Friday, June 1, 2012

How the movies teach us about life

Have you ever wondered about your children and what they will remember from their years with you. I sometimes wonder about videos and whether we are in fact manipulating what they remember. I am an avid video recorder of special events and everyday moments but often it's a special moment captured and the before and after isn't remembered what led to that moment or what came after. I've recorded me and my child playing a game of barbies but was I ignoring her just prior to this footage or was someone in the house getting upset or was there an unhappy time as has happened. Can I manipulate my son's life to remember more of the good times and is that what we do each day with our children. Bear in mind it's 4am in the morning and I can't sleep as I write this in Australia.

I was fascinated with the character played by Sean Young in the Blade Runner. Harrison Ford's character was in love with her- she was an android. There was a sad scene where she realized that all of her memories of a happy childhood and a mother and father whom she loved were just manipulations processed through her android brain and created for her. It was such an improbable romance but Harrison's character found the weakness in her and the vulnerability and loved it. I loved the movie with Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke- Gattacca- for the same reason. He was a survivor in a world that had rid itself of much of the weakness that makes us human. I loved that she knew who he was but loved him anyway. I try to do that in my life but differentness is difficult in relationships and sometimes the dark or frail side of a person is the very thing that pushes you away. I know that if I can embrace that in my partner I will see more of the specialness of him.

Don't forget the Logan's Run premise. Michael Yorke's character lived the good life secure in the knowledge that he was one of the elite and had many years of enjoyment left. One day he visits the diary room and discovers that his time is up. The badge embedded in his hand at birth is now shining which means he's one of the hunted. His time is up. Then we see him gain a whole new perspective on how and why the others have chosen to run and hide. He discovers that he wants to live and chances everything because he now has nothing to lose in order to survive. We all wear that green badge on us and we think we have so much time but sometimes that little light goes off earlier than we expected it to. Or we do live a long life but it's still not enough time for what we wanted to achieve. I will find you the saying I read over and over in my twenties. It guided me in so much of what I chose to do. It talks about people trying to get things just right and waiting and hoping but not venturing. Until one day they wake up and they are sixty and it's too late to fullfill some of those dreams. How strange it is now to see that I am on my way to that magic number. Grab the opportunities people remember what Oprah says. It's not luck as people have often said to me about the great opportunities that I've made happen. It's about prepartation meets opportunity.   

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