Positive Health Online

Are you sitting comfortably? Now let me ask you a question: What is the connection between a blind lieutenant colonel, a transvestite and a holocaust inmate? It may take you a while to work it out, so let me tell you the answer. They are all incredible valiant characters from what I regard as three of the most outstanding movies I have viewed in the last 50 years. More than that, they unify through a potency of powerful strength that you will be familiarized with shortly.

Al Pacino played the role of a character named Frank Slade, who is blind and has made up his mind to have one last fling with a call girl before committing suicide. He hires an impoverished student who is in trouble with his university because he will not snitch on some mischievous wealthy students. As the story unfolds, Frank is in a posh hotel partaking in afternoon tea. He asks a beautiful young lady to dance the tango, and the joy of the dance is savoured in a mesmerizing manner. Later he comes back from his encounter with the call girl and sits in his limo in dream like divine bliss, savouring the sexual sensuality of a Scent of a Woman (which is the title of the movie). Subsequently, the young student stops Frank from committing suicide, and is rewarded later by Frank defending the underdog student in front of the whole school with a speech from his heart and soul. It is a delivery of courage and gallantry. It originates from a special place in a human being, which does not stem from academic achievement. A blissful experience!

In the second movie, Cillian Murphy plays the role of an Irish transvestite named Kitten. He embarks on many hazardous adventures and overcomes adversities that would weaken the strongest fighters. Kitten is a hero who stands out beyond the storyline of his sexuality and cross gender. It relates to the true core of his humanity, but the title of the movie, Breakfast on Pluto relates to someone who lives outside this world. Nothing can take away the strength of Kitten’s spiritual essence without his permission. He will not sacrifice his true identity as a joy-filled soul, come what may. In one amusing and poignant scene, Kitten is posing as a striptease artist in a peep show. A priest speaks to him through a small slit in the booth, reminiscent of a confessional box. He confesses to Kitten that he is his real physical father. It is a lustrous turn of normal circumstances that encompass one of many cardinal messages throughout the movie. The brilliantly acted story overcomes religious dogma, terrorism, wars, depravity and humanity’s ignorance. The soul of a human shines through it all, and Kitten’s love for everyone he encounters turns hearts of stone into marshmallows. A pure delight!

In the third film we find Roberto Benigni playing the role of Guido Orefice who finds himself incarcerated in a concentration camp with his small son. The Nazis are going to kill all the children, so to protect his son, Guido makes up a game of hide and seek. The boy must hide away from the Nazis, and the longer he hides the more points he gets. When he gets 10,000 points, he will win a real tank. Guido makes the words Life is Beautiful (the title of the movie) take on new profound meaning. If we use our imagination a little, we can see the movie in a slightly different way with the fact that the boy did not exist. We can contemplate the movie from a point of view that the boy was actually his own soul and he hid from the savage barbarism of the holocaust camps by comforting himself inside a place where no harm can befall him. Even at the end of the movie when a Nazi guard is about to kill him, he marches to his death in a joy-filled manner and winks at his son (his own soul) hiding in a coalbunker. They can take his physical life but they cannot touch or take away his spirit. Life is truly beautiful when the light of the human spirit shines bright. Divine blissfulness!

In all three movies, music plays its part in connecting the audience with the action in a way no words can express. So have you figured out the ingredients that connect all three characters in the movies, and why is it significant in your life for your health and wellbeing?

The main characters all conquered the monsters in their lives by not accepting them as their reality. They lived outside the confines of religious dogma, scientific scrutiny and academic doctrine. You may well say it is only in the movies that people can enact their roles in a fearless manner; however, great directors, writers, actors, musicians, and a whole crew of enlightened people who understand the qualities that make a human being human make great movies. That is why there are very few great movies, for just as in real life, not too many people know how to live an illuminating authentic life free from the manacles of ignorance. Great movies reflect the greatness in humanity. Many people who survived the holocaust have told me they did so because their imagination took the place of their physical reality. Here are a few of the qualities that link them all together, and bring wellbeing through the power of true self-esteem.

1.    The pure joy of living can overcome every erroneous action, devastation or hardship that will develop in every mature person’s lifetime;
2.    Courage and fortitude are qualities that are inherent in every human being. They are the savoury ingredients that add spice and flavour to bland insipid lives and turn the taster into an ambrosial celebrity;
3.    A strong spirit can overcome great challenges, whereas no amount of education or social graces can prepare a person for catastrophes;
4.    Music has profound qualities that can soothe the mind and harmonize with the body;
5.    Love can melt icebergs in -40° and below temperatures. Even the most imperfect humans by society’s standards can rise above the unbalancing throng of analytical dogma and transcend into higher realities by giving their love to everyone they encounter;
6.    Imagination takes away the obnoxiousness of human behaviour and lifts the mind to a higher plateau. A happy face, dreams of faithfulness and incorruptible gratitude originate from humanity’s image-maker;
7.    Greatness is achieved by good intent to other people. By becoming the hero in other people’s lives, you become a hero to yourself;
8.    Ruthlessness, cunning and deceit can take away any person’s possessions, even their physical lives, but cannot harm the true essence of who they are;
9.    When the mind of a human is illuminated by the spirit of a loving soul, no evil force can penetrate the power within;
10.    The majestic grandeur of simple living cannot be bought by the extravagance of money, diamonds, gold or silver. A friendly disposition, a warm smile and enthusiastic childlike laughter are the characteristics and features now playing on a stage inside every human heart.