Troubleshooting Life 8, January 8 - Separate reality from its imitations to find the truth

At an advance screening of the movie “Steve Jobs” in San Francisco, writer Aaron Sorkin and director Danny Boyle defend their fictionalized version of Jobs. (CNET)

AARON SORKIN:

“This was clearly an impressionistic thing… a painting instead of a photograph.”

I like Aaron Sorkin’s finished work.

His MasterClass, which I first binged in 2018, gave me some huge “aha” moments.

Sorkin is a talented writer, director and playwright.

No relation to financial journalist and author Andrew Ross Sorkin, by the way. (April 7)

Long story short, too many young people I know, myself included, saw The Social Network or Steve Jobs and believed it was real, maybe even saying “wow, it really happened that way?!”

Sure, the characters onscreen have the same names as the people in real life.

But they are just paintings. Aaron Sorkin's imitations of reality and journalism.

To him, Aristotle matters most, especially Poetics, which is free to read on the MIT website.

This idea of “separating reality from imitations” is all around you.

Advertising is not reality. Neither is Goodfellas. Neither is the movie Steve Jobs.

ACTION POINT: Separate reality from its imitations to find the truth