There is so much to reflect upon after watching the movie
What does it take to begin your (soulful) life?
“You do not have to be perfect to be a human, you just need some inspiration to begin your life.” This is what popped up in my mind after watching the movie. No single soul is fully prepared to come to the earth and go through this life, but for some reasons or other we are already here. No single soul knows what exactly will happen in this life, but one thing you and I are certain about is: we have this life. So, find what sparks you and let life unfold itself. A “dark” way to put it: go ahead, be courageous, you have nothing to lose, since all of us are going to die (eventually) anyway.
How not to get lost in your (soulful) life?
What strike me the most in the movie are the lost souls, those giant gloomy weirdos. They are totally self-absorbed, just keep searching and searching…searching for the euphoric state their passion used to bring them to. A soul becomes a lost soul when its passion turns into obsession. The little soul is hidden or dormant inside the huge gloomy weirdo, covered by layers and layers of obsessions, ruminations, and worries. What is passion? In my opinion, passion is the lasting-genuine-interested-curiosity in doing what you are doing, and this lasting-genuine-interested-curiosity would naturally bring a person to a state of pleasure or even euphoria. However, if not careful, this curiosity can easily turn into obsession when we keep wanting more and more of such pleasurable or euphoric feelings, and even start to fear or worry about not getting them. The soul keeps searching for pleasure or euphoria (i.e., the effect) but forgets what brings out the pleasure or euphoria (i.e., the cause) in the first place. That is why and how a soul gets lost and will never find what it is really searching for. The soul is searching for sparks, not ashes of the sparks! Therefore, protect your curiosity, find your sparks, and watch out for obsessions.
If you are suffering from depression, you may doubt: Do I ever have a soul? Yes, certainly. But why can’t I feel my soul? Ask yourself: What is my obsession? The little soul may be buried by thick layers of obsessions to be happy, ruminations over unhappy past, and worries about being unhappy forever. Paradoxically, obsession of happiness drowns a little soul further into depression.
Though it was a great attempt for the movie to answer the ever-bewildering philosophical questions of where we are coming from before life (The Great Before) and where we are going to after life (The Great Beyond), the truth is as human beings WE DO NOT KNOW! We only know where we are now, we only know this life, and we only live this life once, so…
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
-from Mary Oliver
If you are a LOST soul, may you let go of obsessions and find your sparks to begin this wild and precious life.
If you are a FOUND soul, may you keep your genuine curiosity and guard against obsessions in this wild and precious life.
Wish you all the best in your journey to the soul in 2021!
