I love movies, especially ones with strong themes of inner strength and resilience. My two favorites for this year are Life of Pi and Les Miserables. In both cases, survival depended on personal strength and resourcefulness, and involved spiritual awareness and reflection.
However, there are major differences in the protagonist of each movie. Piscine "Pi" Molitor came from a loving home, was cherished and supported, and schooled himself in multiple religious traditions. Throughout his ordeal he maintained his compassion for the tiger, the enemy within so to speak. Upon his rescue he mourned the loss of the fierceness that he so depended upon for survival. However, throughout his ordeal, he practiced gratitude for his life and for gifts of rainfall, fish and other sea creatures, and natural beauty and wonder, all of which sustained him in equal measure. Once returned to safety he went on to university studies and eventually married and had a family. He was "for himself" but neither selfish nor self-serving. In many ways, the character of Pi demands that we challenge our notions of selfhood and goodness which are often culturally bound and encapsulated by religious beliefs
In Les Miserables, truly a study in misery at multiple levels, we meet Jean Valjean, a man of heroic virtue, who suffers 20 years on the chain gang for stealing bread for his sister's children. He is haunted by the relentless pursuit of Javert who seeks to uphold the unjust, inhumane laws soon to be overturned by the French Revolution. Valjean is inspired to do for others by the forgiveness and kindness he receives from a priest, but he never forgives himself and ultimately sacrifices his old age and the comfort of family out of shame and fear. He could befriend and care for others, but not himself. We are moved by his compassion and kindness, and weep for the loss of his goodness and decency. We want to embrace him and extend care to him as he, above all others, is so deserving of forgiveness, gratitude, and kindness.
Nonetheless we are all as deserving of loving kindness as the escaped convict Valjean, and to the extent we can extend that care to ourselves, we are better able to extend care to others. We often fight the need to care for self as "selfish" or "self-centered" and exhaust ourselves in doing for others, often beyond their actual need or demand. In "Being for Ourselves" we can alleviate pain and suffering in the world in the benevolent attitude that emerges naturally from caring for ourselves.
This week's goal is to become more mindful of ways in which we can 'be for ourselves.' I recommend a simple meditation practice: apply hand lotion, so necessary in winter when skin can become chapped and sore, with grateful deliberation. Massage each finger and give thanks for the hands that are able to do so much. Study the lines in your palms, the nicks and scars and spots of age, each and every joint. Your hands are a miracle and so are you. Touch your hands with tenderness so that they may continue to touch the world and bring forth the magic of your unique talents.
