Someone once told me that as much
as people grumble about it, a routine is a form of security; it’s something you
come back to everyday in the midst of everything else that keeps changing. An
interesting perspective, but not good enough to break the monotony that comes
with a routine. A routine, by its nature, inevitably becomes mundane.
So how did I try to get over this?
Movies, movies and more movies. Of
course, I meant good movies; though the term ‘good’ is very relative. What is so magical about movies?
For me, and
for most of us, they offer respite from the drudgery of life. It’s probably
the only way of escaping situations and entering a surreal world which stems
from someone else’s imagination.
The best part about watching
movies is the end--when you’re so overwhelmed by a certain emotion or you’re
still lost in the feel of the movie. Whatever be the emotion, there is always
something you take away from every movie. Of course, not the ones for which
leaving your brain behind is a pre-requisite, but ones which provoke you to
think in a certain manner.
Speaking of escapism, one of the many movies which stayed with me for a long, long time was ‘Into The Wild’.
Directed by Sean Penn and based on Jon Krakauer’s
book, ‘Into The Wild’ is a must, must
watch (for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet). After watching it I hated myself for watching it a few years after it released.
I was astounded by Chris (Emile Hirsch), the
protagonist, who renounces the worldliness of life and sets out to Alaska to live off
everything that nature had to offer. For him, materialism was not obligatory.
Coming from a troubled home, this bright young man gives up his career and opportunities
to find solace in travelling and living in places which didn’t hold any
expectations or set benchmarks for him.
The movie has some breathtaking
visuals of nature. The cinematography is outstanding--it makes you want to slip into the screen that very moment. But on a deeper level,
this movie leaves you wondering how overrated life is. Most of the
situations we find ourselves in are self-created. If you come to think of it,
putting ourselves through these situations is discretionary. More often than
not, we choose to give in to pain and anguish. All you need to do is--let go.
I could just go on and on, but I’d
like to wrap up with a few amazing quotes from the movie:
“You
are wrong if you think that the joy of life comes principally from the joy of
human relationships. God’s place is all around us, it is in everything and in
anything we can experience. People just need to change the way they look at
things.”
“I
think careers are a 20th century invention and I don’t want one”
“The
freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up…”
