The Glass is Half-Full- Life is a game

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The Glass is Half-Full

I was lucky to have some free time last weekend when my son came up and asked to

watch the movie ‘Life is Beautiful’. Little did I know it was going to be one of

the best movies I’d ever seen. I know most of you are thinking ‘Hello??? I

thought this site was about God, not movies!’. But to me, God isn’t only what

is in the scriptures. It is the message of Truth. In Swami Rama Tirtha’s words,

“Vedanta "knowledge of God" brings you a religion which is found in the streets,

which is written upon the leaves, which is murmured in the brooks, which is

whispered in the winds, which is throbbing in your veins and arteries, a

religion which concerns your business and bosom, a religion which you have not

to practise by going to a particular church, mosque or temple only, a religion

which you have to practise and live in your everyday life about your hearth, in

your dining room…” So the movie is really a lesson in Vedanta. It

teaches us about the power of looking at the bright side and seeing the same

situation from a fresh perspective. A lesson that is important in the Vedantic

context.

The story revolves around a father and son who have been taken as prisoners to a

concentration camp during World War II. The father had promised the little boy a

battle tank as a gift for his fourth birthday. However, they were arrested and

taken to a concentration camp as they were preparing for the birthday party.

In order to protect his son from the hardships of the concentration camp, the

father tells him that the entire experience is a game and that he will

accumulate points by following the rules of the game, the rules at the

concentration camp. He tells his son that if he is able to collect 1000 points

he will get the tank! Every time the child complains of bad food or some

inconvenience the father reminds him of the ‘game’. This enables the child to

take the situation in his stride. Finally, when the Allied Forces liberate

them, the little boy comes out of hiding. He sees a massive battle tank and

thinks he has got the reward for earning 1000 points! In the end it is his

father’s positive outlook that helps him emerge from the experience unscathed.

The same is true with our lives. We all have our moments of hardship. Moments

when we feel like there is no hope, when there seems no sense in going on. A

difficult relationship, an uninspiring job or just plain bad luck. Yet there is

something in us that has the ability to see the good in everything. The capacity

to turn the situation on its head, and see the same challenge in a new light.

Because the human spirit is indomitable. We will get knocked down many times

over in life, but the best amongst us are those who will get back up and

continue on the path they have chosen to tread.

Although the story is simple, there is a lesson in it for all of us. There is a

silver lining to every cloud. Thinking negatively about our circumstances only

takes the wind out of our sails. It hurts us the most. Not the people or the

obstacles we perceive to be the source of our problems. The key is to re-assess

the situation, try and see the good that can come out of it and above all, have

faith that we can make everything happen for the best. Remember, the glass is

always half-full.

by Vimal Joshi

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