The Matrix (film 1999)/ Parallel Worlds - Michio Kaku

Last night,  I watched 'The Matrix' on TV -  for the second time in my life (so far). I remember that when I watched it for the first time (when it was realesed 14 years ago or some time after that)  I was not impressed. Somehow it did not appeal to me, and it seemed just silly. I do not think I even concentrated on it much (do not remember whether it was in a cinema or a video at home). And as I didn't think much of it then, I never intended to watch the sequels 'The Matrix Reloaded' and 'The Matrix Revolutions'.

Well, over the years my views and interests obviously have changed. I have watched quite a number of different scientific series about the Universe/space and physics, as well as read a few books regarding space, science, quantum physics etc. They are all intended for general public, hence,  made easier to understand by individuals like myself (with a very limited knowledge of maths and sciences).

I must say this time round, I fairly enjoyed the film, and I am going to get hold of the sequels. In the film, humanity is mentally living in a simulation world called 'The Matrix', while in fact they never actually move from one place, their bodies being attached to tubes, providing energy = acting as batteries to intelligent machines. Humans are completely unaware of the situation, and live their entire lives within the program (The Matrix). The main character, Neo, gets awaken, gets disconnected from the tubes and set free. He is made aware of the situation and joins the rebellion against the machines.  There are a lot of references to 'Alice in Wonderland' (Alice, in my opinion, is a fenomenal story), suggesting the questions: What is real? What is reality and what a dream?

That reminds me a lot of the famous 'Butterfly Dream' of a chinese phylosopher (Chuang Tzu). Chuang Tzu once had a dream, in which he was a butterfly, and when he awoke he was Chuang Tzu again, so then he started wondering whether he was a human dreaming that he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming that he was a human. Something along those lines anyway.

Also,  Plato's 'allegory of the cave' where the prisoners, who (their whole lives) see only shadows on the wall (shadows of the real word), would grow to believe that the shadows are the reality.

What is reality? What is truly real? - Who could possibly answer this question for sure?

In the book 'Parallel Worlds', which I read about 2 years ago, Michio Kaku - a leading world scientist -  touches a lot of subjects that are absolutely mind blowing. He introduces the reader into the idea of parallel universes (in one of the theories parallel universes are different realities in which everytime a person makes a decision a new universe is created with the opposite decision being taken), quantum physics (where pretty much anything is possible),  types of civilizations that might be able to harness the energy of the sun and stars or even galaxies, travel through warmholes and use blackholes, and not only live on other planets in distant worlds but also move to other dimentions,  and much more. According to quantum physics: observation determines existence, therefore, nothing really exists until it is observed by someone. Like I said - science of alternative universes, and science of the very small (so called quantum physics) are truly mind blowing.  It is really an awesome book, in my opinion, and I am going to read it again at some point. The reason why this book comes to my mind, in reference to the above film, is because 'The Matrix' is used as an example of living in a simulated reality.
I have also read  Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow  'The Grand Design' in which the authors touch the same subjects and try to answer 'the ultimate questions of life'. In the book, there are chapters titled: 'What is Reality?, 'Alternative Histories', 'Choosing Our Universe' that talk about what reality is, and if we really have free will. I have read the book a while back therefore will need to read it again to reflect on it a bit more. Luckily, I have both S.Hawking's and M.Kaku's books on my book shelf so can re-visit them any time.

Anyway, going back to 'The Matrix' and Michio Kaku, here is an extract of an interview with Michio Kaku, that I found on KurzweilAl.net (2003):

"Is there any possibility, similar to the premise of The Matrix, that we are living in a simulation?Well, philosophically speaking, it’s always possible that the universe is a dream, and it’s always possible that our conversation with our friends is a by-product of the pickle that we had last night that upset our stomach. However, science is based upon reproducible evidence. When we go to sleep and we wake up the next day, we usually wind up in the same universe. It is reproducible. No matter how we try to avoid certain unpleasant situations, they come back to us. That is reproducible. So reality, as we commonly believe it to exist, is a reproducible experiment, it’s a reproducible sensation. Therefore in principle, you could never rule out the fact that the world could be a dream, but the fact of the matter is, the universe as it exists is a reproducible universe.  Now, in the Matrix, a computer simulation was run so that virtual reality became reproducible. Every time you woke up, you woke up in that same virtual reality. That technology, of course, does not violate the laws of physics. There’s nothing in relativity or the quantum theory that says that the Matrix is not possible. However, the amount of computer power necessary to drive the universe and the technology necessary for a neural implant is centuries to millennia beyond anything that we can conceive of, and therefore this is something for an advanced Type I or II civilization."

Che (2008 film) / Benicio del Toro

 

Just finished watching 'Che' - both parts: 'The Argentinian' and 'Guerilla' - with Benicio del Toro as Che. The first part of the film is based on Che's diaries about Cuban Revolution. It starts pretty much from the moment of landing in Cuba and finishes when the revolutionaries succesfully take over Cuba and Che is on his way to Havana. The second part is based on Che's diaries from Bolivia. Both parts concentrate on Che - guerilla, just that (with a post-revolution interview with Che and some of his speeches in the United Nations in part 1). Having read his biography I know there is just so much of his story missing in between the two parts - his international political involvement and his work in post-revolution Cuba, as well as his campaign in Congo, and much more. Nevertheless, the film is quite powerful. It feels like a documentary. Slow - it is not buiding up like all those action films. Yet, powerful. I felt like crying at the end.

Benicio del Toro is great in here, as he always is.

The Mission (film 1986)/ Robert De Niro

I just re-visited one of my favourite films - The Mission. It is such a moving story. It is based on real events that occurred in South America in 1750 after the Treaty of Madrid (1750) - in which it was agreed that some lands that belonged to Spain were to be given to Portugal. Jesuits (who set up missions in that territory) and their missions were under the protection of Spain till then, however Portugese (who were to take over the territory) being very much in favour of slavery wanted the Jesuits out (to be able to rule, meaning abuse and enslave, the Indians). As Jesuits refused to abandon the Missions, they were slaughtered together with the Indians, some of them fought against the Portugese (and were killed of course). The moments of fight and the slaughter at the end of the film always make me cry. The  beautiful music of Ennio Morriccone is very strongly emphasizing the sadness, and contrasts with the brutality of the act of murder. The feeling of injustice is overwhelming.

I remember the first time when I saw this film in the cinema, I was only a teenager, and I cried profusely, not being able to forget the film for many days afterwards.

My favourite character in the story is Rodrigo Mendoza - former mercenary, Indian-hunter, slave-trader, murderer of his own brother, who, with the spiritual guidance of the Jesuits, repented and imposed on himself a severe punishment by painfull dragging/carrying a huge pack of metal armour through a river, through a jungle and up the mountains to an Indian village, which was in fact the most remote mission. The package must have represtented the heaviness of his sins. As he reached the most remote Indian/Jesuit establishment, the Indians cut off the rope around his chest (at which end was the heavy package with armour) setting him free from his burden. He was forgiven. He cried like a baby from happiness and relief. In my opinion this was the most beautiful scene in the whole film.

He became a real friend of the Indians, and later on was accepted and ordained as a Jesuit. In the end, he died fighting for the mission, againt the Portugese.

Rodrigo was played by Robert De Niro. To me, De Niro is  a wonderful actor. 'Taxi Driver', 'The Deer Hunter', 'Once upon a time in America', 'Sleepers' to name just a few of his really good films. I cannot stand him, however, in those idiotic comedies of late 90's and recent ones like: 'Meet the Parents', 'Meet the Fockers', 'Analyze This' and so on (bleeee, just no). But that is just my personal opinion.

I am sure I will watch 'The Mission' again and again, as I do with films that I really like.

A quote from the end of the film:
(Altamirano in his report to the Pope) "So your Holiness, now your priests are dead, and I am left alive. But in truth it is I who am dead, and they who live. For as always, your Holiness, the spirit of the dead will survive in the memory of the living."
 

The Story of Che Guevara

 I decided to find out about him a bit more inspired by one of our discussions at my spanish class called: 'Spanish Conversation and Culture' - where we discuss cultural, historical, political events as well as books, songs, and films - all in Spanish language.

Everybody has seen Che's famous image printed either on T-shirts or on notebooks' covers. I knew who he was but never really made an efford to discover what's more behind the image, until now. Here is a reason behind my recent ignorance. I come from a place where we were forced to communism and my country was very much under control of then-powerful USSR, and during my childhood and early teenagehood a lot was happening (without getting into details). Having learnt/ read as well about atrocities and horrors of post-revolution in China, Russia, and of post-world-war communism installation in easter european countries (including my country)  I think I cannot be blamed for a bit of reluctance towards the subject; putting anything-communism related into the same pot.
 

Going back to the subject of Che. He is a hero of Latin America and after reading the book I understand why. The book has been a fascinating read, Che being a fascinating character (which does not mean I am convinced he was all that goody goody). It gave me an insight of the situation Latin America was in the 40's, 50's and 60's.

 

In the introduction, the author introduces the image of Che as a hero quoting her own sister's words: "His death touched us all. He transcended ideology (...). Che (...) stood up for his continent against immense odds. He was one of us. We could identify with him. He had rejected privilage and power. And when he went to his death, he possessed nothing. Like Gandhi. Like Christ."

 

I have seen the film 'Motorcycle diaries' about his first long trip around Latin America and I loved it and loved the character of young Ernesto (nicknamed 'Che' later in his life) - a medical student suffering from severe asthma, and a very sensitive soul, noticing all the injustice that was around. During that trip he started to have a dream of a united Latin America, seeing all Latin Americans as his brothers.

I have also watched a documentary 'The true story of Che' which showed him from a completely different angle than the book above. They showed a lot of negatives,  mentioned a lot about executions, punishments of fellow fighters under his command, about him being very rough as a doctor and presented him as a stuck-up radical communist who presumably fell out with Castro (and they suggest in the film he  left for Africa because of that). And yet in another documentary that I have seen, which was mainly about Fidel Castro,  Che was very clearly portrayed as a hero.

 

This particular biography book was written by a fellow argentinian - Lucía Álvarez de Toledo - and she obviously admires Che. It seems to me that  certain actions or behaviours are a bit sugar-coated in the book. For example his unfair treatment of his first wife, or the excuses in relation to executions and punishments. Unfortunately, I have not read any other biographies about him so cannot compare, but it is just the impression that I get. It still does not change the fact that this book - his biography is very interesting. Che's personality was very charismatic and millions love him till now. He hated imperialism and all it represented, which in case of Latin America meant real abuse of the Latin American countries and their habitants. So, he decided to fight for what he believed in - for the people and justice, for liberation of Latin world from the USA influence.

Here are some interesting quotes from the book:

"For Ernesto, the soul of a people was reflected in the sick who were in hospital, those in custody at police stations or the passers-by with whom he struck up a conversation during his travels". (when he was a student)

 

"I am neither Christ nor a philanthropist, I am exactly the opposite of a Christ...for the things I believe in I fight with all the weapons within my reach and I try to leave my opponent flat on the floor, instead of letting me be nailed to a cross or to any other place." (in his letter to his mother - while he was in custody in Mexico - before going to Cuba to fight)

 

"There are those who accuse Che of enjoying the executions, of being a sadist who went around cracking skulls and organising mock executions. I hesitate to trust these accounts because they originate with the enemies of the revolution, people who were forced to leave their country because they disagreed with Castro politically or because they were US employees and had lost their livelihood. They might well demonise those whose ideology differed from theirs." (Che's times at La Cabaña¨, where he "set up a tribunal...to judge the enemies of the Cuban people.." It was claimed "that he sent thousands to their death").

 

"But he thought that the only way to uphold their fragile revolution was to send its enemies before the firing squad and not allow any political or humanitarian plea to affect his decision."

 

"Time would prove that all Castro ever wanted was his island. Once he got it, he would do everything within his power to hand on to it - something he has done successfully for almost fifty years. At the time of the Revolution, he managed to persuade the Cuban people he truly was the embodiment of Cuban nationhood: unlike Batista, he was not an American stooge and under his tutelage their island would no longer be a casino and whorehouse. It would be for the Cuban people. In this he was different from Che, who wanted to end capitalism, exploitation, imperialism, foreign domination, racism, US supremacy, hunger, illiteracy and inequality wherever it was found. Che wanted the world and he was prepared to die for it."

"Sartre (Jean-Paul Sartre) would famously say after Che's death that he considered him the most complete man of the century."

"Che believed that underdevelopment was not what came before development but what some nations had to endure because others were developed at their expense."

"His vision of the New Man differed from the vision of Marx, Lenin and even Mao, all of whom had written about the concept. For him, the material incentives and the profitability the Soviets advocated for their enterprises, at the centre of the Soviet economy, were not advancing the cause of socialism. According to Che, it was a chimera attempt to arrive at socialism using the tools of capitalism. He felt there was a better way, a more efficient one to arrive at communism, via the New Man. This man would understand that one should not work for the accumulation of material goods, something which was egotistical and individualistic. He would know that it was his selfless moral duty to work for society, and that society would in turn look after him and his family. To create this New Man, the revolution had provided for the eradication of illiteracy and a comprehensive healthcare system for all. Che so totally believed this to be the case that, when he left for his campaign in the Congo, he wrote a forewell letter to Castro stating he was not leaving his wife and children anything material because he knew the revolution would look after them."

"...quoting from Martí: 'The best form of saying is doing'."

"...from Che's ashes rose San Ernesto de la Higuera, who has performed a miracle or two and to whom Bolivian campesinos pray to this day. For the black population of Cuba, who were forcibly transported to the island as slave labour and are still practicing Santería, the religious rituals of their Yoruba faith, he joined the pantheon of Ologún and is worshipped alongside Yemanyá, Oshún and Oxalá.
For the rebellious youth of the 1960's, Che had already become the poster boy of campuses across the Americas, a symbol of revolt against the status quo and the Vietnam War.
For the consumer societies of the Western world, obsessed with celebrity, he became the face on the compulsory T-shirt churned out by merchants who know a good deal. It is ironic that the very system he tried to destroy is keeping his image alive today."

"He died for the future (...). His intention was to create a civilised society by changing himself first, thus proving that it is possible for anyone else to do the same thing. He started life as a carefree upper-class Argentine boy in search of fun and adventure, and became a revolutionary who fought on behalf of the downtrodden of two continents and laid down his life for his fellow man and for his beliefs."

"What makes Che so attractive - and why his photo remains empowering for the youth of today - is that he was always true to himself. He went to his death like a man, almost cheerfully. His turn had come and that was that. He meant it when he said, 'Wherever death may surprise us, it will be welcome, provided this, our cry of war, has reached a receptive ear and a hand extends to pick up our weapon."

 

Life of Storm

Storm

Storm is a gorgeous looking dog. He has got long beautiful fur and a strong powerful looking build which gives him the looks of a grizzly bear. Very very devoted dog.

He is about 9 years old. He had been adopted by my partner before we knew each other. He took him from a local animal shelter and offered him a loving home. Storm apparently had been abondoned by two previous owners (one left him on his own on the streets - while he moved houses - so the neighbours rang the shelter for help; and the other  adopted him, then brought him back). After that, nobody could bond with him, as Storm was showing dissaproval and aggressive behaviour to all possible owners. Shelter Staff did not believe he would ever be adopted by anybody.

So, he was there in a cage, not happy with the whole world, when my partner saw him and immediatley decided that this was the dog for him. The shelter staff tried to discourage him, but he insisted and the cage was open. My partner took Storm by the collar, put his face close to him (to the horror of the staff) and told him 'You are mine and you are coming with me'. Then took him for a walk. Apparently, they made a bond straight away. The decision was made. The staff were very surprised and very happy for Storm.  And after a routine inspection of my partner's house  and completion of all the formalities, my partner was able to take Storm home.

They needed each other. Storm needed a loving home and my partner needed a company in his-till-then solitary struggle with his newly developed condition. He was suffering with severe pains all over his body (had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and depression). Just lost his job (as a result of his illness -' health and safety' they said) and his relationship broke up. So, he was alone till Storm came along into his life. Having Storm always by his side, making sure Storm was walked and groomed and fed, got my partner through most difficult times. He says if it hadn't been for Storm and responsibility for him, he would have ended his own life for sure. Relationship with Storm got him through depression and helped him deal with pain. So, this is really a story of love, of how a dog can save a human life.

Life of Kai

I must say Kai has a character! And oh, gosh what a character! Kai is lovely but very troublesome. He loves walks and absolutely hates cats, and shouts at other dogs of a medium or large size (he does not mind small dogs). Kai is of course a dog - a white german shephard. He has been my dog for 2 years now. Given to me (by my man) as an early birthday present.

From what I know he had had a disfunctional family before he came to us. During his early puppy days he had stayed with a woman, who had loved his looks and constantly washed him to look gorgeous and he had even worn a diamond dog collar (figure a diamond collar on a german shepherd - just no!)! Anyway that does not make it disfunctional - yet. However, Kai had not been walked (as he had no idea how to walk on a lead or stay safe in a street and the previous owner said to us: "He does not like walks, he is not a walker" I could not believe it!), he had done his business in the back small garden and he might have been shouted at for making a mess, as  since he is free to run in the back garden here as well as soon as he did his toilet he wanted to hide it immediately by .... (I won't reveal his menthod of hiding it - yuuuck!). But like I said he loves his walks, loves running and playing and prefers to do his business then. Well, the worst is yet to come. We realized very soon that Kai was really suffering with a pain in his head. He cried at night, his ears were going all floppy (rather than standing), and the next evening he just started banging his head against the walls and floors, causing his skin to break and bleed. We were terrified. (I must admit I thought at first that he was going crazy, which he really was but not with maddness but pain). We took him to emergency vet hospital. He suffered from severe infection in both ears, he had so much discharge that it built up to a horrible crust deep down in both ears. It took two "operations" to remove it - he was put to sleep and stayed in surgery over nights. Between the operations and after them we had to give him ear drops a few times a day, a set of antibiotics and painkillers for a few weeks. It was a long process to recovery - poor thing. So, for the first 6 weeks of his life with us, I had hardly any sleep - staying on the sofa with him, smoothing him and reassuring him all nights. The vets told us this infection must have been very very painful for over 6 months at least! And he was only 8 months old!!! So most of his life - till we got him - he had been in pain going crazy and  never taken to the vets (as it appeared)! We contacted the previous owner to find out more about him and his health history - she was not nice and told us not to bother her as the dog is not her problem. Never got any information. It looks as the previous owner had never been concerned about the dog's health at all, she must have had enough of his cries and therefore got rid of him (even though during conversations with her prior to taking him home, she had told us the dog was in perfect health, and she had only decided to sell him as she was moving house). Well, no more comment about the previous irresponsible owner.

Kai has grown from a very beautiful puppy to a very beautiful adult dog - he is about 2 years and 8 months now. But he can be very naughty. He steals slippers! He is very noisy and pulls terribly when he sees a cat or a dog, making walking him quite a nightmare sometimes - so we normally walk very early in the morning and late in the evening to avoid meeting other dogs and/or other times during the day when I just stay very alert all the time in look out for other dogs to find the way to avoid them (it can be very tiring). One example of a bad walk; happened about a year and a half ago, when I took him for a walk straight after work (before tea) - silly me the most busy time for dog walkers - Kai saw a dog on a pavement on the other side of the street, he pulled hard, and suddenly I fell on the ground in the middle of the street and  Kai kept on dragging me along - just interested in the other dog. I came back home crying with pain and humiliation, covered in cuts and bruises. And to be honest, this was the moment when I felt I had enough and the idea of giving up on him came to me (not proud of it). I felt I could not take it anymore - I felt so powerless - even though we had him neutred his temper towards other animals was impossible to deal with. I am glad I overcame the feeling and did not give up on him.  He is also very badly behaved at the vets, cries, screams and tries to jump at every animal around. Shame, I don't seem to be able to train him to behave otherwise (I think in the end I will need to save up and invest in a proper dog training by a professional dog trainer as he obviously cannot attend classes with other dogs due to his attitude). He is my "stalker" in the house - he follows me everywhere around the house. Always by my side, he acts totally heart-broken if he cannot come with me to the bathroom, stays by the door and cries. When I go to work, he stays by the front door most of the time - waiting. He will not touch his food or drink unless I am around. So, every morning, when he gets his breakfast I need to stay with him in the kitchen till he finishes eating as I know he wouldn't touch it again until I return and stay with him. When he lies down by my side, he has a need of touching me - he either puts his head on my feet, or lies so closely that he is actually pushing onto me. I know german shephards choose one person in a family as his owner  but it really surprises me just how much he is dependant on me.   The good thing is he gets along so well with Storm - our (my partner's really) 9-year old (we think) german shephard, but it has not always been so. Kai and Storm now form a pack and like to stay in each other's company and guard the house together. Kai is just so friendly to us and to our friends and so playfull! He lets himself being cuddled by my daughter like a teddy and he always sneaks into her room when the door is open to steal either one of her slippers or a toy to make her chase him.

I love my dog! Even though he still behaves like a spoilt child in need of constant attention.

New Year's wish re: migraine

According to Wikipedia:

"Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent moderate to severe headaches often in association with a number of autonomic nervous system symptoms. The word derives from the Greek ἡμικρανία (hemikrania), "pain on one side of the head", from ἡμι- (hemi-), "half", and κρανίον (kranion), "skull".

Typically the headache is unilateral (affecting one half of the head) and pulsating in nature, lasting from 2 to 72 hours. Associated symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, photophobia (increased sensitivity to light), phonophobia  (increased sensitivity to sound) and the pain is generally aggravated by physical activity. Up to one-third of people with migraine headaches perceive an aura: a transient visual, sensory, language, or motor disturbance which signals that the headache will soon occur. Occasionally an aura can occur with little or no headache following it. (...)"

 

Whatever you call it, however you describe it, it is an awful thing! Mine just feels like nuclear explosions in my head. I have eliminated some easy-to-recognize triggers already. Yes, my beloved CHOCOLATE! I have not tasted it for many months!  But who knows how many migraine attacks I have prevented.

As a migraine sufferer - I wish to myself and to all migraine sufferers to master the art of prevention and self control in the quest to freedom from migraine.

Frida Kahlo

Self-portrait with her pet monkey

Self-portrait wearing a red velvet dress
 

 

Photo of Frida Kahlo

What can I say? This interesting mexican artist had a very rich and very very painful life. Life full of operations on her spine, legs and other bones, full of patriotic ideollogy,  full of love for her husband (who was not only unfaithful but he even had an affair with Frida's own sister, and yet they stayed together till Frida's death - with an exception of a separation and divorce time, followed by their second marriage again), full of lost pregnancies, her own love affairs both with men and women.

The style of her paintings is unique and very very personal. To me, her paintings are so full of sadness, brutal reality/facts of pain, and emotion even though in all her self-portraits her face is so emotionally distant and appears looking like a mask. Frida's political views were very left wing, she treated communist ideology almost like a religion, idealizing it. She honored Stalin and Mao in her paintings giving them almost a religious status.  They were for her something to lean on, something hopeful - completely disregarding the regimental practics of these two communist leaders in love with power and power only (how could she not see that?). At least, that's the impression I get from what I read about Frida. Although, I wonder how could I possibly fully understand her since it was different times than mine, different country, or continent even,  with different history.
However, the more I read about her the more fascinating she becomes.

I do admire her sense of fashion with her long traditional-in-mexico colourful dresses and big jewelry, her strong personality and her vivid paintings even though to me they are sometimes disturbing.

I have just read: "Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954, Pain and Passion" by Andrea Kettenmann and watched film about her: "Frida" with Salma Hayek in it.  Can't wait to read her diary which she was writing for the last 12 years of her life, the introduction is written by Carlos Fuentes. I reserved it at the library about 6 weeks ago, still on loan. Hopefully soon.
The last entry in her diary reads: "I hope the exit is joyful...and I hope never to come back ... Frida".

A Street Cat Named Bob

A Street Cat Named Bob

"How one man and his cat found hope on the streets."
Finished reading it a day after Christmas. Loved it. Brought tears to my eyes. It is especially moving as it is a real and very rescent story written by the guy who is living it. "When James Bowen found an injuired, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet."

It is a story of friendship between a man and his pet. It shows how a pet can change one's attitude towards life. From a very selfish, self-centred , heroine addict on a very slow way to recovery, to a caring pet owner and a friend. From an invisible street busker (in trouble)  to a Big Issue seller/ a street entertainer known and acknowledged by many. 'Bob, Big Issue cat' became world famous thanks to videos on you tube and touched hearts of many in London. They are still busking in London a few times a week. Next time, when I am in London I shall try a little trip to Covent Garden to see if they are there.
Soon, the story will appear on a big screen, produced by creators of 'Marley and Me'. I am looking forward to it.

Life of Pi

Life of Pi

I have recently read that wonderful story.

A shipwreck, a lifeboat, a 16 -year-old Indian boy and a Royal Bengal tiger. Sounds really tacky, but it is actually a very interesting story and I loved it. Seen the film as well - very good and follows the book very closely. Though, I think a blinded shipwrecked Frenchman was missing in the film. In the book he wanted to kill Pi (in order to eat him) but Richard Parker (the tiger) took care of him. And that was the only person he met in his 227 days of struggle to survive at sea. How tragic.

Pi was a very dovout believer. He believed in God and practised Hiduism, Christianity and Islam all at the same time. When he had been asked by his father to choose one religion, he replied that according to Gandhi all religions were right and true. He thanked Krishna for introducing him to Jesus.

After discussions with his favourite teacher, who was an atheist, who believed only in reason and science and who claimed that religion is darkness; Pi came to his own very interesting conclusions: "It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith. Like me, they go as fas as the legs of reason will carry them - and then they leap. I will be honest about it. It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anquished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" then surely we are also permitted doubt. But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of trasportation."

Getting started

This is frustrating. Takes me ages to figure it out!