The movie was hilarious and touching at the same time. It held deep meaning and I had much to relate to it. I cried. I laughed. Afterward I even imagined myself in the movie for a few moments...If only reality were as captivating as movies like this!
But wait.
Isn't it?
Don't we cry and laugh in real-life? Don't we experience those same touching and hilarious moments like in the movie? Of course! Isn't that the point? Movies imitate reality (most of them, anyway) - they allow us to step outside of reality for a few hours and reflect upon the happenings of daily life, such that maybe we can gain some insight into who we are, why things happen the way they do, how we can better deal with our life experiences, and what we can achieve if we could just tap into those ever-elusive secrets of life, such as the very purpose of our existence.
But what happens when we don't utilize movies in this way? What if we simply use movies like they're a drug or alcohol, to relax and to get away from reality?
If we do this, we don't take the time to reflect upon life. We just waste time watching a movie, and the moment it's over, we slip back into the thoughtless routine of going about our daily life, with no purpose, no insights, no goal worth dying for...
Reflection is a powerful tool for the human being, and it is key to living a purpose-driven and meaningful life (in other words, if you really want to 'live life to the fullest', you need to take the time to ask - and find answers to - those deep questions about life). But in a day and age when the human mind is constantly bombarded by distractions - when it is constantly preoccupied with things like watching movies, listening to music, playing games, going to school, studying, going to work, getting drunk, doing drugs, etc -how do you even get it to take the necessary time out to relax and just reflect..?
For those who are smart enough to notice (and take advantage of) modes of relaxation and reflection, such as Salah (prayer) for the Muslim, or even yoga, the problem of too many distractions is quickly extinguished...If they use these modes to reflect, they have a constant source of insight and inspiration, and their life becomes dynamic, where it was once stagnant.
The movie I was referring to earlier was '3 Idiots'. It's a very well-done Indian movie (the cinematography is excellent), and it carries many messages in it.
The meaning of true friendship in terms of how it relates to action, the importance of allowing your mind to think, to not restrict yourself to the box that other people put you in, to follow your dreams, and to have the right perspective such that you don't let the pressures of life overcome you.
It's a great movie, and when I watched it, two ideas came to mind...
1.) After watching this and also 'Prince of Persia', I suddenly became aware of how Islam, it's history, and the true purpose of life as Islam teaches it, all carry with them the same characteristics that a really good movie carries, in terms of the deep meanings, the adventure, the relationships, the stories, the climax, the sacred objects, and the continuity of the actual story of life - all of this, in what we as Muslims consider to be the true Reality, and we don't even need to watch a movie to experience it.
The problem is, we often forget this, or don't even recognize the potential this holds. I think that knowing the movie-like qualities of the Reality that Islam has made known to us is important, and I think that we could use it as an amazing tool to get people re-engaged and re-connected to their purpose in this life - it may be especially helpful with the youth.
Why do I think this is something that should be used? Because most of us don't yet have that connection to God that we need in our Salah to really gain anything from it (and though yoga's popularity is increasing, I'm sure it still has a ways to go in gathering a good Muslim following).
How can this idea be used? Muslims who are good at story-telling can gather from Islam, the Qur'an, Islamic History and Present, etc all the important components necessary for a good story; all of the components we usually find in an awesome movie. These people can then tell the story in a number of ways - the way I think it could reach the most people:
Make a video recording of the story telling, with the voice of a person of can tell stories well, maybe some acting, some images and scenes relevant to the story, and sound effects. Done properly, with internet marketing, a project like this could spread worldwide and have a huge impact on Muslims and their connection with Islam and with God.
2.) On a completely different note, this movie reminds me of the screaming need our ummah has right now in regards to parents understanding the issues that their Muslim youth face. I had been thinking about gender relations, drugs, alcohol, homosexuality, etc, and with this movie I can now add domestic/parental stressors and suicidal tendencies to the list. Muslim American parents must be educated about these issues, ASAP. It is not enough to have Islamic schools and to educate the Muslim youth about their deen and their dunya. Reinforcement needs to come from the home, not contradictions. Every Muslim community should have some program, like monthly parental education sessions. The format of these can be experimented with, but the fact is that something must be done, and it needs to happen now.
May Allah (swt) put barakah in these ideas and make us from among those movers and shakers of the ummah that He is most Pleased with. Ameen.
