Media
Last night we watched Hum Aapke Hain Koun with the Cooks, all 206 minutes of it.
Earlier that day I had gone to the library to drop off Elisabeth's books which were due. Suffering through this onerous task, I managed to get home with only three books checked out--these having to do with the Gilbreth family.
In the movie, people prayed. Naturally. No big deal. The gods are part of the plot, answering prayers and giving guidance. In the books and the movie, family is immensely important. In HAHK, a young couple in love is willing to be separated and heart-broken because they believe that their duty to their family lies in following that path. In the story of the Gilbreth family, the children know that money is a worry to their mother, so they forego even their usual pleasures and spend only half of what she had budgeted for them. They look out for her and she for them, all striving to grow and help one another.
Then you turn on the television or open a newspaper. Thousands killed by nature, dozens and hundreds by man. Hatred streams across in politics, lawsuits, and violence. Ignorance and immaturity rules sit-coms and celebrities, everything pointing to sex and self-gratifying relationships. You get to take a break from these by pithy attacks of commercialism. Want, need, must have.
I am sure my own frustration with "the current age" is by no means unique, but it needed someplace to go.
With all the "I want"s around, I want to want less. I want a better example of behavior for everyone (including me) to follow. I want another thing, too, but that's already come as it's time to leave work and go home to my dearest husband.
Earlier that day I had gone to the library to drop off Elisabeth's books which were due. Suffering through this onerous task, I managed to get home with only three books checked out--these having to do with the Gilbreth family.
In the movie, people prayed. Naturally. No big deal. The gods are part of the plot, answering prayers and giving guidance. In the books and the movie, family is immensely important. In HAHK, a young couple in love is willing to be separated and heart-broken because they believe that their duty to their family lies in following that path. In the story of the Gilbreth family, the children know that money is a worry to their mother, so they forego even their usual pleasures and spend only half of what she had budgeted for them. They look out for her and she for them, all striving to grow and help one another.
Then you turn on the television or open a newspaper. Thousands killed by nature, dozens and hundreds by man. Hatred streams across in politics, lawsuits, and violence. Ignorance and immaturity rules sit-coms and celebrities, everything pointing to sex and self-gratifying relationships. You get to take a break from these by pithy attacks of commercialism. Want, need, must have.
I am sure my own frustration with "the current age" is by no means unique, but it needed someplace to go.
With all the "I want"s around, I want to want less. I want a better example of behavior for everyone (including me) to follow. I want another thing, too, but that's already come as it's time to leave work and go home to my dearest husband.
posted by magda at 2:36 PM
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