I watched the film ‘Titanic’ last night for the first time in years. I’d forgotten how much of a powerful movie that is. I think those kind of films bring home the fragility and uncertainty of this physical realm, and can force us to rethink our values. The falling bodies toward the end reminded me of September 11th.
‘Alive’ is another such movie – the one about the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashes in the middle of the Andes. I’d recommend Alive to anyone who hasn’t yet seen it. The bloke at the start of the movie says they quite literally "meet God", as they’d been stripped of all worldly resources and hope. Their consciousness had been forced upon another level, so to speak. It’s a true story, authentically portrayed, according to the book.
One of the most moving scenes to me in Titanic, incidentally, is when the ship is going down, and those two old folk cuddle in bed. In a way had surrendered. I believe that it’s well within the human potential to find a sense of inner peace and acceptance, regardless of our situations. I believe that if I’d have been on that ship, I’d have had a brandy like that one bloke, but I wouldn’t have been so scared. (A quick ticket Home is nothing to be scared of.)
I also found the words from the man who had been searching for the expensive diamond interesting. He’s the one who had been exploring the shipwreck for years with monetary gain in mind. He met the old lady who had experienced first hand the sinking of the ship, and after sharing her testimony, he was forced to think differently about it. "Three years I’ve been searching Titanic. But I never got it. I never let it in.", he said on reflection.
How much do we really "let it in"? How much are we in touch with our heart as we live this life? Sometimes it takes tragedy to shift our perception. It can force us to look at life differently - from the point of view of the heart. "And my heart will go on" is the title track of that movie, which I think is apt.