Original subtitles

HE WHO FEARS TIRING WHEN RUNNING

SHOULD PLACE ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF DANGER

I'd like to take a picture of you.

And Iwantyou

to select the location and the background yourself.

What would be the best spot?

lguess right over there

so that we get the house in

and the mountains in the background,

and the lake up there

which takes an hour to hike around.

And what time of day? What's the best time, in terms of light?

lt'd best be early.

HEAVEN AND EARTH

THE COURSE OF THINGS

14°40' East Longitude, 47°2' North Latitude, 1979- 1982

It is said:

in the Golden Age people sat around

with their bellies filled and they were content.

They patted themselves,

went for walks and didn't know where to.

Always in their nature,

they were one with life.

They had everything they needed.

Free from all knowledge, life did not leave them.

In those days, there were no roads and paths in the mountains,

and on the lakes there were no ships and no dams.

All creatures were peacefully united in their homelands.

Thus a state of natural contentness prevailed.

It is said: the true people of antiquity

did not perform heroic deeds.

They did not forge any plans.

So failure did not make them feel guilty,

and success did not make them feel complacent.

They were not afraid to remain alone with their knowledge.

They climbed the highest heights without becoming dizzy,

went into the water without getting wet,

and into the fire without getting burned.

The true people of antiquity

had no dreams when asleep

and no fear when awake.

During April one can usually start taking them out.

At this time the bees were already busy, but this year...

They can fly alright. - But they're kind of limp.

But to buy feed. - That's too expensive.

What sort of wishes do you have?

Actually we're rather modest, but

there's something

everyone around here wishes,

and that's better roads.

It's real awful when you gotta drive on them

and they're so bad. You can see foryourself.

Anotherthing lwish is that our neighbours won't move away.

It's really gotten bad.

35 farms have already been abandoned round here,

and it's kind of a strange feeling to know your neighbour's about to move.

ljust wish things would stay the waythey are.

We should really be glad round here,

and the kids, too.

Thank God,

all the kids round here are OK.

They never give us anytrouble.

What about your brother?

I'd like to build a house some day,

if I can get some kind of assistance.

The kids need a decent place to stay.

Without that, you can't count on them staying here, anyway.

Nowadays you can't live on farming alone,

with just a handful of animals.

And life's gotten so expensive here compared to the old days.

My dad used to sell a couple of animals

and we had to live off that.

It was possible.

You just can't compare that.

Everything just costs more nowadays.

Life's just different.

Look at the kids.

You can't send them to school with an old knapsack.

And look at us. We all got cars now.

The main thing for us is

that we stay healthy and that we can work.

We gotta do that anyway, but we like doing it.

You remember, backthen in St. Anna,

when I heard about the wedding?

It was Kratzer who was getting married.

There was this guy filling the glasses whom l'd met before.

All of a sudden he asked me for a dance.

The others sat there staring.

They were almost mad at me.

They all heard I was from Carinthia. That really did it.

It wasn't as simple as that.

It was my pal who said, "I'll get her foryou."

I didn't have the guts myself.

I'd always been a bit shy.

It just all turned out that way.

We've been married 25 years now

but at first it wasn't easy for me.

'Cause it used to be custom here

that the parents decided who you married.

My wife wasn't a farmer's daughter

and that's what caused the problems.

Here it always used to be

that the eldest son gets the farm,

but he had to marrythe right girl.

It wasn't like that with us.

They always wanted you to bring a girl in

that had a bit of property,

so that the daughter could inherit it one day.

That's whyyou couldn't take over the farm.

I've always believed that the best thing awoman can inherit

is her health and that we get along OK.

I couldn't make it yesterday.

That's alright.

It is said:

They left calmly,

they came calmly.

The true people of antiquity did not forget their origins

and did not strive towards their end.

They accepted their fate and were content.

Forgetting death,

they returned to the other worid.

Thus their hearts became steadfast,

their countenance tranquil,

and their brow serene.

If they felt cool, it was like the coolness of fall,

and when they felt warm, it was like the warmth of spring.

They encountered all creatures as befitted them,

and nobody could fathom their soul.

We're gonna build a plane now.

The teacher told us to bring a car.

I'm taking along a racing car.

How many've you got? -12.

I can manage with that, but often,

when I'm out cutting wood and the containers are at home,

I've gotta go all the way back, that's a nuisance.

Lateryou can't get 'em as cheap anymore.

When we got ours, they cost us

400 shillings a piece. That's not bad.

Usuallythey cost a lot more. Around 900.

Well, I've gotta get going.

Me too.

I'm probably like the animals,

and that's why I just stand around,

I'm probably like the stars,

and that's whyl stand around

and sing my songs.

What's it like to work shifts?

It's a big problem,

'cause eitheryour wife's overburdened,

doing all the work

which you really can't expect her to do,

or everything's just left half done.

Like cleaning the woods

or clearing away the windbreaks.

You can do that when you're at home,

but like this nothing gets done anymore.

ltell myself, nothing's perfect, neither for a worker,

nor for a farmer, there's always something.

But as a farmer,

if you do a good job,

you're still your own boss,

you don't have to work shifts every day.

But if somebody who works in a factory doesn't show up,

he won't get any money and'll get fired.

With us,

it doesn't matter if we don't work for a couple of hours.

Some prefer being a worker, sure.

If you're not interested in farming, what's the use?

You've gotta enjoy it.

It's too much having afarm and ajob at the same time.

You don't have any more time for the animals.

Then it's better just to work in a factory.

A farmer can do things the way he likes,

he's dependent on the weather.

But with ajob you gotta start early,

work 8 hours, go home and you get your regular pay.

Depending on the season,

a farmer can make more money or less.

He can plan his work himself.

In the winter,

he's got more time, but in the summer he's gotta get down to it.

Many farmers say it's a big advantage

being able to do things your own way.

With ajob you've gotta do what other people tell you.

A farmer's gotta go into the barn in the morning,

and in the evening he's also gotta be around.

But afarmer can plan his work, depending on

what he produces,

since farming is so versatile today,

you've gotta specialize,

'cause you won't turn a profit otherwise.

Today we will repeat two important things

we always use,

namely, the present and the past tense.

The present tense

is basicallythe language we always speak,

or most of the time. What about the past tense?

When do we use that?

In the old days

many farmers didn't have any income at all,

theyjust worked for their daily bread

and didn't need anything else.

Money didn't use to be all that important.

Nothing they needed to buy.

And the food they needed they produced themselves.

You couldn't live that way today.

You've got bills to pay

and you simply have to have money.

Who can say a sentence in the present tense

and write it on the board?

You've gotta keep up with the times.

Even if it isn't easy foryou to buy a car,

you've just gotta keep going.

You just gotta be strong

and see that you make some money again

so you can buy something.

Of course, a big-time farmer's better off,

he's got timber

and he can buy himself a tractor.

Compared to him a small mountain farmer's got a hard life.

The general attitude today is

that everything gets done too slowly.

They want you to work faster and faster.

We used to take our time with our work.

But today,

even if you work hard in the summer,

you never seem to make it.

Everything goes faster with the machines.

It never used to be like that in the old days. We had the animals then.

That always worked out OK.

Today it's the machines that work the people.

Modern times

ain't as good as the old days.

When I think back to when we were kids,

we didn't have anything then.

On St. Nicholas' Day...

we maybe got some gingerbread.

And we settled with that.

Today, kids aren't easy to please.

We use the present tense for something that's happening now;

then for something that's happening in the future,

where you have to specifythe time;

and for saying something generally valid.

It's often used in ads.

It is said:

the people of antiquity

adhered to the forms of their time

and were proud of their invincibility.

They seemed to want to save their words,

and with lowered eyes they forgot to speak.

Thus they moved,

with anything that had feet,

towards higher goals,

knowing that they did not reach them by their own efforts.

The people of antiquity did not attempt

to assist Nature by being human.

They did not take action.

And heaven and earth took their course.

Early yesterday morning we got another calf.

I already paid for the permit.

Did you have to pay again? - Yeah, 9 shillings!

For me too?

Yeah, I already paid for it!

I remember when l was a kid,

there still used to be a lot of bargaining.

Now it's the co-op that does the buying.

There are certain buyers, and nobody else has a say anymore.

There always used to be 3 or 4 different buyers.

One would overbid the other by 20 or 30 Groschen.

There's none of that anymore.

Todayyou've got the co-op.

At auctions an animal often sells for a lot more.

It used to be a lot more interesting

when farmers bargained among themselves.

The farmer had to pay more

than today's dealers.

Nothing you can do about it.

If I sell an animal to a farmer,

he's gotta pay more for it than a dealer.

A dealer just can't give you more,

that's all there is to it.

Nothing we can do about it, we've gotta wait,

and see what they give us.

They've got fixed prices here.

And the other things get more expensive.

If you compare the past with today,

you hardly dare say anything

about what we went through.

And if you tell that to the young folks,

they're likely to say, "Why were you so dumb?"

We didn't know any different then,

when there wasn't any money

and not enough work.

It was partly the business people's fault.

They said it's better to put our money in the bank.

Myfather paid 12 “A interest.

It almost seemed illegal

to go looking for orders

in the neighbouring countries.

That was a big mistake back then.

They didn't get anywhere with that.

I still see it that way today.

The producers, that's the farmer and the worker,

they produce everything there is.

Now say, it's the worker who produces

what the farmer needs.

Then the farmer can produce

what the worker needs.

Basically, you wouldn't need any intermediaries.

That's the wayl see it.

If the two could really work together, stick together...

But it's never been that way.

You're already 79 this year? -80!

He went along everyyear.

He's getting younger all the time.

But you've gotta have your snack! - No!

Thirsty, maybe?

All that roast...

The flies will come and then you'll take back the maggots.

Yeah, but it's also meat!

You've gotta take home something.

But your back's already blessed,

if you shoulder that knapsack and pray.

Be on your guard and stay awake,

foryou do not know when the moment has come.

It is like the man

who travelled abroad, leaving his home

and giving full powers to his servants ascribing each to his duty,

and who ordered his doorkeeper to be vigilant.

So be vigilant, foryou do not know

when the Master will return,

whether in the evening or at midnight,

whether at the cock's crow or at dawn,

so that he does not find you sleeping,

should he come unexpectedly.

But what I say to you, I say to all:

Be vigilant!

It is said

that in the beginning, those who knew something

did not attempt to convince others.

Why is it so difficult to rule?

Because people are so shrewd.

Rulers who use shrewdness

betray their country.

Those who rule without shrewdness

are a blessing for the people.

It is said, clouds cause rain

and rain forms clouds.

The wind is born in the north,

at times it blows to the west, at times to the east.

at times it ascends as a whirlwind.

May I ask what causes that?

It is said,

the worid gives us toil through life,

deliverance through age,

and tranquility through death.

Ifa mountain is hidden in the depth of the sea,

we assume it is safe.

But at midnight

a strong man loads it on his back and goes off with it,

while the owner is asleep and unaware.

A large room is very suitable

for hiding something small.

But there is the possibility that it may get lost.

It is said, he who does not see himself...

only sees the outer worid,

and he who does not possess himself

only possesses foreign property,

and the success he has is never his own,

and thus this kind ofsuccess

is untruthful and false.

What I call GOOD has nothing to do with taste,

but is simply the goodness of one's soul,

simply letting the feelings of one's life

be the way they are.

And what I call HEARING

has nothing to do with listening to sounds,

but is simply listening

to one's own feelings.

And what I call SEEING

has nothing to do with seeing the outer worid,

but is simply seeing one's own nature.

It is said, since the beginning of history

the simple and hard-working people have been ignored,

whereas quuacious hotheads have received admiration.

It is said, if the torrents run dry

the valleys will dry up too.

Ifsaints are born,

great thieves appear.

It is said, one's own eyes do not reflect a hollow glow,

one's own ears do not cause confusi�n,

one's own knowledge creates no doubt.

When fonts run dry

and the fish crowd together on dry land,

wetting each other with their slime, that is not as good

as if they had forgotten each other in rivers and lakes.

It is said, once the knowledge of firearms increases,

that will confuse the birds in the sky.

If the knowledge of traps increases,

it will confuse the animals of the forest.

If the knowledge of lies increases,

it will corrupt people's customs.

Thus, sun and moon become obscured,

the vitality of mountains and rivers dies away,

the seasons' course becomes confused,

and everything loses its true nature.

And Sunday morning again.

And also Monday morning,

we were stacking hay,

I didn't feel a thing, neither did father,

but Hias, ourfarmhand, he felt it,

and motherthought

the earth was opening and closing.

That was the worst earthquake here.

He remembers exactly what happened years ago.

And at the time of the earthquake in Friuli 3years back,

l was out delivering a message about 9 in the evening,

I didn't feel athing either.

But I read in the paperthat the high buildings in Vienna shook

and in Friuli buildings caved in. - Pretty amazing!

Years ago, when l was a kid,

l was bringing the oats in with the ox

right at the back of the house,

the oxjust stopped and wouldn't move an inch,

until it was over.

They had to stay in the kitchen for 20 days.

First there was the earthquake on the mountain,

and then the floods,

and the mountain coming down from the Dobratsch

threw up such a cloud

that it even got dark out in Klagenfurt.

That's the alp, he said,

where hell begins, that's what they say,

there's such a deep hole up there,

if you throw a stone, you can't hear it fall.

Once, in the winter,

a farmer went up there

and fell into the hole.

It was covered with snow.

This farmer was probablyjust curious to know how deep the hole was,

and so he probably just went too far and fell in.

The next year, some men went up to look.

They had rope ladders

and one ofthem climbed down

to see if there was anything.

But there wasn't. The birds probably got at him.

The guy who climbed down

only saw craggy rocks,

all the way down, just full of craggy rocks.

I don't know how deep the hole is.

Pretty deep, I figure.

That was also a volcano.

When a volcano like that erupts, it makes a hole.

WHATEVER FILLS THE WORLD, IT IS US.

BEYOND THAT NOTHING EXISTS, WE ARE EVERYTHING.

It is said, nature knows how to reconcile

an early death and high age.

And it knows how to reconcile beginning and end.

Hence, it is a model for man.

I ask: what do things depend on?

And: what causes change?

Meaning is good and loyal,

but it does not show itself in actions,

it does not have a visible form.

We can convey it, but we cannot grasp it,

we can obtain it, but we cannot see it.

Uncreated, it is its own root.

It confers power to spirits and gods.

It created heaven and earth.

It existed before time and it is not high,

it is beyond space and it is not deep.

It preceded heaven and earth and is not old.

It is older than the most ancient times,

yet it is not aged.

The meaning one can talk about

is not the meaning.

That's the cross, that's when father built the new house.

We put it up there with the bulldozer.

Gentlemen, the time has come to get something done.

...for instance in a story that we're telling in the past tense

we change to the present tense to describe

a particularlythrilling episode.

If you do not mend your ways,

I will turn the temple into a robbers' den.

It is the Lord's order

that if you do not mend your ways

and stop stealing and robbing,

a great misfortune will befall you.

Of course, priests are getting fewer and fewer,

and the less priests there are,

the less tabernacles there are.

For where there is no priest,

there is no saviour.

Therefore our prayer today:

Oh Lord, send workers to your harvest

and be merciful to your people!

It sure means something that he's gone now.

We used to be good neighbours.

It's incredible.

He really liked farming and his animals.

A good buddy, he'd help you out anytime.

It's really too bad.

He was hard-working,

a real nice guy.

I didn't know him too well.

He was in the village council

and an active member at the church,

he was a person who was liked by all.

We always had a good time together.

He was so funny,

you could've laughed till you cried.

People say he was

always the first to sell his ox.

If he sold, the others sold.

You miss them when they're gone,

but that's the way it is.

He was a merry person,

he could make people laugh.

A nice guy,

hard-working too.

Life was none too easy for him.

Then everything happens so quickly.

It wasn't necessary.

That's just the way it is.

I really liked him very much.

The worid turns,

it is round,

all good times are bound to have an end,

since ourtime is up,

we'll say farewell.

A little bit of singing,

that's what we like,

and a little bit of listening,

what more could we wish,

we feel we belong together.

Let's go on for God's sake,

we'll get back together again.

That's me, at the back, that's my sister, her house...

We're all on that picture.

Mother, father, my aunt, and myself.

We still had the dog then,

it got to be 16!

He stepped to the small door

and took from a hand

reaching through it,

a small tray with two glasses that had already been filled.

He set it on the table

and put on his spectacles.

While doing this, his face became composed,

a lean, challenging face,

everything returned to its original position

and became immobile.

What kind of code is that?

Please tell me everything you know!

His voice sounded as if it was hitting something metallic.

That is a system of characters

that can be translated into

ordinary language by means of a code.

Really? And the scent of a rose, for instance?

Is that a code or not?

No. For it does not stand for anything other

than what it is, a scent.

If it meant anything else,

it could become a sign in a code.

And what do you think, does a rose smell

only for the sake of smelling

or for a specific purpose?

Well, it can attract insects with its smell

and pollinate them.

He nodded his head.

Yes, let's proceed to generalizations.

The eye transforms a ray

into a nerve code,

which is decoded bythe brain into light.

And the ray itself?

It didn't just appear from nowhere?

A lamp emitted it, or a star.

Information is contained in its structure,

it can be read.

l interrupted him. "What kind of code is that?"

Neither a lamp nor a star

attempts to cover up something,

whereas a code hides its contents

from the unauthorized.

Really?

The transition from impulsive reaction

to conscious action with objects of action and knowledge,

is an essential precondition

for human behavior,

it is the essential precondition for human life,

for human history.

It is most of all a precondition for conscious,

practical action that places things in relation to each other,

thus leading to increasingly objective

and profound knowledge.

I'm my own boss!

That's my opinion even today.

The farmer and the worker

are the producers.

They produce everything there is.

Through mechanization

we got a lot of farming equipment,

the farmers have modernized

and horses got fewer and fewer.

I used to have 130 horses to shoe.

They did the timber pulling.

But now of course

they have trucks for that.

I had to modernize the workshop, too,

'cause if I hadn't kept up with the times

I'd be out of work now.

Where's he got that picture?

Look, all by yourself,

I'm not on it.

Just love, just love.

Not much going on around here.

The more people there are, the nicer it gets.

With the folks around, we get along just fine.

But if the others were still here,

it'd be a lot more lively.

It must be the work of the devil!

Who says I can't playthe accordion?

ONLY HE WHO CLIMBS THE MOUNTAIN'S PEAK

CAN LOOK INTO THE REMOTEST DISTANCE