An amazing movie

There was this simple ad in the newspaper that caught my attention in the morning. It was about the movie ‘My Boy Jack’ that was to be telecast in the night at 9 PM. It also mentioned about Daniel Radcliffe playing a role in it. I remember wondering at that time whether it will be worth watching and also what is this movie doing on the History Channel. Little did I realise at that time that much later in the day, late into the night, I will be thoroughly devastated.

I returned home a bit late, which is as usual, and caught up with the movie that had just started off… it was only when the movie was over that I realized I hadn't moved from my seat throughout. I hadn't touched the remote either.

What a riveting performance by David Haig who plays Rudyard Kipling! Much later into the night, learnt the secret behind the brilliance – he had been living with this story for the past 22 years by the time the movie was shot! He had written a play by the same name and had donned the same role in it much before the movie was made.

To quote him from an interview “The film version of My Boy Jack was written 11 years ago, 11 years after I was handed the biography of Rudyard Kipling by Ed Herrmann in New York. It’s taken 22 years to effectively realise this dream.” It was also very interesting to learn that David has a very close resemblance to the actual Rudyard Kipling! I was totally blown off by the performance of the entire cast.

Well, the storyline goes like this ( unfortunately I missed the link to this on the net, so unable to link back to the source) “It’s 1915 and World War 1 has been declared. Aged only 17, Rudyard Kipling’s son John “Jack” (Daniel Radcliffe), like most of his generation, is swept up in the enthusiasm to fight the Germans, a mood stoked vigorously by his father. Jack is cripplingly short-sighted and the Army has rejected him twice, rendering him too myopic even for an Army suffering thousands of casualties a week and desperate for recruits. Yet Rudyard is undeterred, determined that his son should go to the Front, like countless other young men, and fight for the values that he, Rudyard, espouses so publicly.

Using his fame and influence, Rudyard persuades Lord Roberts, on his death bed, to get Jack a commission in the Irish guards. This intervention is barely tolerated by Carrie and daughter Elise (Carey Mulligan) as they disagree Jack is fit to fight and fear for his safety on the front line.

Jack is instantly popular with his troop – he is a great leader and trains tirelessly to overcome the disability that is his eyesight. Six months later Jack sails to France as a lieutenant. In his pocket is a spare pair of spectacles and written permission from his father to travel to the Front before his eighteenth birthday. On the day of his birthday, Jack is told they will go over the top the following day. Days later, the Kipling family are informed that Jack is ‘missing believed wounded’, news which devastates them and leaves Elsie furious at her father for his part in Jack’s fate.

Desperately clinging to the hope that their son is still alive, Carrie and Rudyard scour hospitals and obsessively track down and interview survivors. Two years later, Jack’s friend and fellow Irish Guard Private Bowe (Martin McCann) arrives at Bateman’s, the Kiplings’ home in Sussex. Suffering from shell shock, he finally describes to the assembled family what had happened in the Battle of Loos.”

I won’t give away any spoilers, in case you haven't seen this film yet. It is a real heart wrencher. Hats off to the entire team for such a wonderful movie. It reminded me of a similar haunting experience that I had while watching Roberto Benigni in 'Life is Beautiful'. I couldn't sleep that night too.

Here is the poem which Rudyard Kipling wrote for his son which features in the film too.

“Have you news of my boy Jack?”
Not this tide.

“When d’you think that he’ll come back?

”Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

“Has any one else had word of him?”

Not this tide.

For what is sunk will hardly swim,

Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

“Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?”

None this tide,

Nor any tide,

Except he did not shame his kind—

Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.
Then hold your head up all the more,

This tide,

And every tide;

Because he was the son you bore,

And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!

Go, take a shower

It's quite common for us to feel low at times. At times nothing seems to go right. If there is one thing that pulls us through and gives us the power to rise above the mundane, then it's hope. Is hope a thing, a feeling or a state of mind? It could be anything that makes us believe 'Yes, now I can pull through on my own'

The following story, yet another great gift from attitude is everything, touchingly tells us of that "Ah ha" moment. I wish we all have more such moments!

Some few years ago I was attending a local university, the University of Botswana. Because I was living on campus, every evening I would go jogging to keep fresh and myself fit. There was a park behind the university and this was a perfect place for an evening jog.

As it sometimes happens in our lives, either triggered by an event or just comes from nowhere, it came at a time when I was just tired. I was tired of my faith, tired of studying, tired of my life and just tired of almost everything. Normally when in this state, we as human beings like finding more reasons to stay in this state, and wisdom tells me that this is the worst time to make any major decision. If you are used to praying it becomes difficult to pray, to read scriptures, life looks hopeless.

One winter day, this "hopeless" day came. On that day I did not even want to take a jog as usual. But late at night I just decided to go. It was dark and dangerous to do so. I started putting on my jogging gear with an "I don't care what happens" attitude. I jogged, and came back to the hostels, safe and sound, but still psychologically and spiritually empty. I went straight to the hostel bathrooms to take a shower.

As if what I was going through that day was not enough, the water was very cold. "I don't care I will just shower" I concluded, and I jumped in. The chilling water ran through my body; imagine the combination of cold body with mental vacuum. The more the water hit my body, sadness and despair accelerated.

Suddenly, the temperature of the water started changing. It became lukewarm, and then warm and suddenly I had to turn on cold water to keep a reasonable bathing temperature. Amazingly, as the water temperature changed, something started changing in me as well. There was hope where there was hopelessness, happiness and a sense of purpose was restored in me. The desperation, loneliness and all bad thoughts started disappearing as if they were flushed down the drain by the warm shower. I started singing! I learned right then in life that God can use anything to restore us to a place of freshness and purpose.

So if you are going through a rough time; just know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Just take a shower!

AUTHOR: Simon Ramaabya from Botswana, Africa
simon.ramaabya@Orange.co.bw

Wonders of the world

We often get carried away by the effect of immediate experiences in our daily life. They seem to be so imposing that we forget the simple things that add a lot of value to our lives. Like when a speck of dust lodges itself in our eye, we forget everything and just focus all our energy in getting it out. But then it is a discomfort that needs to be corrected. We just can't sit around and wonder about it philosophically. We have to get it out for our comfort because it keeps reminding us continuously about its presence.

There are many days when simple instances drain out so much energy that we end up absolutely tired in the mind. The body slumps, we walk with a stoop and the whole world seems a let down. The whole body language changes to that of a loser. When such a feeling is experienced frequently, it could as well mean a life with great efforts.

Then there are days when we seem to get along fine with just about everything we come across. We notice the flowers on the road side tree which was there since two weeks but we failed to notice though we drive on the same route daily. We suddenly have all the time in the world to notice the laughter the scooterist shares with his pillion rider at the signal.

So if it is the state of mind that determines our quality of life, then why do we feel so miserable at times? The most beautiful things in life are always there. We are consumed by the immediate problems with so much intensity that we choose to look only at only the materialistic or the troublesome things that bother us.

The wonder of simple things"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
- Agnes Repplier "

This little story I received in the usual mail forwards hit so hard in the most simplest way:

Some high school students were required to list the Seven Wonders of the World. While gathering the lists, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. to touch...2. to taste...3. to see...4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)5. to feel...6. to laugh...7. and to love.

The room was so quiet; you could have heard a pin drop.

May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.

Enjoy your gifts!