The Glass is Half-Full

I was lucky to have some free time last weekend when my son came up and asked to watch the movie ‘Life is Beautiful’. Little did I know it was going to be one of the best movies I’d ever seen. I know most of you are thinking ‘Hello??? I thought this site was about God, not movies!’. But to me, God isn’t only what is in the scriptures. It is the message of Truth. In Swami Rama Tirtha’s words, “Vedanta "knowledge of God" brings you a religion which is found in the streets, which is written upon the leaves, which is murmured in the brooks, which is whispered in the winds, which is throbbing in your veins and arteries, a religion which concerns your business and bosom, a religion which you have not to practise by going to a particular church, mosque or temple only, a religion which you have to practise and live in your everyday life about your hearth, in your dining room…” So the movie is really a lesson in Vedanta. It teaches us about the power of looking at the bright side and seeing the same situation from a fresh perspective. A lesson that is important in the Vedantic context.

The story revolves around a father and son who have been taken as prisoners to a concentration camp during World War II. The father had promised the little boy a battle tank as a gift for his fourth birthday. However, they were arrested and taken to a concentration camp as they were preparing for the birthday party.

In order to protect his son from the hardships of the concentration camp, the father tells him that the entire experience is a game and that he will accumulate points by following the rules of the game, the rules at the concentration camp. He tells his son that if he is able to collect 1000 points he will get the tank! Every time the child complains of bad food or some inconvenience the father reminds him of the ‘game’. This enables the child to take the situation in his stride. Finally, when the Allied Forces liberate them, the little boy comes out of hiding. He sees a massive battle tank and thinks he has got the reward for earning 1000 points! In the end it is his father’s positive outlook that helps him emerge from the experience unscathed.

The same is true with our lives. We all have our moments of hardship. Moments when we feel like there is no hope, when there seems no sense in going on. A difficult relationship, an uninspiring job or just plain bad luck. Yet there is something in us that has the ability to see the good in everything. The capacity to turn the situation on its head, and see the same challenge in a new light. Because the human spirit is indomitable. We will get knocked down many times over in life, but the best amongst us are those who will get back up and continue on the path they have chosen to tread.

Although the story is simple, there is a lesson in it for all of us. There is a silver lining to every cloud. Thinking negatively about our circumstances only takes the wind out of our sails. It hurts us the most. Not the people or the obstacles we perceive to be the source of our problems. The key is to re-assess the situation, try and see the good that can come out of it and above all, have faith that we can make everything happen for the best. Remember, the glass is always half-full.

 

by Vimal Joshi