Video Discription |
Scene from Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King. Parry (Robin Williams) tells "The Story of The Fisher King" to Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) in Central Park.
What do you think? Would the Red Knight have haunted Parry if he hadn't had such a magnificent, big, beautiful, blue, bleeding broken heart? He was a King who had lost his Queen. Life had lost its reason, with the possible exception of helping others in need.
It was strongly suggested that Parry knew exactly who Jack was (Spoiler Alert forthcoming:), and the role he played leading to Parry's loss. And yet...not an iota of resentment; pure forgiveness and love for Jack. Parry's heartbreak was pure and absolute. He had no anger toward anyone. He stayed alive in the denial of his former life - everything he feared and hated tightly compartmentalized into the Red Knight. His new identity as "Parry" (his real name being Henry Sagan) saved him from the horrific memories and emotions when his life "ended" that night in the restaurant.
And Jack, also tormented with guilt over his role, reveals how beneath the ego and glamour of fame, he's a tremendously compassionate and big-hearted human being. He soon learned that he couldn't just "...pay the fine and go home" (something that I can relate to very personally).
This is one of my all-time favorite films. I don't think I'm doing so hot at the moment at my synopsis or analysis, but I can say that this is a film loaded with some of the most precious and challenging life issues we humans shall (hopefully) come to experience, feel, and come to realize as the only things that truly matter in life.
Compassion, helping others in need, forgiveness, conquering our fears, joy (singing!), paying it forward, humility, making amends.
They say ignorance is bliss. I don't know about you (if you've made it this far...reading my babble), but I've *never* been able to escape my conscience. And I think few except the truly sociopathic can. And if there is such a thing, they're simply void of a conscience, that most precious quality, that in part defines us as human beings ("humanity"). And how awful that must be, to be lacking a conscience, a heart. Sure, we all have a selfish side, some more than others. But fortunately only the smallest fraction of us are so absolute in self-centered conduct. We don't need to be locked up in jail, experience retaliation from those we offended, get grounded by our parents if we're still kids, or "fined" by the courts...when we are hurtful to others. Our conscience is always there, along with the mirror, to ensure we pay. We have to look at ourselves, and realize that we are all connected; that we are hurting ourselves as well whenever we deliberately hurt others. This beautiful reality is a Spiritual Law, so I believe.
Whether we have the conscious thought or not, we have no choice but to disrespect ourselves, whenever we hurt others, or behave selfishly and fail to abide The Golden Rule. It matters not if we've convinced ourselves our actions were justified, that they "deserved it", etc. Incorrect: Society teaches us that two wrongs make a right; that retaliating will make us feel better.
Sooner or later, we learn...that it is never possible to feel better by trying to make someone else feel bad.
What we discover, is that we alone are responsible for how we respond to life. And we can NEVER blame anyone else for the way we feel. And so it is our personal responsibility to take ownership of our reactions to life under all conditions. And for many, that requires the help of a Higher Power. I alone, am powerless over my emotions. But by applying the principles of my 12-Step Program, I've been restored to sanity (like Parry does by the end of the story). I can finally give up hope for having a better past. I can forgive those that have wronged me, even if they have no interest in me forgiving them. I can understand that they, like myself, are spiritually sick too. I can realize that I do not know better than God, and therefore am in no position to complain about His handiwork (AA's Big Book 4th Edition, page 417; 3rd Edition page 449).
What I once thought was a complex orchestration of Grand Tragedies, AKA - "my life", turned out to be the touchstone to much needed spiritual growth and subsequent freedom, joy and peace. And once on the path to the new order of things, I realized that everything in fact does happen for good reason. And there simply could never be anything that more solidly instills genuine Faith than that understanding; that everything is exactly the way it is supposed to be; that everything is an opportunity for spiritual growth or an opportunity to be of service and be a living example to share what we've learned - that if we are among the members of the living, we are tremendously blessed.
Whoever said, "It's ALL good"...was 100% correct.
Now let's go LIVE & LOVE (nothing else has any value). |