I had a wonderful calming Thanksgiving Day event with my immediate family last weekend. Hope you did too. Nothing over the top. Who does fancy in this Covid age? We had an Asian-Canadian feast. Of course, no one wanted to cook. The solution (as always) – take out food. We had a table full of Peking duck and dimsum, and the like. Plus 5 kinds of dessert??! Almond jelly with lychees, strawberry shortcake, homemade cherry pie (from, take note, our own backyard cherry tree), different assortments of Italian cannolis, scrumptious dougnuts. (Oopps! I take back what I said – the dessert menu was definitely too much.) OMG! Just realized how much sugar was going around that evening. Thank goodness, it didn’t seem to have made anyone hyper. We still managed to have a leisurely, laid back time – fun and relaxing. Complete with a virtual get together with our son in Tokyo while having our “sinful” array of dessert. A perfect setting to be grateful for the simple day-to-day blessings we are enjoying.
Blessings which I have a tendency to take for granted from time to time. I have to consciously remind myself to be thankful for what I have now. And not to compare myself to others. Even more so, to be happy for others too. In my mind, I refresh myself with the lessons of my philosophy teacher many years ago on the universal laws of life, one of them being gratitude. Gratitude not only in words but in action. I am often amiss in this. But suffice it to say that ever since I resumed my meditations daily, I find myself a bit more aware of myself and my surroundings. You may want to try it too. It makes a world of difference from my experience. What comes to mind as well, which I learned from my teacher, is the expression “does it matter a hundred years from now”. From my research, this epithet was within the context of an essay written by Forest Witcraft, a professional Scouter and onetime managing editor of Scouting magazine. May I quote part of the essay –
“All about me are boys. They are the makers of history, the builders of tomorrow. If I can have some part in guiding them up the trail of Scouting, on to the high road of noble character and constructive citizenship, I may prove to be the most important man in their lives, the most important man in my community.
A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy.”
In short, it made me think of what matters most in life – the building of character, ours and others. It does not mean, of course, that we do not pay attention and act on the daily things we have to do in life. What confronts us and what we do about what confronts us from moment to moment are the very materials that go towards building character. The enhancing point is also the how or the attitude we have while going on about our daily life.
This reminds me of a friend who would always gripe and moan everytime his electricity bill was due. But he always ended up paying for it anyway. Such a self-defeating waste of energy. When he stopped doing this and instead was glad that he was letting go and circulating his money aside being happy to help others in their business, he found himself more light-hearted and attracting more opportunities in life. A bonus in the process was he looked more rested and younger, which delighted him to no bounds. Good for him. I have not seen my friend for several years now since I moved here to Canada but it gladdens my heart to think that he has continued on his mended, merry and generous ways.
Speaking of gratitude, I am thankful for 2 meaningful and interesting documentary features which have just been recently released on Netflix. I highly and strongly recommend them – Capital in the Twenty First Century and A Life in Our Planet. If you want to start with something which is inexorably earth bound, watch Capital in the Twenty First Century first. Fascinating!
Capital in the Twenty First Century is a documentary version of the Thomas Piketty best seller of the same title. It is regarded more as a supplement or potential gateway to the book . Directed by Justin Pemberton, it is the perfect way to reach the non-economists like me. Thomas Piketty is a French economist who wrote this 750 page book in 2013. I doubt very much if I would have been interested to plow through this methodical analysis of capital-income ratios from 1700 to the near-present. But this documentary “mini” version of the book is illustrated with supplementary film and TV clips which makes it more understandable and relatable. It also uses examples from Jane Austen and Honore de Balzac “to explain how currencies and the investment value of land were understood during those authors’ lifetimes. The film opts for the cinematic correlative, excerpting movies like “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Elysium” to illustrate poverty in the past and possible future. Piketty notes the risk that the declining share of the wealth owned by the middle class could return to where it stood a century ago, when what qualified as “middle” was almost as poor as the poorest.”
I found the documentary interesting and alarming. But all is not lost. Piketty ends the film on an optimistic note. “Creating a more equal society is possible from a technical standpoint, he says. The challenge is intellectual and political” A must-watch in between your covid watch, and following the nerve-wracking events down south.
The other documentary feature streaming on Netflix now is definitely and undoubtedly a landmark – A Life On Our Planet hosted by the celebrated conservationist and broadcaster David Attenborough. Produced by wildlife filmmakers Silverback Films and global environmental organization WWF, A Life On Our Planet was originally slated to play in cinemas last April. Due to the pandemic, (as was the fate of Mulan and many others), its theatre release was postponed except for Australian and New Zealand cinemas which are currently screening them. Attenborough, now in his early 90s, calls it his witness statement and rightly so. His exceptional career documenting and exploring flora and fauna and more, all over the world, mostly with the BBC for maybe around 5 or more decades is also showcased in this film. It can’t be helped. His body of work is unmistakably a proof of his being a witness to the evolution or changes in our planet. I especially enjoy the archival footages of his early BBC documentaries. He looked like he was only in his 20s. Amazing! I have watched all his documentaries – The Living Planet, The Blue Planet, Our Planet and so on. They are outstanding. A glowing tribute to his passion for the living earth. He is indeed fortunate and blessed. I can go on and on about this documentary but go watch it yourself. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
It is his message that is paramount. No doubt the filmography is exquisite but what he wants to impart is something we must listen to. And how he does it. So moving. Nakakaiyak. I had to stop for a bit when the walrus were diving to their death. Don’t take my word for it though. Let the whole family watch it.
But as it was in the documentary Capital in the Twenty First Century, all is not doom and gloom. Attenborough says we can still change the path to self-destruction we are in. He says “if we take care of nature, nature takes care of us”. So simple. If we each do our part, we will “ finally learn to work with nature and not against it”. There are environmental victories in Costa Rica and Palau as he shows in the film. Imagine if we can do this on a global scale. He goes on to say that “This is not about saving the planet, it is about saving ourselves. The truth is, with or without us, the natural world will rebuild.” That it is now time “to establish a life on our planet in balance with nature.” He opens and closes the documentary in Chernobyl to illustrate the point that nature will always rebuild itself as evidenced in the ruins of Chernobyl where the wild has reclaimed the space with trees and plants. Now a haven for animals rarely seen elsewhere. But we have to do our part to restore this balance.
A Life on Our Planet – a moving and inspiring film streaming on Netflix.
With the beautiful changing of the colors comes the change in the temperature as well. Cooler and bracing. Perfect for brisk walks outdoors. I really wish, though, that the coming winter will be kind to us this year. I have my fingers crossed. In the meantime, let us enjoy the moment and be grateful for all the different colors and twists and turns of life. Never the same.
Till then, keep safe.
Tessie O. Taylor
For comments: taylorteresita@gmail.com
