Josh Brolin Shares Deep Reflection On Life With Poignant Bird Photo

Instagram/@joshbrolin

Josh Brolin dropped a serious piece of lost philosophy on Instagram attached to a striking image, which disappointed a few in how it was interpreted. A photo of a bird lying on its back on a wooden floor was posted with feet visible; the caption went on to discuss ancient ideas of Greek moral virtue and self-mastery. The image tries to show this staining contrast between life and death as the bird seemed barred, blending dry feathers into worn wood. The image was shot by Kathryn Brolin, his wife.

Advertisement

Brolin’s caption mentioned the term “areté,” an ancient Greek word he said meant “the full flowering of your nature” and “the sharp edge of your soul honed through effort” as a call to become the greatest version of oneself, whether others appreciate it or not. Heavy stuff for a social-media post, and the reactions varied.

Some embraced the introspection. One congratulated the composition of the photograph: “Great contrast and colors.” Another one reflected deeper: “Find purpose in life, even when you are faced with death. It is beautiful when you are able to understand it.” Another poetically alluded to its connection to Greek tragedy: “The moment of Arête is often followed immediately by the death of the hero, how fitting in this case.”

Others found this heavy parlance to be too much. One critic just wiped the floor with it, calling it “cringe worthy” and said, “do better.” Another scoffed away, “Josh thinks this somehow makes him deep (it doesn’t).” Then there was the wild wildcard who dragged Tom Hanks for no apparent reason, accusing Brolin of parroting “the same things this pedo posts.” Yes, the internet is forever unpredictable.

The bird itself turned into a source of fascination and puzzlement. Many commenters began calling it a mourning dove, with one commenter querying, “What happened to it??” Another one took a pitch-black humor spin down a sordid path for the bird: “This dove had a long history of gambling and had lost the family nest. Tragic.” Then came the usual piece of savvy advice from a completely oblivious commenter: “You could also do something about your windows.”

A few personal jabs came flying in, the infamous Brolin one: “You’re an a-hole. I can’t believe how you killed that sheep.” And then the baffling non-sequitur: a long Bible verse in Portuguese about “exterminating carnal inclinations”—because, well, why not?

Clearly, this was either an embarrassment or a step too far in pretense for many. Remember that whenever a celebrity gets philosophical online, the range of reactions you’ll see is from awe to complete annoyance, sometimes descending into chaos. The photo’s quiet power will continue to permeate through time, becoming an ageless metaphor for the relationship between striving and stillness, between effort and surrender. Or as one commenter went: “Janey done taught you right, Joshy boy.”

Advertisement

Anyway, how about we go on the record here? Did it land? Well, a lot of that depends on whom you ask. But something critical happened, however: People started thinking or at least typing. Maybe that is really Aretê itself.