Tag: Movies

The Boab Tree

November 8, 2016
Every Boab tree of Australia has it’s own unique identity.   To the Australian Aborigines, the Boab trees were landmarks, guide posts, food, shelter and medicine.   Only during the rainy season do these thousand year old seemingly lifeless trees, turn green, flower, and bear fruit.   The Boab Tree is often referred to as the Tree of Life!
Like the Boab Tree, every person on earth has unique identity, God given purpose in life, and a story to tell.  We are meant to flower and bear fruit!    We are meant to Love.
“If you’ve got no love in your heart, you’ve got nothing
no dreaming, no story, nothing”  - from movie 'Australia'
In the movie ‘Australia’ – pride, greed, and power came to the island and forever changed the face and identity of the people.  This new unwanted face was a misfit in society, no longer a part of the story.  While much of the nation turned a blind eye to the evil in their midst and remained silent, a few listened to their hearts, fought for truth, love, their identity, and the identity of their land.
Do you turn a blind eye?  Do you hear the cries for help and love?
 When we lose our identity we lose our story!   But there is hope.  You can find your identity if you listen to your heart and the voice of truth and love.  When you listen – you will find that you are loved!

Reflection

What do you do to make a difference in the world?   In what ways do you make the world a better place?

 

Action

  1. What character(s) would you consider an outcast (or misfit) in the movie Australia?  Explain why.
  2.  How would you describe the identity of Drover, Lady Sarah, Fletcher, or Nullah?  Choose one character to describe.
  3. Which identity are you the most like, and why?
  4. Which identity do you want to be more like?  What changes do you need to make to become more like that person?
  5. How did the above 4 characters make a difference in their world?
  6. List of all the ways you bring hope and encouragement to your families, friends, neighbors and land.

Interstellar

November 5, 2016
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.   President Kennedy inspired a nation to greatness with his mission to put man on the moon.  He inspired a nation to acquire an education in math and science, to look to the skies, and to dream beyond the visible.   Like Kennedy, does Christopher Nolan want to inspire our nation, our world, and our children to greatness – to discover that we are much more than our social status and our possessions?  It seems so.  Does art inspire us?  If so, how?  Art invites us to awaken from our slumber, discover the desires of our hearts, and transform the chaos and disorder of our lives – one small step at a time.
How does Nolan’s art transform and inspire hope in our culture?  The movie Interstellar awakens our senses through the use of images, music, emotions, relationships, and love; it invites us to get outside of ourselves and discover who we are meant to be.   The art of discovering who we are occurs when we encounter beauty in the ‘wound that strikes at the heart, and in this way our eyes are open”.
murphy-and-cooper
Wounded relationships are at the heart of Interstellar.   Cooper has many past wounds (both physical and spiritual) from the loss of his wife to the lack of trust in his instincts and intuitions; but the deepest physical and spiritual wound that pierces Cooper’s heart is his relationship with his daughter when he tells her goodbye.
When a heart is lukewarm it does not go on a journey to discover the truth.  Only a heart that is awake will go on a spiritual journey to overcome it shortcomings.  As Professor Brand stated, “Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, even if we can’t understand it”.
inter3
Nolan brilliantly uses real images of outer space to awaken our senses to the beauty of the universe, at a time when NASA seems all but forgotten. Personally, I found these images stunningly beautiful, perfectly ordered, and evidence of a higher power.  Viewing the images of outer space reminded me of my childhood, and the excitement I felt while witnessing Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon.
Have we lost our identity? Have we lost our hope in our nation, our neighbor, and in our families?  Have we forgotten how to dream?
As Cooper states, “We’ve always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible… moments when we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known. We count these moments as our proudest achievements. But we lost all that. Or perhaps we’ve just forgotten that we are still pioneers and we’ve barely begun.   Our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us, because our destiny lies above us.”
Interstellar invites us to stop looking at the dirt and look up!
Let us remember who we are!

Reflection:

Who do you want to be?  Are you that person?  What do you need to change to become the person you want to be?  

Action:

  1. In your journal, describe the person you want to BE!
  2. Make a list of the things you’d like to do (and don’t like to do) in life.   Are these things aligned with the person you want to be?
  3.  To be the person you want to be, what changes would you need to make to your list? Re-rank your list.