A friend recommended Hindi movies to me, by name. I never got around to watching them, but when I went to visit him and his family for a weekend, he showed me a lot of them. It was a Bollywood weekend.
I won't give a comprehensive list, but I will list these: 3 Idiots, OMG: Oh My God, Secret Superstar, Taare Zameen Par, and PK.
I have rarely met more powerful movies. Movies geared to improve their society. Movies that made me laugh and cry. Movies that left me satisfied and spiritually improved. Movies that made me think about God and life.
As I was pulled into the rich Indian (India, for anyone confused) culture, I could see that we are all one in God's eyes. Korean, Chinese, Indian, European, all manner of colors/cultures/nationalities in the Americas, and all the other countries. All points on this planet: South, North, East, West and all points in between. We are all one under God.
There are no real labels. The only differences are the ones we make. And our meanness and self-righteousness, and our fighting and killing of each other is stupid. Our hurting of those of our own belief system or of those we deem our enemies is ridiculous.
We have common ancestors. We are all one flesh, created by the same God-one who we think we know, but we do not.
We have been tricked and deceived into thinking we are better than or less than others. We have been led astray by our beliefs that our own religion is the one true way, and others cannot be right, that others cannot be saved by God unless they believe our way and perform our rites and ordinances.
Perhaps we should stop being afraid of being wrong.
Perhaps we should stop being convinced that our version of God is the right one, and learn about other people's versions.
And, also, take the question to heaven: Who are you, God? What are you?
Explore whether or not it's safe to trust this God you don't know.
Maybe we don't know everything.
Maybe we don't have a corner on the market in Truth.
Maybe it's okay to be wrong.
Maybe it's okay to open our hearts to those who believe differently.
Maybe, just maybe, it's okay to love.
Even if you believe differently than me.
Even if we speak vastly different languages.
Even if we look differently or dress differently.
Maybe you have a richness I can learn from, can be enriched by.
Maybe the reverse is true, and I can give you richness of life and learning.
Can we love?
Are we willing to love?
To at least try?
Can we be one - not in culture, but in acceptance and peace, throwing down our weapons of war (including using our mouths and keyboards peacefully)?
I'd love to end this with a one-line zinger. Something worthy of a meme. Something that sticks in the mind forever. I don't have such a thing, though. I just have a little better understanding of "oneness" after watching movies created in a culture different from the one I grew up in and am presently living in.
Be one. I don't think it means what you think it means.
Love. I don't think it means what you think it means.
Showing posts with label society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label society. Show all posts
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Friday, October 4, 2019
God - Part 3
Quote:
What's this Hindu? Muslim? [And I might add Christian and other religions, including all of their factions, sects, and subsets.] Show me the label [the label God put on you at birth]. You created these differences, not God.
This is the deadliest wrong number of the planet. It kills people, separates them.
PK from the Hindi movie "PK".
What's this Hindu? Muslim? [And I might add Christian and other religions, including all of their factions, sects, and subsets.] Show me the label [the label God put on you at birth]. You created these differences, not God.
This is the deadliest wrong number of the planet. It kills people, separates them.
PK from the Hindi movie "PK".
Thursday, October 3, 2019
God - Part 2
Quote
PK - My right number is simple: Believe in the God who created us. And the God you created should be abolished.
Tapasavi Maharaj [believing his God is the God who created us]: You'll abolish my God and I'll keep quiet? I know how to protect my God!
PK [stepping into TM's belief system]: You will protect God? You! This is a puny planet. Billions of bigger planets float in space. And you, sitting in a tiny corner of this puny planet have the nerve to say that you will protect Him, the Creator of the Universe! He doesn't need your protection. He can protect himself.
Today, someone tried to protect their God, and my friend died. This is all that's left: his shoe. Stop protecting God, or else this planet will have no humans, only shoes.
From the Hindi movie "PK".
PK - My right number is simple: Believe in the God who created us. And the God you created should be abolished.
Tapasavi Maharaj [believing his God is the God who created us]: You'll abolish my God and I'll keep quiet? I know how to protect my God!
PK [stepping into TM's belief system]: You will protect God? You! This is a puny planet. Billions of bigger planets float in space. And you, sitting in a tiny corner of this puny planet have the nerve to say that you will protect Him, the Creator of the Universe! He doesn't need your protection. He can protect himself.
Today, someone tried to protect their God, and my friend died. This is all that's left: his shoe. Stop protecting God, or else this planet will have no humans, only shoes.
From the Hindi movie "PK".
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
God - Part 1
Quote:
I agree that believing in God gives hope, the strength to face ordeals.
But I have one question, "Which God should I believe in?"
You say there is one God.
I say, No. There are two Gods. One who created us - and the other, whom you created.
We know nothing about the God who made us. But the God you made up is just like you: Petty. Takes bribes. Makes false promises. Readily meets the rich, keeps the poor waiting. Thrives on flattery. Makes you live in fear.
My right number is simple. Believe in the God who created us.
And the God you created should be abolished.
PK, in the Hindi movie, "PK".
I agree that believing in God gives hope, the strength to face ordeals.
But I have one question, "Which God should I believe in?"
You say there is one God.
I say, No. There are two Gods. One who created us - and the other, whom you created.
We know nothing about the God who made us. But the God you made up is just like you: Petty. Takes bribes. Makes false promises. Readily meets the rich, keeps the poor waiting. Thrives on flattery. Makes you live in fear.
My right number is simple. Believe in the God who created us.
And the God you created should be abolished.
PK, in the Hindi movie, "PK".
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Do You Know Whether the Wether is Under the Weather Today?
On the internet I've come across some interesting spellings, that just happen to be real words. Okay, they are painful spellings.
"I don't know weather he did it or not." "The whether is nice today." "The wether is nice today." Of course that last sentence makes a bit of sense, but to say, "The wether is sunny today," might draw a blank stare from those who know that a wether is a castrated male sheep.
The worst (or best, depending on your point of view) examples are found in YouTube comments. Most of the comments are swear words and vulgar comments, with a great many painful (or creative, if it pleases you to look at it that way) spellings of words. YouTube seems to draw a great many people of low intelligence (I am not talking about ability to spell in this instance, I am talking about inability to hold a decent conversation, to think clearly, and to have basic good manners (politeness, tact, kindness). If this is an honest representation of the bulk of our society, heaven cannot help us. We are firmly on our way to self-destruction.
Thesaurus dot com draws an audience only slightly better. I could not believe it when I read comments on the posts Thesaurus/Dictionary dot com has. Could most of those people who commented even be intelligent enough to understand the article they were supposed to have just read? I won't demean the authors of the comments to bring you examples, but the articles were written to appeal to people who would understand the articles. Clearly, that does not happen upwards of eighty percent of the time.
"I don't know weather he did it or not." "The whether is nice today." "The wether is nice today." Of course that last sentence makes a bit of sense, but to say, "The wether is sunny today," might draw a blank stare from those who know that a wether is a castrated male sheep.
The worst (or best, depending on your point of view) examples are found in YouTube comments. Most of the comments are swear words and vulgar comments, with a great many painful (or creative, if it pleases you to look at it that way) spellings of words. YouTube seems to draw a great many people of low intelligence (I am not talking about ability to spell in this instance, I am talking about inability to hold a decent conversation, to think clearly, and to have basic good manners (politeness, tact, kindness). If this is an honest representation of the bulk of our society, heaven cannot help us. We are firmly on our way to self-destruction.
Thesaurus dot com draws an audience only slightly better. I could not believe it when I read comments on the posts Thesaurus/Dictionary dot com has. Could most of those people who commented even be intelligent enough to understand the article they were supposed to have just read? I won't demean the authors of the comments to bring you examples, but the articles were written to appeal to people who would understand the articles. Clearly, that does not happen upwards of eighty percent of the time.
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