I have the culture of rewatching movies again and again. I have watched “Rush hour” many times. I have also watched “Groundhog Day” every now and then. I am also watching the 2020 movie “unhinged” for its suspense and message. In fact, I have suggested to many of my friends to watch this movie with a hype “It could be a very good example in making movies.” In many of the movies I watch, I try to get at least one idea. The chances of not finding a single idea is very slim. If it doesn’t, that means I will never watch that movie again.
But one of the movies I watched lately was so intense. It is not the story that attracted me much but there is one sound bite that is left with me. The movie “bad batch” is dystopian film- an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice. In the movie, I found Persian poet Rumi’s saying to be at the center of what the movie is all about. The character in the movie was repeatedly saying :
“If you forget everything else but not this, you have nothing to worry about.
There is one thing you must never forget.
Never Never Never Never Never forget!
If you remember everything else but you forget this one thing
If you remember everything else but you forget one thing you will do nothing in your life. Nothing Nothing
This is the one thing one thing you must never forget !”
When the character is asked what that thing is he replied” “you figure it out yourslef”.
“Find out for yourself.
You find out for yourself.
No one is gonna tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself.”
Yes, we have to figure out what is that one thing. But to my understanding, what is described as “everything else” is power, money, prestige. These are some of the things we chase day and night. We may have this but again we still maybe sad. Even if we don’t have those, we can still be happy. As the movie is set in times of great suffering or injustice, it wants us to be determined in all circumstances. To be unshakeable when life takes different turns, we need to indetify what our purpose in life. It is when we find our purposes, it is when know the meaning we we will be happy of our achievements. Material on its own or any other thing by itself may not be all fulfilling.
It says: “you forget one thing you will done nothing in your life. ” In this world of ours we see people going ups and downs in life. There is so many struggle. In the street of Addis Ababa people are seen hurridely going here and there to make a living. But some of us have forgot what we really need in life. With the constant motion of life, we must have forgotten what is really important. We get the money, we get power or wisdom then we say what then? You may have witnessed emotional gap in those who we think “have everything they need.” I think they have forgotten that one thing: maybe purpose or meaning or reason. Till they get that they will be insecur about life. Life’s journey will be emotionless where there is no true love, happiness, fullfillement in life. The irony is this thing is easy to find. Like it says: “you forget everything else and not this, there’s nothing to worry about,” People who have small or nothing are seen to have of them. Without power, money or earthly possession, there are some people who have this one thing. For me, it is to find life’s purpose, to find your life mission. What do you want to achieve in life in the end? So, it is sometimes important for people to be aware of what they do. Rumi went on saying: “ If you don’t do it, it’s as though a priceless Indian sword were used to slice rotten meat. It’s like a knife of the finest tempering nailed into a wall to hang things on.” Are you doing that one thing or you forgotten it?
BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 25 MAY 2022
