ko.yaa.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi Language) n. 1. crazy life. 2. life in turmoil. 3. life out of balance. 4. life disintegrating. 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.
Of these
definitions I find the most important one to be
5. a state of life that calls for another way of living. When
life is in
turmoil, is out of
balance,
disintegrating,
crazy, etc., then naturally the best
solution is to find a new way of life.
I know all of this sounds hopelessly optimistic and mystical but it is much more a matter of common sense. Giving the idea a single name just helps in recognizing and achieving it.
The idea behind Koyaanisqatsi then is that if things are not going properly (and I would contend that if there are still poverty, unhappiness, inequality, &c. then things are not as proper as they could be) that an alternative should be searched for. And in times such as ours when the evils are arguably excessive, then the alternative is all that much more needed.