminds me of the proverb that a good scientist is a lazy scientist, because lazy scientists will invent ways of doing things better, faster, cheaper, etc. It’s about precision, which leads in turn to control. I think my instinctual desire for minimalism is part of something bigger, only one facet of an overarching philosophy that calls for simplicity and precision. To achieve a particular economy of movement, in the same way that martial artists do this, and hunting cats, is to purge yourself of waste, achieve precision and minimalism at the same time. And this isn’t just restricted to physical movement, also intellectual movement and emotional movement, but I can’t quite grasp the consequences of those yet. More thought on the subject will be required, but needless to say, I’m very excited.
8 comments on “Economy of Movement”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Now this is a subject we should debate on for a while. I’m game!
I have a suspicion that you’d like that because Aikido is all about not breaking a sweat, which certainly falls within this philosophy, but like I said, I do feel like it goes far beyond the (simple) physical. If you’re up for that; game on! :)
Of course I’m up for it, the concept reaches far beyond the physical as you already stated and should be considered far more broadly including various elements of everyday life.
Well, hunting cats do have that precision. And minimalism. But, intellectual movements? Instinctual, yes. Hmm, interesting.
I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot as well. I’m not sure if this falls under the economy of movement or if it should be its own category, but there is also a complete lack of hesitation. In addition to control and precision, this speaks to a complete confidence and understanding, both of self and one’s environment.
I think you’re right that the type of supreme confidence you’re talking about doesn’t fall under the header of economy of movement, but rather just superiority and finely honed skill. They’re an eventual by-product, I guess.
It’s the other way around, I think. You can’t move this economically and precisely, /unless/ you’re completely confident of your abilities.
I think that was what he meant. It’s how I took it, anyway. :)