"just because you don't see us, doesn't mean that we don't exist."
- Ingrid Michaelson, Smallest Light
(And I will devour every romantic movie with mushy-even-though-entirely-impossible plots any day ... or night).
Watching "The Space Between Us", even with its far-fetched plot, showcased a worthwhile underlying multi-layered theme that is both relevant and accessible ... if you care enough to look closer.
These are the layers I noted, which, I believe, can help us close the space between us.
"Courage is Fear that said its prayers."
Okay, it's not a plot layer. It's a quote. But one that speaks volumes and needs no further explanation. It's a good note-to-self, especially this year, when conditions are favorable for leaps of faith. A friend told me that Year 2017 is a year of Endings and New Beginnings. I don't know how true that is. But I've witnessed a lot of people courageously taking leaps of faith, in one form or another, and it's only February!
Passion breeds Frustration breeds Creativity.
When you want something bad enough and all odds are against you, at first you get really frustrated. Then you figure out creative, sometimes complex and absurdly out-of-this-world ways to get it. And you do get it. Sometimes immediately, sometimes much later ... but you do get it.
Movie references: Gardner wanted to see his mother's grave outside of the Mars bubble complex he lives in, so he dismantled his robot to get a map of the place and used his magnetic monitor implant to open the door. (Go figure! But you get my point).
Tulsa drove a plane to help Gardner "escape" from Nathaniel and Kendra.
"Break my heart
Break my hands
You can take anything but my plans
Ooh ooh I got big things to do
You can laugh,
Have your fun
I'll be standing right here when you're done
Ooh ooh I got big things to do"
We have become Earth desensitized.
There is so much beauty around us --- in nature, our surroundings and the faces we meet. We have become so desensitized, our noses on whatever gadgets we have our hands on 24/7, that we miss the everyday awesomeness of the Earth we live in.
Step out. Look up, around and towards the horizon. We are much more connected to everything in nature than we care to admit. Don't you feel more serene, at peace and clear-headed after a few minutes of just appreciating the gift of God's creations?
Yet we have become indifferent to or, worse, unbelieving of the damage we are inflicting. Sometimes, I feel, we are like the foolish scorpion who stung the tortoise that carried it.
Distance and Time are imaginary constraints.
Who are we kidding? We live in the future. So many things which were impossible 5, 10, 15 years ago are daily ordinary stuff now. For all the possibilities technology offers us, we have never been more disconnected.
We have become a society of quantity over quality. We make more "connections", yes, but how much of these go beyond the superficial? And, because of all of these connections, our time is spread too thinly that there is not enough to make real connections.
We travel great distances for work, concerts, games, etc. But we cannot travel the shorter distances to visit family and friends. And, even if these are longer distances, aren't they much more worth traveling for?
Distance and time are not the constraints. It's our priorities.
Movie reference: Gardner traveled for 7 months from Mars to Earth just to meet Tulsa and to find his father. Okay, not a realistic example, but a good analogy ... sort of.
"I need the sun to break, you've woken up my heart
I'm shaking, all my luck could change
Been in the dark for weeks and I've realized you're all I need and
I hope that I'm not too late"
- James Bay, Need The Sun to Break
Need The Sun to Break
Blinders limit your vision and the overall experience.
Sometimes we get so obsessed with chasing after what we don't or can't have, that we fail to see what is right in front of us. And, often, it's the people who love us.
Or, sometimes, we are so focused on the end-goal or finish line, that we fail to appreciate the process or the journey.
Movie reference: Gardner was too focused on finding a way to see his mother's plot or finding his father, that he failed to appreciate Kendra, the person who stepped up to be "the mother he never had".
Both cliche, I know, but not less true. Admit it.
Love takes chances and sacrifices.
Another cliche.
Although, sadly, not everyone is actually brave enough to take chances, I find, that most are strong enough to sacrifice for the sake of the beloved.
Love enables us to achieve the inconceivable. May we love enough to become the positive change movers our world needs.
Movie references: Tulsa took the chance to help and be with Gardner even though it did not make sense.
Gardner's father drove the plane/shuttle into outer space despite the possibility of him dying in the process (He has some weird-probably-fictional condition. Don't ask me what it's called).
"Everything we need is in the quiet
So let's hide out deep inside it
And even if tomorrow doesn't hold on
At least, we have this one song"
- Ingrid Michaelson, Stay Right Where You Are
Filter your filters.
It's become a norm for us to filter our thoughts for various reasons:
- To be politically correct
- To prevent hurting other people's feelings
- To dress up or dress down the truth
- Fear of rejection, disapproval or getting hurt
- Pride
Whatever the reason, we've become a society of filtered truths and it's damaging the most important and most fragile of God's gifts - relationships.
"The Truth will set us free". Always. And, as the movie points out, the Truth will make us happy (eventually) ... even when, sometimes, it hurts at first.
Yes, not every single thing that pops into our heads need to be blurted out. Some situations call for discretion and sensitivity. But never to the point of distorted truths and holding back affirmations. Perhaps if we are more generous with affirmations, this world can become a much nicer and brighter (less suspicious) place to live in.
Movie reference:
"First of all, I'm not upset. I'm uncomfortable. There's a difference. Secondly, people don't go around saying what they feel whenever they feel it. They have guards and shields and ... other metaphors ... [Why?] Because we're all messed up and scared and trying to be something that we're not. And if we all went around just declaring our innermost desires to the exact people we felt them for, then we'd all end up happy ... or something."
Hope floats.
Never underestimate the power of Hope. You'll find, that, despite burying it under a mountain of cynicism, pessimism, tough acts and what have you, Hope floats. It shines through. And the minute that we acknowledge it and empower it, it makes us limitless.
Movie reference:
"You act like you hate the world, Tulsa. It's all an act. The beautiful music you make gives you away."
Shine A Light
Hope floats.
Never underestimate the power of Hope. You'll find, that, despite burying it under a mountain of cynicism, pessimism, tough acts and what have you, Hope floats. It shines through. And the minute that we acknowledge it and empower it, it makes us limitless.
Movie reference:
"You act like you hate the world, Tulsa. It's all an act. The beautiful music you make gives you away."
Shine A Light
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