Watched the movie Gravity yesterday. It triggered another one of those random thoughts which I couldn't resist penning down. Gravity unlike most other movies is not about super heroes or heroes who are super; neither about gadgets or villains but a 90 minute snippet about survival in the vastness of space! There is humour, there is charm, there is suspense, there is spirituality and there is a connect. It's hard to miss for those looking to read between the lines, that it's meant to be a slice of life depicting the resilience in the face of adversity.
Sandra Bullock's characterisation Dr. Ryan Stone is a grieving mother who is just drifting through life with little or no enthusiasm. George Clooney's characterisation Mission Commander Matt Kowalski, a veteran in the field, while still oozing charm inspite of the helmet :-), is like a guardian angel or as some would interpret, the inner resilience urging you to not give up! The whole movie draws on the metaphor for life's struggles and not letting go of the hope to survive - Gravity is that force which keeps you grounded and prevents you from just drifting on without a sense of direction!
Like many others, I have had my go at trying to unravel those overwhelming questions around life's purpose. In the process, I have dealt with those myriad losses and the disappointments over things not going my way by simply numbing the pain or finding an escape chute or even concluding that the grapes are sour! This movie for me therefore kindled a sense of enlightenment that 'Life' is not about finding a purpose. Purpose for me used to be a milestone or a destination. Life like what the wise have said is a journey, the meaning and the reason to go on is to experience those momentary joys and small achievements. All survival stories have taught us the same thing, that what one has to let go is the baggages and not the faith.
As Kowalski says in the movie, 'you have to live to tell the story'. The struggle to survive therefore takes a new meaning, the aftermath is therefore akin to a rebirth. Throughout the odyssey, resignation and hope play a tango, but to be reborn you have to take that leap of faith!!
'Landing is launching' Kowalski says and rightly so because when you find your feet grounded again, you are recharged and ready to take off again - Don't let go, get on with life!
