Film: Inception

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I very much enjoyed watching Inception recently. The concept of the film is very intriguing as it proposes that we can infiltrate peoples’ dreams with ideas and convince them that the ideas are theirs. When said out loud it is hard to believe that this is possible – surely we all know what is our idea and what ideas we have picked up form others, don’t we? I have to admit here that it is not always clear: many of our ideas and actions are influenced by several people.

This is why advertising works. When faced with a new idea, in the correct package, we embrace it and buy in to it.  In the past we may have been able to trace our purchase to a particular iconic advert – Nescafe, and Boddingtons come to mind, but we now consume so much media that we can’t always remember where or when were presented with an idea. Human nature is social and we want to build relationships and feel we belong.  Allowing other people to plant ideas in our minds can help that process.  We do need to share our ideas and have them grow and evolve.

Maybe the only thing to take from this is to monitor what we watch and listen to. If we surround ourselves with negative input and half-truths then that will affect our view of life negatively.  If we surround ourselves with hardworking, engaged and forgiving people then our life would be very different from the previous scenario.

Another aspect of the film was about what we store in our unconscious, and how that has an impact on what we project onto the world. So, we think our unconscious is fully hidden but sometimes our behaviours say what is really going on underneath.  But how do ideas get into our unconscious?  Well that has been built up over time and through our life’s experiences.

Having watched the film I feel very aware of how fragile our mental health can be – and proud that I allowed myself to trust the film and go on the journey. I did not know how it would end but was very relieved by the ending. (It was completely absorbing and I don’t think it was because I was on a flight.)

At one point it transpires that one of the leading women enjoyed regular trips of fantasy which eventually lead to her losing her grip on reality.  This is not entirely surprising.

The movie also demonstrates: standing by your word, taking a leap of faith, and doing your best to hold on to your family. These are great values that we can all respect whilst recognising the challenges therein.

Another theme being explored in the movie is that of being haunted by your spouse after they’ve died or, you could say, struggling to put to rest the memory of a beloved spouse. It seems a theme Leonardo Di Caprio is keen to explore as it also underlies his other recent movie Shutter Island. Again issues of reality and fantasy are explored and we come to the thought that what is real depends on our perspective?

Have you seen the film Inception and how did you get on with it?

A new year – looking back and looking forward

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So here we are – 31st December 2010.  How has 2010 been for you?  For many of us it would have been filled with good and bad, things we can change and things we can’t.  Like many people I have achieved some things I desire but not others.   We may be the only people who truly know what we want to put in and get out of our life.

I come to the end of 2010 with great gratitude for the many things that have gone well.  I feel reasonably healthy and safe.  I have good relationships and the opportunity and potential to continue to develop my skills and talents in various areas.  I am really pleased I took the leap of faith to publish my first book, launching it in the U.K. and in the Caribbean.  In that respect I’ve felt the fear and done it anyway.

Individually we may have many hopes and fears for 2011.  Some things are within our power; others are not.   For me a new year is about maintaining what is working well and reducing what is not working.  I value my relationships and my health and will continue to do so.  I intend to take another leap and write and publish another book – more info in due course.  I intend to improve my practice around meditating, exercising and de-cluttering.  These areas impact my mind, body and spirit so they are important.

Have you had a chance to reflect on the passing year and consider what you would like more or less of in 2011?  What would you like to see/do/feel/experience?  Do let me know.

I also hope that leaders and those with power are able to have a positive impact on our lives.  Despite the various troubled spots in the world, people are generally peaceful and generous.

Peace and love to you and yours.  Happy New Year.

33 miners rescued in 20 hours! But can we give them space to recover?

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What lovely news to start this day! I was really hoping for a good ending.  So many times we are fed bad news but we are all energised by this positive story of hope and achievement in the face of adversity.  It’s an opportunity to celebrate pushing the bounds of human survival.  We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

From their first 17 days it is a tale of leadership and sharing when their only food was a spoon of tuna every 48 hours.  Lots of discipline and patience required so that they could collaborate for the good of all.   They created their very own motivator, counsellor and spiritual leader to help them cope physically, emotionally and spiritually.  It’s about the love of and for their families, friends and country that created this energising supportive cycle.  Of course there was also lots of hard work by highly skilled people who got the resources and political support they needed to carry out a top job.  (Somewhere in here is also the turning point for health and safety in mines in Chile, if not across the world.)

But that is the story so far.  It has all been miraculous and harmonious.  Now we come in.  How will we, through our media, start dividing the team as we offer different amounts of money to each depending on how interesting we find their story?  I imagine we don’t have the appetite for 33 stories but maybe 5 or 10?  How do we decide which human being is worth more?  Is it the youngest? Oldest? Union rep.? The new father? Etc.  It seems quite arbitrary and is a new game they need to figure out.  Yes this is a real human interest story and not something manufactured in a big house or jungle stay, so we are naturally curious.  But we could remember that they need space and time to recover from the trauma they have just experienced, and to rebuild relationships with their nearest and dearest.  Can we celebrate with them on their terms or have we got this insatiable appetite for all their news that must be fed now?

5 years looking for disagreements within the new coalition government?

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So here we are.  We have had an election and a very unusual outcome.  People who were fighting each other a few weeks ago are now working together.

How does that make us feel?  Are we pleased because it is the most sensible outcome given the voting results, and it attempts to include some of the best people from those available?  Or are we angry and disappointed because our party of choice has either become powerless or compromised?

I do wonder if some of us simply enjoy conflict – we need to know who disagrees with us to know what we believe.  Ideas are not always about good and evil or left and right.  Some practices may have complex outcomes on a variety of deserving groups and this forces us to explore issues on a deeper level, rather than simply supporting whatever our individual parties propose.

Personally I am impressed by the new leaders’ willingness to take a risk for the national interest.  Both personally and professionally they could gain a lot from this arrangement but they can also damage their parties and their political careers.  They are tasked with keeping their own teams motivated whilst being able to trust and rely on each other.  To achieve this they need great interpersonal skills, self awareness, judgment, flexibility amongst others.  Critically they will also face criticism from their own teams, the cabinet and the country at large.  As the previous administration found, it is no easy task to demonstrate confident strong leadership and be responsive to the range of interest groups who disagree with you.  Any organisation or family probably knows this too.

So are we waiting to rub our hands and say ..”I knew it would never work…” , or can we be hopeful for the sake of the country?  We could spend the next 5 years looking for points of disagreements and completely ignore where  there is consensus.  Is that how we are in our personal lives?

In some countries, both near and far, the hand over of power involves very undignified behaviour and sometimes violence. We have a lot to be to be grateful for.  What is your view?

Slumdog Millionaire

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Slumdog Millionaire

This is the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who eventually gets onto a ‘Who want to be a millionaire’ show.  The film shows his journey from childhood to getting onto the programme and it shows us how and why he knows the answers to those prize winning questions.

I was very moved by the film and eventually allowed a few tears to slowly roll down my cheeks.  The emotional journey was predictable and surprising at the same time.  It’s such a big story told in colour and conveying a great sense of the noise, smells, chaos and energy of the location.    It gives the audience a sense of the hustling, and associated risks, required to get anywhere.  What I hadn’t anticipated was the way in which despite all that they have against them they are not free to be visible as they embarrass the authorities by their simple existence. 

The lead characters need to figure out how to fight the system yet remain invisible and unthreatening.  From the outside it seems that they need creativity, hard work and some luck to make it to adulthood.  From the inside it must be a battle of hope and motivation to see through their reality and encourage the constant struggle.  Without this it would be easy to be overwhelmed by their circumstances and giving up on hope.

Of course this is true all over the world and the bigger the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ the more risks people will take to get their bit of the pie.   This reminds me of a famous rapper’s motto – “get rich or die trying”.  I now have a better understanding of why rappers (etc.) go on about where they come from because to become successful from such a start says a lot about determination, creativity and application of self.    

However our hero is not motivated by wealth or fame but love.  He met his love as a young man, recognised her as that, had the courage to seek her out when they lost touch, and then do what is necessary to secure their future.  He could not have done it without the help (and hindrance) of his brother.  In the end he loses a brother and gains a lover.   

In some ways it is a simple love story, boy meets girl, overcomes trials, they end up together and live happily ever after.  But the interesting characters, location, sense of hope over adversity, the juxtaposition of kindness and cruelty, presence of neglect and nurture makes it a captivating narrative that keeps you alert to everything on screen.  We in our ‘safe’ western environments need to absorb some of that ‘can do’ spirit when things are not perfect in our lives.  Like many of us, the hero does not look like a stereotypical hero, but action speaks louder than words and he walks the talk to make things happen. Encouraging, uplifting, informative, entertaining and a little sad.