The day before yesterday, I discussed with my elder daughter the movies I like. She asked me a question about my favorite films. I told her about "Swashank Redemption," which is about the efforts and desperation to regain freedom. In the story, a man is imprisoned due to false allegations and helps the jailor with his expertise. However, instead of assisting him in escaping, the jailor conspired to extend his sentence. The protagonist values his freedom so much that he digs a tunnel from the prison and escapes after years of perseverance. It perfectly portrays the feeling that comes when we lose our freedom, highlighting the desperation and determination to regain it. This illustrates how desperation transforms into perseverance rather than a quick reaction.
The other movie we discussed was "Schindler's List". We discussed how the hero saved the lives of many jews from Nazi concentration camps. How he feels sad even after doing so much that he could have saved the lives of some more. This is a movie about compassion. The hero has so much compassion for the lives of the jews that he puts his life at stake. The third movie we discussed was "Lives of Others," where a person is officially assigned to listen to the conversations of an artist in East Germany by the administration after his home has been secretly wired. The hero listens to the conversation and realizes that they are fighting for their "freedom". He gets so moved by the idea that he deliberately misreports, and the administration is unable to get hold of the artists. The hero is removed from the job and starts working as a ground worker. Finally, when there is a merger of East and West Germany, the artist becomes a minister and then finds out that his home was wired. He fails to realize how he could avoid that reporting. He then digs out the records and gets to know the secret help provided by the sergeant. Then he writes a book about that sergeant, and the sergeant gets to read the book. It's a movie about silent sacrifice, courage, and gratitude.
We also discussed the movie "Life is beautiful" which is about the a father and son getting caught in Nazi concentration camp and how father makes his son feel that this is all drama going on and he too has a play a role in the movie. When the German soldiers take him to be executed, he pretends as if he is playing a role in the drama just to make his son feel comfortable. This is a movie that portrays extreme love and courage.
I would have watched all these movies many times, and they leave a deep imprint every time I watch them. I feel that "love", "compassion", "gratitude", "courage", "sacrifice", and "freedom" are attributes that move each one of us. Whenever we watch good movies portraying these qualities, we get moved. Whenever we come across any person filled with these attributes, we automatically get attracted to them. There is something within us that echoes with these attributes. Yet, there is a deep insecurity within that stops us from adopting these qualities in our lives, or we make mental stories of being loving and compassionate, and somewhere keep playing the role of a devil. Probably, our minds create a distorted meaning of these qualities and follow the same. "Love" for our kids means making them "educated" to get a fat package, failing to realize that we are taking their freedom to grow differently in a unique manner. We close our eyes to "life" beyond these meanings and therefore become utterly pushy in our own meanings of life.
If someone understands what "love" means, why would they push their children toward popular career options against the child's wish to pursue their passion? If someone understands the meaning of "compassion," why would they not see the pain of all humanity due to inequality of opportunity, and why would they not make efforts to help those in need? If someone understands the meaning of "gratitude," why would they accuse everyone around them, when they should be grateful for each breath of oxygen? If someone understands the meaning of "courage," why would they waste their life complaining about the entire ecosystem instead of taking steps to improve it with bravery? If someone understands the meaning of "freedom," why would they embrace helplessness? The core issue is that all these qualities inspire us, but we remain imprisoned within our mental narratives to feel secure. Without realizing that even with these mental stories, the soul still craves "love," "compassion," "gratitude," "courage," "sacrifice," and "freedom," and that's why it cannot help but appreciate these attributes whenever it encounters them in their purest form.
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