Thursday, September 27, 2012

Good Will Hunting

Sean Maguire to Will Hunting in one the best lines from the movie Good Will Hunting; Sean hits back at Will's reluctance and arrogance, and Will begins taking Sean seriously and opens up.

You're just a kid, you don't have the faintest idea what you're talkin' about.

It's all right. You've never been out of Boston.

So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that.

If I ask you about women, you'd probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid.
And I'd ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, "once more unto the breach dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help.

I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell.

And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn't know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes, that the terms "visiting hours" don't apply to you. You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself.

And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much. And look at you... I don't see an intelligent, confident man... I see a cocky, scared shitless kid.

But you're a genius Will. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you. But you presume to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine, and you ripped my fuckin life apart. You're an orphan right?

You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally... I don't give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some fuckin' book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don't want to do that do you sport? You're terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Live life

Walk in the rain,
jump in mud puddles,
collect rocks,
rainbows and roses,
smell flowers,
blow bubbles,
stop along the way,
build sandcastles,
say hello to everyone,
go barefoot,
go on adventures,
act silly,
fly kites,
have a merry heart,
talk with animals,
sing in the shower,
read childrens' books,
take bubble baths,
get new sneakers,
hold hands and hug and kiss,
dance,
laugh and cry for the health of it,
wonder and wander around,
feel happy and precious and innocent,
feel scared,
feel sad,
feel mad,
give up worry and guilt and shame,
say yes,
say no,
say the magic words,
ask lots of questions,
ride bicycles,
draw and paint,
see things differently,
fall down and get up again,
look at the sky,
watch the sun rise and sun set,
watch clouds and name their shapes,
watch the moon and stars come out,
trust the universe,
stay up late,
climb trees,
daydream,
do nothing and do it very well,
learn new stuff,
be excited about everything,
be a clown,
enjoy having a body,
listen to music,
find out how things work,
make up new rules,
tell stories,
save the world,
make friends with the other kids on the block,
and do anything else that brings more
happiness,
celebration,
health,
love,
joy,
creativity,
pleasure,
abundance,
grace,
self-esteem,
courage,
balance,
spontaneity,
passion,
beauty,
peace,
relaxation,
communication and
life energy to...
all living beings on this planet.
- Bruce Williamson

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Republic Day Parade

I saw the Indian Republic Day Parade after a couple of decades today. I had nothing else to watch this morning on TV, and it seemed to be the best of the rest. I was surprised by the quality of the presentation; I'm impressed, maybe, because I'm comparing with what used to happen 20 years back, or maybe I've very little expectation from an Indian presentation. 

But honestly, the amount of effort and hard work that has gone into it is commendable. It must be made compulsory viewing in school, because it is educative, besides being one of the things that could stoke your passion for your country. 

In terms of structure and content, it has enough diversity and depth. There are the different contingents and battalions of our armed forces, there are ministries, states, and institutions. When the armed forces' contingents are introduced with how many awards they've been given, how many generals they've given to the country, what's their motto, tagline, music band. And each state and ministry presents a certain theme highlighting their features and strengths. You can't but help feel proud of India, and we being Indians.