Fireproof 2008

 I actually loved this movie. Everything was perfect. Yes there is religion in it and it plays an important part. It might put off some people but even if you keep that aside it makes a good movie. It was pleasant to see friendly supporting people all around. The movies also shows people who gossip/cheat so it does cover both sides of the coin but it does it nicely. The movie also shows it is not easy and we need to put in the effort to be good and there will be lot of things which will takes back to our old life. If we persevere that's when we see there is whole new life out there.

The world has always been selling there is nothing wrong in being promiscuous, lusting on something and it has materialized life. We are o used to that and feel everything is ok and nothing is wrong. But material things never brings happiness and sometimes it might be too late before we realize it.

We need more such movies which are pleasant to watch.

Silence - 2016

I am not a big fan of Martin Scorsese but I have watched his movies and some of them I have even enjoyed to certain extent. When I learnt about this movie recently I remembered his previous outing "The Last Temptation of Christ". That movie again had the same effect, it was not a great one but it was good. I have also read about his past with priesthood.

Coming to Silence I thoroughly loved this movie. It connect with me in so many levels. It is one of the most brutal movies I have seen. There were times when I had to close my eyes, it was so brutal.

It has a drama feel and sometimes I felt Andrew Garfield was a misfit but I forgot all about that after an hour into the movie. Yes it is a very long movie and you need lot of patience. I do not think it is also an easy movie to act.

I can also relate to this movie as similar things happens all over the world and in India it is in rising trend nowadays.

For me the movie had two levels. The first one is about God and other one is about us the humans.

One the first level, it asks important questions about existence of God, does God answer our prayers, what about the difficult times when silence was the answer to our prayers. Infact silence is the answer most of the times. We do not get what we ask for. While there was so many answers provided for not getting what we ask for in prayers it is still difficult why God would let down someone who is standing for his faith on him.

On the second level, we as human beings can be so brutal when someone disagrees with us even on a matter like God where it is difficult to prove materialistically his existence. They fight for a concept and torture someone who does not agree with the concept. They even go to the extent of mass murdering people without slightest hint of emotions.

The character who repeats the sin and comes back for confession every time also reminds us of ourselves.

Such movies while it helps you to hold on to your faith also can make you depressed about humanity of lack of humanity.

Definitely I thank Scorsese for making this movie and it will be an important movie in my journey of faith.

Does God Control our Life?

 

Knowing - The Movie

Not sure how I missed this movie. This move actually gives the kind of dread about the D-Day which certain D-Day movies fail to create. 

This is not the usual disaster movie and the way it links biblical prophecy makes it a little more scary when it is visualized. The visualization of the prophecy of Ezekiel made a good impact which I couldn't feel when I actually read it in Bible.

I was able to relate to the movie more as it touches upon the question which goes through in my mind every day. Is the world run by determinism or randomness? I know no one could give the answer and movie also doesn't try to.

The movie makes us feel how the "end of days" can arrive. I was reminded of the Australian movie "These final days". That movie comes closer to this movie in terms of the impact it creates about the last moments.

This movie is scary because it just reasserts the fact how vulnerable we are while we keep planning for our tomorrows which may never come.

The special effects were really great.

Deux jours, une nuit

 

"Two days, one night"

After a long time, chanced upon a great movie "Deux jours, une nuit ". The movie shows that life is not that easy. We may have to make some difficult choices. But what is your priority while making those choices? The ending of the movie establishes this beautifully. It shows what empathy is, integrity is, humanity is, GOD is.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - I Corinthians 13:13

Religion

 As I grew up religion played a major role. We used to attend church every Sunday. As a kid I used to attend Sunday school. Even when we moved from Saidapet to Meenambakkam we continued that. There were so many tough depressing times I had to go through and religion helped me to get through by providing hope that GOD can get me through any situations. What would have happened if I had grown up without religion? Maybe something else would have played the supporting role but in current state it was religion. I hope you can relate that by religion I mean GOD. 

As I grew lot of questions started troubling me. Some of them are what is the purpose of life? What is the role of GOD in it? What is time? How did we come here? What happens after death?. Its an endless list of question.

Religion does not provide answer for all the questions or we can say does not provide convincing answers. After a point we just have to go with faith.

Rajinikanth once told that religion is like a footwear which protects our feet in the most difficult road called life. You can also walk with footwear but with religion you can do it with lesser pain.

When we remove GOD from the equation there remains only fear and panic. When we realise there is nothing to this life and we are here because of an accident it is more morbid.

But as we age belief of religion comes down but I guess we near old age the belief on religion will come back.

Success

What would someone consider as success in a persons life? When can someone say that the person has lived a successful life? What is success? Is it all about money or is it much more than that?

We call anyone who has earned more wealth as a successful person. Is that success all about? There are people who had more money but now they don't. So does it mean that success is all about earning more wealth and sustaining it? There are people with more wealth but tarnished name should we consider them in successful list?

Does GOD also play a role in defining success? There is someone who has earned more when he is 21 than anyone who is 60 but dies at 22. Will we call him a success? There is someone who has earned just enough wealth but lived till 80 and has seen granddaughters/grandsons children, should we call them success? A child who loses his parent young grows up to be a wealthy person is he successful or a child who cherishes his parents love and lives to see their parents complete their life can be called successful?

Is it all about to each his own?

A man who is not affected by how people define him but rather knows himself, should we call him a successful man? A man who lives in constant fear on how people define him but has more than enough wealth should we call him a success?

A person  who only has enough money for next meal but spends most of his wealth for others should we call him a success?

If we look at the broader picture of life it is very short. The life which seemed like a long one while we were kid looks like a very short one by the time we grow up. As we grow up we realise time is infact running faster than we thought. School years which seemed long now passes by very swiftly in a blink of an eye.

Looks like in the long run nothing really matters. Ecclesiastes in the Bible also laments about this but in the end everything is and illusion. I think only if we are given that chance to understand GODs purpose we will be have answers to some of the queries.

Sometimes

The Bible says

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 

Psalms 91:7

Sometimes in reality the following does happen and you just wonder how to apply Psalms 91:7 for the situation you are in.

A thousand may flourish and stand at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will come only to you. 

How true !

Ecclesiastes 7

21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say;

otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you.

22 For you know in your own heart

that you also have cursed others many times.

Gone Too Soon

One person dies in full vigor,

    completely secure and at ease,

well nourished in body,

    bones rich with marrow.

       Another dies in bitterness of soul,

    never having enjoyed anything good.

Side by side they lie in the dust,

    and worms cover them both

Job 21:23-26

Gone Too Soon - Something I wrote not too long ago reflects the same thoughts from the Bible

Every time when we are cribbing that everyone else other than us is more blessed than we are, we hear a news which highlights the suffering other people are undergoing.

Today I heard of another news where another friend of me passed away when she is not supposed to. It is just that when we see such things happening around us it reminds us how futile this life is but how much we hold this life dear to us. When we look at it with birds eye or through GODs eyes every ones life will look so insignificant in the vast timescale of this earth. But to each their life is the only life they get and it is their only and last chance. Though we know all the philosophy surrounding life it is always difficult to accept death when it happens. 

Throughout

I notice that many things have changed in my life. If I look at my life from my childhood till what I am now I can see I have changed, the world around me have changed, the people around me have changed. But I can see couple of things haven't changed. One is feeling the presence of GOD and second is feeling the presence of Satan. Though they are two extremes I can feel they come hand in hand with me. I can exhibit Satan sometimes and the same me can exhibit GOD sometimes.

In His Time

Isaiah 40:30-33 

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Why Me?

Something I read in an Orkut forum I am reproducing here. Many times we ask GOD why me when things goes wrong continue reading ..

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS.

From the world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed : "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?

To this Arthur Ashe replied:

The world over --5 crore children start playing tennis,
50 lakh learn to play tennis,
5 lakh learn professional tennis,
50,000 come to the circuit,
5000 reach the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbeldon,
4 to semi final,
2 to the finals,
When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?".

And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"
Happiness keeps u Sweet,
Trials keep u Strong,
Sorrow keeps u Human ,
Failure Keeps u Humble,
Success keeps u Glowing,
But only God Keeps u Going.