Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Pi, Love and God

A and I have been wanting to watch Life of Pi for a while. But our own lives kept getting in the way, until we finally got a chance yesterday. She paid a ridiculous amount to get us two tickets, two 3D glasses and a large drink (now I remember why I download movies). 3D glasses were a good investment though - some of the trailers looked quite interesting! Except, I don't have a whole lot of money, so I might need to convince some rich friend to take me. :P

I loved several concepts in the film. Pi was getting bullied at school for his name, so he did something about it, and made sure it was pretty damn creative! And then there was his honesty with finding God. When he knew what the church said about Jesus, he said something like, it made no sense for God to send His innocent son to take away the sins of the people who actually committed a crime, but the more I got to know this son, the more I loved him. It perfectly portrays how I feel about the concept as I know it to be. Flawed logic, but the character of Jesus is very loveable. I also liked what his father said about faith - he said he would prefer Pi to follow something he did not approve of, given that Pi chooses the path himself. Following 3 religions at once is like following none at all. The first tool to use is reason, then he can choose a path, instead of following something blindly. I liked that concept because a lot of people categorise all religions under the one banner, which leads to meshing of concepts within them, even if they are contradictory to each other. It is also encouraged from the idea that we must accept all people as they are. But its important to remember that accepting a person is different from accepting a "concept".

When he was getting away from the floating island, he said something that struck me hard. I tried to find the quote and failed, so lets just go with my memory. He said something about God's plan being greater. Even when it seems that there is no hope, it is actually for the best, and you don't see it until much later. When he became exhausted from travelling, God gave him rest, then showed him the way. And he was thankful for it. This concept is something that is ingrained in us as Muslims. As we travel through life, we face storms that make us think we can't get through, then we try our best, as well as pray to be saved from it. We know, in our hearts, that everything happens for the best. And with hardship, comes ease. And that everything is supposed to make us grateful servants of God.

I also loved the concept of having two different choices of a story. You can look at one situation in many different ways, its just about your perspective which can show you or hide from you God's part in it. The cinematography was great right from the beginning, music was chosen well. It really does remind you of the colours of life and the depth of its discovery. It's one of those films that I would not mind watching again. I actually want to read the book. I have a feeling the author did a great job of allowing us to explore our imagination.

In other news, I have also been watching White Collars. My friend lent it to me on a USB, which was not a good idea, because, at least when something is on the internet, it takes time to load, after which, you often don't feel like watching it. (Actually, that's a lie. I would still watch it.) I finished the first season, and while there were several things I didn't like about it, like, horrible acting from some characters, I loved the plot of most episodes. Its the story of a top notch fraud criminal turning into a consultant for the FBI agent (Peter) who catches him. (Reminded me about Catch Me If You Can - one of my favourite movies!) The season shows a great relationship between Peter and his wife, Elizabeth. They are very secure about each other, they have fun, share their interests and make time for each other, even though they have been married for 10 years. Anyway, in the whole season, the main character was trying to find a girl that he loves. And in the end, when he did find her, he asks Elizabeth how she knew Peter was the one. She said, "I think there is a difference between loving the idea of someone and loving who they really are."

Its a pity that life is often filled with people who are just "ideas" to us. How do you really know who someone is, until you take that leap of faith? Or do you not take a leap of faith before you are really sure about who the person is? But then, how can you ever be sure?

I don't think we can ever be sure. That's why, there is a concept in Islam called Tawaqqul - reliance on God. You try your best in something, then you rely on Him for results, and you believe with every bit of certainty that whatever the result is, it is best for you. I get scared about the first part - trying my best. I have tried my absolute best in very few occasions, because I am terrified of getting hurt by failure. At least when you don't try and fail, it doesn't hurt much. But I know how ridiculous this thought process is. If you continue to think in such a way your entire life, you will never try in anything, then get to the end of it and realise how short that time was and how much you've potentially missed out on.

Little Z is growing up, and as she grows, I can feel my love for her in my heart. She does many things that would annoy the heck out of me if it was any other baby - like sucking on my phone till drool seeps out of it long after she leaves it alone, crying for reasons that are unknown to me, pooping when I am about to take her out, scratching and punching me with such surprising force for such tiny nails and limbs. But I still love her. And I can imagine how much more A loves her. And God loves His creation more than a mother loves her child. So, even if we think we've screwed up our lives pretty badly, we just need to have hope in Him and keep asking Him to show us better days, for what we need and want.

“If you stumble about believability, what are you living for? Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?”

No comments:

Post a Comment